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The Shafts of Strife and War

Freedom’s Rampart: The Russian Invasion of New Zealand

By Katherine Foy  

1 Feb, 2022

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Katherine Foy’s 2020 Freedom’s Rampart: The Russian Invasion of New Zealand is a stand-alone alternate history novel about, you guessed it, the Russian invasion of New Zealand.

An altercation north of India leaves Francis Younghusbanddead and exacerbates tensions between the British Empire and the Russian Empire. Still, matters remain well short of war. Or rather, they do until Captain Oskar Victorovich Stark of the Far Eastern Squadron becomes involved.

Stark commands the frigate Vladimir Monomakh and the cruiser Admiral Nakhimov. Although his ships are low on coal, Stark decides to cock a snook at the British Empire by cruising past British emplacements on the shores of New Zealand. Annoying British soldiers is reasonable payback for past British harassment of legitimate Russian interests. 

Although the British forces in New Zealand have no desire for a protracted engagement with the Russian ships, they of course fire a warning shot across the Admiral Nakhimov’s bow. It is at this point matters go very, very wrong.

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