Publisher’s Foreword
The fate of the country, and even the planet, can turn on a dime, a branchpoint where two different courses of action can lead to wildly different outcomes. Allen Drury left us with one such crux point at the end of Preserve and Protect, in one of the most compelling cliffhangers in all of 20th Century fiction. Drury brought us to a climactic showdown that resulted in the death of a pivotal character and changed the course of U.S. history.
But in which direction?
At the end of Preserve and Protect, readers don’t know who survives—is it the weaker, more pacifistic Presidential candidate Edward Jason, or the more hardline Vice President Orrin Knox? The survivor will succeed to the U.S. Presidency and lead the country in a time of ever-increasing threat against foreign enemies. One man can make a difference, perhaps a tragic one.
The Advise and Consent saga is one of the most compelling and influential works of political fiction ever published. Advise and Consent (1959) itself is one of the best-selling novels of the 20th Century; it won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a highly successful film starring Henry Fonda. Drury followed that novel with A Shade of Difference (1962), Capable of Honor (1966), and Preserve and Protect (1968).
And then Drury did something even more astonishing—he wrote two endings to his series, alternate histories of what would have happened if one or the other man became the next President. Though starting at the same point, Come Nineveh, Come Tyre: The Presidency of Edward Jason and The Promise of Joy: The Presidency of Orrin Knox, are entirely different extrapolations, with the depth of character development and political nuances that readers have come to expect.
Drury’s intent was that both alternate endings be released simultaneously, so that readers could make their own choice. The author felt it important that the wildly different consequences of these two paths be presented simultaneously, but that did not prove to be possible at the time. Come Nineveh, Come Tyre was originally released in 1973 and The Promise of Joy in 1975. The former remained on national bestseller lists for six months, and the latter was a bestseller for four months.
Now, though, we have a second chance. WordFire Press has been releasing the entire Advise and Consent series throughout the 2014 election season, culminating with the final two volumes, which include never-before-published supplementary materials. We are publishing both alternate endings to the saga at the same time—as was the author’s original intent. Read them both, and decide for yourself.
Kevin J. Anderson, publisher
WordFire Press
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