Queen Wallis

Carey continues the alternate history of Widowland two years after Rose Ransom assassinated the Leader. The Protectorate has done its best (and worst) to make the country forget, while Rose jumps at shadows, wondering why she is still not only free but employed at the highest levels of the Culture Ministry. She knows she is being watched, even as she assists in the preparations for the first state visit from the U.S. to Nazi-dominated Britain. Both sides need the western alliance to stand against communist Russia, but the rebels have plans to make a much different use of the U.S. president than anyone imagines. Meanwhile, Queen Wallis has a plan to go home to the U.S. with Rose’s connivance, as the real Queen rises to take her place on the world stage. The action of this post-World War II dystopia continues to follow Rose as she pretends to be a loyal follower of the Alliance regime while in her heart she’s still a rebel, secretly preserving and protecting as much as she can. It’s a fascinating portrait of a fake collaborator waiting for a chance to rise.