Rating: 
Summary: it's no Gods and Generals
Review: I was hopping that this fictional account of the civil war will have the same riveting battle scenes and in-depth account of the human struggle as the war escalated, but it was quite disappointing. Starbuck and all the other characters are two-dimensional. Also the future of how each characters turn out by the end of the novel is quite predictable. Therefore, I know I wouldn't be reading the second book.
Rating: 
Summary: One-dimensional and insipid.
Review: I'm familiar with other Cornwell novels (the Richard Sharpe stories), and he's a wonderful writer, so the problems with this series don't have anything to do with writing ability. Part of my problem is that, to my taste, Cornwell picked the wrong side to write about. But what I can't get around is that given Prof. James MacPherson's recent scholarship on the writings of Civil War soldiers, Why They Fought, WHY would Cornwell, who is I'm sure very much aware of MacPherson's research, create a protagonist who doesn't have much of an opinion on the war and joins up just to spite Papa? Civil War-era soldiers were among the first really literate modern armies. They thought about the war, they argued it out among themselves, they wrote about it to their loved ones. Most of them, on both sides, knew exactly why they were fighting. I just can't buy a hero who doesn't know or care why he's there, and I think the "callow youth who grows to learn of honor and true courage on the field of battle" is just too, too obvious. Hit us over the head, why don't you. I have better hopes for The Winter King
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good....
Review: I've enjoyed reading Cornwell's series of Civil War novels (the Starbuck series). I recommend them, however, only with certain reservations.These books are best approached as works of pure fiction that are set against approximations of history. People who read them either as an introduction to or as an adjunct to a study of actual history need to be wary here. Cornwell is a novelist, not an historian. Usually he gets the facts right; sometimes he does not. He freely invents major characters and events, and there are places where he alters established historical fact to suit his fiction. The result can be confusing. For example, in _Copperhead_, Cornwell has Johnston hatching the battle plan for the Seven Pines offensive all on his own. That's not the way it happened. What's known about what did happen is far more interesting than Cornwell's altered and simplified version of events. The second bone I have to pick with Cornwell's Civil War books, is that people who have read his previous novels (the Sharpe series) will find the many of the same characters and themes recurring in these. The characters here are somewhat less one-dimensional, but they're still transparent and predictable. The dialog is better. As an historical novelist, I would spot Cornwell somewhere between Patrick O'Brian and the Shaaras (Michael and Jeff). He's not as good a novelist as O'Brian; he's not as good an historian as the Shaaras. On the other hand, he's almost as good as all of them combined. Not quite, but almost. For those looking for the best Civil War novels, I would read these only after first reading the Shaaras' trilogy and The Red Badge of Courage. If at all possible, I would then read them alongside more carefully written accounts of the historical backgrounds. That said, this is an excellent series of books. It will hold your attention and give you a fairly accurate impression of the sorts of things that really did go on back then. The facts are somewhat loose, but the final impression you'll get will not be.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good....
Review: I've enjoyed reading Cornwell's series of Civil War novels (the Starbuck series). I recommend them, however, only with certain reservations. These books are best approached as works of pure fiction that are set against approximations of history. People who read them either as an introduction to or as an adjunct to a study of actual history need to be wary here. Cornwell is a novelist, not an historian. Usually he gets the facts right; sometimes he does not. He freely invents major characters and events, and there are places where he alters established historical fact to suit his fiction. The result can be confusing. For example, in _Copperhead_, Cornwell has Johnston hatching the battle plan for the Seven Pines offensive all on his own. That's not the way it happened. What's known about what did happen is far more interesting than Cornwell's altered and simplified version of events. The second bone I have to pick with Cornwell's Civil War books, is that people who have read his previous novels (the Sharpe series) will find the many of the same characters and themes recurring in these. The characters here are somewhat less one-dimensional, but they're still transparent and predictable. The dialog is better. As an historical novelist, I would spot Cornwell somewhere between Patrick O'Brian and the Shaaras (Michael and Jeff). He's not as good a novelist as O'Brian; he's not as good an historian as the Shaaras. On the other hand, he's almost as good as all of them combined. Not quite, but almost. For those looking for the best Civil War novels, I would read these only after first reading the Shaaras' trilogy and The Red Badge of Courage. If at all possible, I would then read them alongside more carefully written accounts of the historical backgrounds. That said, this is an excellent series of books. It will hold your attention and give you a fairly accurate impression of the sorts of things that really did go on back then. The facts are somewhat loose, but the final impression you'll get will not be.
Rating: 
Summary: A great choice for a Civil War Novel
Review: If you are looking for a series to get involved in focusing on he Civil War, this one is excellent. Cornwall is a great writer who's storytelling and knowledge blend here in the launch what I hope will be a long and thorough narration of this era of American History.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK THE FIRST OF THE SERIES IM HOOKED!!1
Review: IM A CIVIL WAR BUFF AND I TOOK A CHANCE ON THIS BOOK DESPITE THE FACT THE HERO IS A CONFEDRATE AND THE RISK WAS WELL WORTH IT. THE CHARCTERS ARE MULTI DIMENSIONAL AND MR CROMWELL HAS A GREAT WRITING STYLE THAT MAKES HISTORY COME ALIVE. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK HIGHLY.
Rating:
Summary: Excellently Crafted
Review: In "Rebel" we meet for the first time one Nathan Starbuck(whos last name is a mystery to me.) Like all Cornwell books you need a sidekick and Nate gets one in Sergant Turslow(the American ansewer to Patrick Harper). The book as are all(or most Cornwell books is excellently crafted with lots of detail and even interspured with humor. This serise of books is one of the finest Cornwell has ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Excellently Crafted
Review: In "Rebel" we meet for the first time one Nathan Starbuck(whos last name is a mystery to me.) Like all Cornwell books you need a sidekick and Nate gets one in Sergant Turslow(the American ansewer to Patrick Harper). The book as are all(or most Cornwell books is excellently crafted with lots of detail and even interspured with humor. This serise of books is one of the finest Cornwell has ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Comedic Conferates Win as Well
Review: In addition to all that's been said about the battles, I have to say that there is much of comic genius in this book. Thaddeus Byrd is one of the funniest characters on paper (paper worth more than what it is printed upon indeed). His blustery apprehension of the cracked world is as winning as it is side-splitting. His tenderness in considering his young wife make you love him. His achievement of presence in the Battle of Manassas is a remarkable development. As a Southerner, I have to say the Cornwell gets it right. It is very rare that anyone except Southerners get the details of Southern sensibility correct. And generally Southerners themselves are quick to hide behind a mask of pleasant amusement. But the bravado, insecurity, breeding, manners, and style of the South are perfectly laid out in the writing of this novel. I for one did not find the battle to be the heart of the novel. Rather, I found it to be the development of Faulkner, the braggadocio of a self-made man, the epitome of the South, and the revealing of his spineless nature. Mind you, I have living relatives name Robert Lee and John Davis. And the original name on my own birth certifice was Stonewall Jackson.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest civil war series of all time, and sadly unfinished.
Review: In Bernard Corwell's "Starbuck Chronicles" Cornwell does everything right, succeeding IMO in writing the best historical fiction ever written on the subject of the American Civil War - Yes even better then John Jake's "North and South", or "The Red Badge of Courage" Cornwell's greatest success probably is his amazing detail and great historical accuracy in desribing the war. What i probably found most impresive was his great detail in desribing battles such as Bull Run and Antietam - every sentence kept me captivated and this detail alone is reason enough for anyone interested in the war to read each and every book in the series cover to cover. You will hard pressed to find anything either fiction or non fiction that does a better job giving you a total mental picture of the battles portrayed in the series (i was especially impressed with the great detail desribing the battle of Antietam) As with the other historical and political aspects of the civil war Cornwell addresses everything, the struggle of freedom over slavery plays a pivotal role in the series and throughout Cornwell's novels he does a great job of accurately portraying nearly every pivotal political and military figure central to the eastern theater of the civil war. For those of you woried that the series may be to much history, not enough story put your mind at ease. Not only does Cornwell succeed in writing one of the best accounts of the war ever written he gets an "A" grade when it comes to the story as well. Cornwell delivers one of the most memorable cast of characters ever. Just to give you a little background, without giving to much away the main character Nathaniel Starbuck (Son of a fictional famous abolitionist) arrives in Richmond, Virginia just as news arrives of the siege of Fort Sumnter. Through a series of events Nathan finds himself fighting for the South out of simple gratitude to the father of his best friend. While the first book "Rebel" ends after the southern victory at Manassas (Bull Run) the rollercoaster of emotions, fitting the events that surround the characters really comes into being in the following books. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Rebel" and read this series - you won't be dissapointed. It isn't often that i read the same book more then once but i've read each book in the series at least several times, they're that good. I dearly hope that one day Bernard Cornwell will do us the favor of completing this incredible series.
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