In this early essay in what would later be called steampunk, Harrison gives us an alternate universe where the British Empire never ended, and the descendent of the great Victorian engineers Thomas Brassey and Isambard Kingdom Brunel are planning the next great extension of the Great Western Railway - to New York! Along the way, we meet a descendent of that minor rebel, George Washington, now relegated to a footnote in history by means of a firing squad. God Save The Queen! ( )

Written in the style of late nineteenth century thrillers, this tells the story of the construction of a tunnel across the Atlantic in the face of sabotage and huge natural challenges. The style flows from its setting in a world in which the American Revolution failed and Islamic victories in the Crusades preempt the rise of Spain and the destruction of the civilizations of South America. Packed with typical Harrison touches like knowing references to popular contemporary and historical figures in this new context: a steampunk world with the values of an idealised Victorian England. Essentially, this is a Boys' Own romp for post-modern adults. ( )

A good book based on an interesting concept. An alternate history breaking off at some point that on the surface is unimportant but completely changes everything leading to America still being a colony of England in the 60s which leads to a huge engineering project to build a tunnel between the two countries. Slickly written with enough details to keep it interesting without dragging, this book is a classic of the genre. ( )

A wonderful alternate history of a "Victorian" 20th century ruled by a British Empire that never lost the American colonies. My edition contains an introduction by Auberon Waugh, of all people. This little novel with it's super title is boringly called "Tunnel through the Deeps" in the U.S., further proof that British science fiction titles are better (with the obvious exception of The Stars my Destination/Tiger! Tiger!). ( )