Sentry Peak

September 4, 2000
Readers who remember General Rosenkrantz from Turtledove's Civil War- inspired How Few Remain (1997) have been waiting for the appearance of a General Guildenstern. Here he is--not incompetent but overconfident, lecherous and fond of the bottle, leading the gray-clad armies of southern Detina on behalf of King Avram, whose plans to free the fair-haired serfs of northern Detina led the northerners to secede and to field blue-clad armies in defense of their King Geoffrey. Opposing Guildenstern is Thraxton the Braggart (and even translated into an alternate and fantastical universe, Braxton Bragg is still odious), ably assisted by the natural genius of Ned of the Forest. This funhouse mirror of a book proceeds the rest of the way through the Chickamauga campaign of 1863, ending in the "southron" victory of General Bart (Grant's middle name was "Simpson") and Doubting George (Thomas). Readers who resist the temptation to fling the book down will find more than a treasure trove of japes and wordplays here. They will also discover some serious and cogent thinking on the position of minorities, the art of command (as practiced both well and badly) and the Civil War, on which this author is perhaps the outstanding expert in the SF and fantasy field. And they will find some exacting tests of their cultural literacy--it helps in identifying the Battle of Essoville to know that J. Paul Getty is an oil billionaire, and that one can identify "Roast Beef William" either by his having written a tactical manual or by knowing of the fast-food chain by the name of Hardee's.

September 15, 2000
When Avram claims the throne of his late father, King Buchan, his cousin Geoffrey contests the throne, raising an army of blue-clad northern troops to send against his southern rival's gray-uniformed forces. Drawing upon his considerable knowledge of military history and his love of alternate realities, veteran sf and fantasy author Turtledove has crafted a fantasy spin on the Civil War. Demonstrating his talent for mixing genres, the author of Darkness Descending produces one more winner in the field of alternative military fantasy. A good choice for most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2000
Playing mightily with words as well as worlds, Turtledove sets the Chickamauga campaign of the U.S. Civil War as a fantasy in which, to keep its serfs, the North has seceded from the South, and a General Guildenstern (i.e., Rosecrans) goes down to bloody ruin before the magical talents of Thraxton the Braggart (Braxton Bragg, of whom Turtledove is no fan). Despite the aid of Ned of the Forest (Nathan Bedford Forrest, rendered as vividly as in Turtledove's "Guns of the South," 1992) to Thraxton, Generals Bart (Grant) and Doubting George (Thomas) save the day for the gray-clad defenders of the freedom of blond serfs against the blue-clad secessionists of the North. Readers who survive the wordplay to the end of the book will appreciate Turtledove's historiography and sensible attitudes about generalship, ethics, and minority status. And they should also brace themselves, for this is the first in a projected series. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)