Rating: 
Summary: Not sure why all the glowing reviews
Review: This was a really great idea for a book, that was rather poorly executed. It is painfully obvious that Forstchen doesn't know squat about life in the 1860's, Civil War regiments and technology of the day. If he did any research at all, I believe it was simply by watching the movie "Gettysburg". Keane & the 35th Maine bear a striking resemblance to Chamberlain and the 20th Maine, though the 35th is apparently the super, mega, ultra, completely unbelievable regiment of the Union army. Even the characters' behavior wasn't believable at many times (how many people from the 1860's would just instantly recognize and accept that they were on an alien world most likely in another galaxy inhabitted by medieval Russians and uber-orcs?)I won't go into detail of all the erroneous information/assumptions Forstchen relies on, as some folks will probably just call me a nit-picker--let's just say that the "Ogunquit" was nowhere near realistic and the knowledge-base of the 35th was astronomical by ANY standards let alone for a group of 19th century Mainers. I am by no means an expert on the Civil War, nor do I usually care about historical inaccuracies in a non-historical book. But when they are as glaring as in this novel, and when the writing is sub-par, they tend to grate on my nerves. If I had found the story to be truly engaging, and the writing well-done, I could overlook the inaccuracies. It also appeared to me that the book must have been put out under extremely tight deadlines, as towards the end of the novel there were several glaring editorial mistakes (like when Houston is declared dead after the battle of the Ford only to resurface and command a unit during the battle of Suzdal, or when Keane calls Qubata by name then a few moments later asks what his name is). Either the last third or so of the book was presented rather late and rushed through editing, or the editors found the story rather mind-numbing and overlooked things. I will give credit, however, to Forstchen's battle sequences. They were engaging--the right mix of detail and information while keeping things moving at the appropriate pace. Very well done in those parts of the book. But the rest of the book isn't really worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: The best in a long time
Review: This book almost defies description: a magnificent adventure novel, a science fiction novel that manages to be intelligent and to include true science and wonderful fiction, a military fiction novel with some of the best battle scenes I have ever read, "Rally Cry" is the opening shot in the "Lost Regiment" series and one of the best reads in any genre you'll find in the last decade. One of the most troubling aspects of science fiction -a genre I really like- is the simplistic treatment that most authors give their books, and their cavalier attitude toward the reader. Even authors with scientific background, like Asimov, wrote wrong science, as in "Nightfall", or dealt with insipid plots and flat characters that were mere copies of other characters. Forstchen has used stereotypes here, too, but his way of dealing with them is far superior to that of other writers. His Union Regiment lost in a world where humans are food to the native inhabitants, and where the Yankees spark a revolution that eventually reaches planetary proportions, is not only entertaining. It's intelligent, as well, with solid documentation of industry and warfare, and a very credible alien society of nomads. The best is, perhaps, the idealism of some of those Yankees (and Forstchen), who see their country as what it should be and fight for it, and also die for it. Stranded in a hostile world, these bluecoats will turn out to be the titans all countries want but few get. And their cause, to free people from serfdom and slaughter, is a magnified vision of the most noble aspect of the American Civil War, whose origins were somewhat removed from freedom itself, but that ended up becoming a war where a country almost tore itself apart in order to get rid of slavery. Forstchen knows that and is proud of the New England tradition of patriotism and freedom. His extraordinary science fiction, adventure, military history book is a homage to those who fought for the ideal of making this country a better place.
Rating: 
Summary: Dependable Serise
Review: I must have had this book in my closet for up to five years. I brought a lot of this Author's books in a serge around that time when I was reading the Wing Commander serise. If you like Harry Turtledove's "Lost Legion" you should not have a problem with this even though this book is not as indepths as Turtledove's stuff. This is a story of good guys and bad guys, even though you could probably guess the ending already I do recommend it the charecters here are very fun and it helps pass the time. Overall-Solid Book
Rating:
Summary: "Yes, we'll rally round the flag,boys... "
Review: Being a fan of Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Harry Turtledove lead me to this book. I had just finished Mr. Forstchen's book "1945" and was curious of his other work. When Union Colonel Andrew Keane along with his regiment the 35th Maine borded the transport ship "Ogunquit" they had no inkling of their fantastic journey would take them to the alien land of Valdennia filled with many pockets of humanity stolen from time to be mere herds of cattle for the violent, war-mongering, nomadic tribes of the Chosen Race of Valdennia. He doubtless would have been horrified at the lot humans had been cast in this alien society. This engrossing well written tale begins the saga of the 35th Maine (along with the 44th New York Light Artillery) as they bring hope and new ideals of freedom to the thousands of "Rus" peasants citizens of the city of "Suzdal" living in fear from the tribe of the Chosen Race known as the Fearsome "Tugars". Under Col. Keane they teach Kalenka and the peasant Suzdalians about freedom, and how to get out from under the oppresive yoke of the "Boyar" (leader) Ivor and the Church Patriarch Rasnar. The first half of this exciting book tells of the Rus peasants overthrow of this serfdom, and preparation for the coming battle with Muzta Qar Qarth (chieftain) of the Clan of the Tugars, a viscious alien race nearly ten feet tall! This powerful, fiersome foe, a vanquishing army of over 200,000 armed with ax,spears, catapults and bows pits itself against the army of 10,000 "freemen" consisting of the combined strength of the 35th Maine, the 44th New York (L.A.), the crew of the transport Ogunquit, along with Kalenka and the citizens of Suzdal. We read of the ingenuity of 19th century science and tech- "no how" brought by the brave Union soldiers to this vast medieval Russian society, one of many time torn pockets of humanity that are food to the Tugars. We read also of the brave citens of Suzdal, their dreams of freedom and the terrible price to be paid for it. The second half tells the breath taking horrific onslaught of the mighty Tugars, and of the valiant fighting spirit of this "Lost Regiment". I highly recommend this book to fans of military fiction, civil war buffs, and to science fiction fans. A great page turner, an exciting well crafted read!
Rating:
Summary: Good read, some errors
Review: Really good book. Forstchen did a good job of having a regiment of Civil War-era soldiers are able to convert a medieval Russian state into a 'Little America' with massive industry. The 35th is widley varried, with a history teacher, down to a circus worker. The ending part at the Battle of Suzdal was extremley surprising and shocking.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Story, But Overrated & Predictable .....
Review: I am by no means a dedicated reader, but I have found myself polishing off about 2 books a week for the last month. So, having read 6 consecutive David Gemmell novels, I thought to give myself a change of pace by reading this highly rated book.
What a disappointment. Yes the story idea is very good, but the character degvelopment left much to be desired. Dozens of pages go on & on with the sole purpose of showing the writer's knowledge of 1860's history & Civil War facts. Nothing was added to the story by this; and it was very boring (I could care less how a grain mill worked in 1865). I will not give away the ending, but anyone with even a little imagination could see it coming 2/3 of the way thru the book. If you are a Civil War fan, you most likely will enjoy the book with many of it's historical facts & technical details.
Rating:
Summary: A rousing adventure
Review: The whole concept here is pretty wack, but once you accept the premise, you're in for a pretty rousing action-adventure novel with some fun scenes, good battle action, and a pretty exciting climax. This one's not going to win the Nobel prize for literature, but it will keep you entertained and it will make you want to read the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Another War of Liberation
Review: Rally Cry is the first novel in The Lost Regiment series. The 35th Maine infantry regiment has had a glorious history, the first to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor as a unit for their stubborn resistance to Confederate forces at Gettysburg. Now, they and the 44th New York Light Artillery board the transport Ogunquit to participate in an amphibious assault, but sail a day behind the other ships of the flotilla. The Ogunquit is caught in a storm, flounders in high waves, is sucked into a funnel of blinding light, and is then dropped elsewhere. In our timeline, neither the ship nor any of those onboard are ever seen again. In this novel, Colonel Andrew Keane, commander of the regiment, awakes to find the ship aground, all masts down, and bodies and gear littering the deck. Sergeant Major Hans Schuder reports that two men have been killed and the other 600 are [heaving] their guts out. Miss Kathleen O'Reilly, a nurse from the Christian Sanitation Commission, avows that she will never set foot on a ship again, then goes below to assist Doctor Emil Weiss, the regimental physician, in treating the injured. One of the privates reports a horseman on the shore and Keane uses his field glasses to discover that the rider has a long beard, a conical iron helmet and a long spear; he is wearing a dirty white tunic that buttons up one side and has rags on his feet. When the horseman leaves, Keane gets his men and artillery ashore and dug in against a possible attack. However, the Captain of the Ogunquit, Tobias Cromwell, calls him back aboard and up the rigging to the shattered maintop, giving Keane a view of the land beyond the nearest hills. Thousands of men are swarming towards them, lead by a mounted contingent carrying square banners portraying various symbols. Some of the horsemen are wearing rough plate armor and are clustered around a portly, bearded man wearing gold-embossed armor. The infantry looks like true medieval levies, with an insane assortment of spears, swords, clubs and pitchforks. After the stranger arrive, they form up in a line, two priests walk down the line with censors smoking, and the strangers each cross themselves...backwards. An emissary comes forward to ask for their surrender, but Keane cannot understand the language, except for the term "boyar". When the strangers charge, some of the 35th fire a volley of blank charges and the two artillery pieces fire over the their heads. At that point, the strangers leave the field rapidly, but soon some return with their catapults and attack the ship. Keane has Major Pat O'Donald, commander of the 44th New York, target the catapults and the strangers leave the field in a wild stampede. Then the regiment sees two moons in the sky. Amidst all the excitement that this causes, another emissary approaches the camp carrying a torch and is taken to the colonel. Kalencka is a peasant, the bard of the boyar, and has been sent to gather information on the bluecoats. After a swig of Emil's gin, Kal is eager to participate in language lessons. After three days, he is sent back with a gift of spectacles for his boyar, Ivor of the Weak-Eyes, and a flask of whiskey for himself. Reporting back to his boyar, Kal urges his boyar to form an alliance with the bluecoats, realizing that he has job security as long as no one else can speak with them. He even convinces the boyar to let him, and him alone, live among the bluecoats as his permanent spy. Soon Keane, with his escort, are invited to a huge banquet involving numerous toasts. The next morning, they awake with terrific hangovers, but Kal has the perfect cure. Then they begin negotiations with Ivor, but are interrupted by an attack led by Mikhail, Ivor's half brother, who has been incited to rebel against the boyar by Rasnar, the local patriarch, but Mikhail has not reckoned on the firepower of Keane's escort and is driven away. Impressed by this power, Ivor provides Keane with a grant of land to build an encampment and a steady supply of food, in return for protection against Mikhail. The regiment is now essentially independent of the Suzdal Rus, the local people, but there are other Rus boyars. And then there are the Tugar horde, aliens who are the masters of all the Rus and who, although scheduled to arrive in four years, are coming earlier. This novel introduces an alternate world which has been ruled by an alien race who traverse fixed routes around the world, harvesting humans as cattle. The Tugar is only one of several hordes and the Rus is only one of many human groups who have come through the gates of light to leave descendents upon this world. The regiment is faced with a monumental task, but the 35th Maine has fought tougher enemies and survived. This novel is alternate world SF much like Turtledove's Misplaced Legion. The 35th Maine is a historical reality, credited for saving the Union forces at Gettysburg and lost at sea a few months later. The author is a historian and Civil War reenactor, so the historical details of the regiment are as accurate as they can be. The Rus are also true to their ancestry, medieval Russians, but their presence on the alternate world is not attributed to any historical event. Recommended for anyone who enjoys civil war history and alternate world wars.
Rating:
Summary: 4.5 Stars Good, Fun Reading
Review: An interesting concept. I read this book in four days. I immediately went out and acquired the second and third books in the series. Similar to an alternate history, but on another planet with a unique ruling class/civilization. It will be interesting to see if their history is uncovered to show what brought them to the state that they are in. Although not entirely believable, It is a good action book. Plenty of battle sequences. Lots of detail on strategy and movement. Hardly any wishy washy content at all.
Rating:
Summary: Alternative History--Military, Aviation, Medicine, Politics
Review: First of a 9 volume Alternative History series by William R. Forstchen, Ph.D. (Purdue U.), a Military Historian at Montreat College. A Civil War Infantry Regiment, Light Artillery unit, and a US Navy transport ship are moved from Earth through portals left by an ancient race to an alien world where enslaved humans are the source of food for the regressed descendents of the portal builders. The series describes the evolution of Military and Naval tactics and equipment, political revolution, medical progress, and the evolution of lighter than air aviation by this group of 500 Civil War-era humans thrust into a world which exists as a microcosm of Middle Ages Earth. Great read with well-developed characters. Should appeal to a wide range of readers.
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