The American Zone

2001 Smith, L[ester] Neil, [III] (1946-2021). The American Zone. Ed. James Frenkel. New York: Tor.

A sequel to 1980 Smith, The Probability Broach, in which refugees from various authoritarian versions of the United States arrive in the Confederacy. Last in the North American Confederacy series, preceded, in publication order, by The Probability Broach (1980); The Venus Belt (1981); Their Majesties' Bucketeers. Illus. New York: Ballantine Books, 1981. 182 pp.; The Nagasaki Vector. New York: Ballantine Books, 1983. 242 pp., neither of which have much to do with the main themes in the series; Tom Paine Maru. New York: Ballantine. 273 pp. Rpt. rev. Rockville, MD: Phoenix Pick, 2009. 222 pp. [An author’s note says that the first edition was badly cut by the publisher and that this version reflects his original intent]; The Gallatin Divergence. New York: Ballantine, 1985. 223 pp.; Brightsuit MacBear. New York: Avon, 1988. 212 pp.; and Taflak Lysandra. New York: Avon, 1988. 230 pp. (1989), in all three of which there are clashes between the Confederacy and the authoritarian Federalists. In the chronology of the series, the volumes are The Probability Broach, The Nagasaki Vector, The American Zone, The Venus Belt, The Gallatin Divergence, Tom Paine Maru, Brightsuit MacBear, Taflak Lysandra, and Their Majesties' Bucketeers.