Marching Through Peachtree

Rating:
Summary: A Blonde Joke Overdone
Review: I consider myself a big fan of Harry Turtledove's and have all of his books in my library, using some in my teaching. The first in this series, Sentry Peak, was more humorous than serious and I did enjoy it to a point. In a review of that book I described it as the longest blonde joke I had ever read, a good satire. However Marching Through Peachtree belabors the point without the fun and the author even has to explain at the end how he used Sherman's march through Georgia during the Civil War to make up his alternate world plot. Really unforgivable is a slapstick scene from Gone With The Wind which in itself has been considered by some as an alternate history. I will still buy everything Turtledove writes and hope it will have better results for me as a reader and a teacher.

Rating:
Summary: awsome
Review: I just realy enjoy all of the turtledove books but this one has caught my eye and everyone should read it.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Rendition
Review: I really liked this book.

Now, though I know some about the Civil War, I am not a super fan nor do I know it battle by battle and general and colonel by general and colonel. Maybe this is why I liked it so much - many of the characters were new and unknown to me. In fact, maybe this book would be even better for those with a good grasp of geograhy but not a photographic memory of the Civil War.

The book is not perfect - at times it's a little boring regarding the incessant pep talks that both sides lead to keep up their courage (We'll lick them, of course). Also (and this is not the author but me) where did he get that weird pantheon from with lions and all? Why a virtual US with a pagan religion? I suppose it's to reinforce the swords and sorcery theme.

The author does a good job showing the lives of ordinary soldiers, too.

I thought Marching Through Peachtree better than its predecessor Sentry Peak. I admit that since he is following real history some of the characters do have to make stupid mistakes too often. This is especially true in Sentry Peak with Thraxton the Braggart and his too idiotic mistakes, but I don't think it is as bad in the sequel. I especially liked the characters Rollant, Smitty, Doubting George, and Roast Beef William. And who'd ever think to see a picture of Abe Lincoln in a crown?

So all and all a neat adventure even if bound by real history.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Rendition
Review: I really liked this book.

Now, though I know some about the Civil War, I am not a super fan nor do I know it battle by battle and general and colonel by general and colonel. Maybe this is why I liked it so much - many of the characters were new and unknown to me. In fact, maybe this book would be even better for those with a good grasp of geograhy but not a photographic memory of the Civil War.

The book is not perfect - at times it's a little boring regarding the incessant pep talks that both sides lead to keep up their courage (We'll lick them, of course). Also (and this is not the author but me) where did he get that weird pantheon from with lions and all? Why a virtual US with a pagan religion? I suppose it's to reinforce the swords and sorcery theme.

The author does a good job showing the lives of ordinary soldiers, too.

I thought Marching Through Peachtree better than its predecessor Sentry Peak. I admit that since he is following real history some of the characters do have to make stupid mistakes too often. This is especially true in Sentry Peak with Thraxton the Braggart and his too idiotic mistakes, but I don't think it is as bad in the sequel. I especially liked the characters Rollant, Smitty, Doubting George, and Roast Beef William. And who'd ever think to see a picture of Abe Lincoln in a crown?

So all and all a neat adventure even if bound by real history.

Rating:
Summary: Not Turtledoves usual good stuff
Review: Many others have mentioned that this storyline is based on Shermans march through GA. While I'm a mild civil war buff, and I could make connections with real world names, some events and names were explained better at the end of the book than I could remember.

However, as to the book and series itself, I cannot recommend it, or at least, not purchasing it. Harry Turtledove has finally hit a "slump" after his previous outstanding alternate histories.

One gets the feeling that this entire series is filled with a lot of pap filled with little bits of meat, in order to stretch it out for 3 books. I believe this storyline could have been better told in a single book, something along the lines of "Guns of the South".

I hope that Harry Turtledove has not fallen into the rut that many sci-fi/fantasy authors have, taking an original idea and trying to stretch it out for several books just to keep on having something published, or to cash in on their names, an unfortunate trend of recent years.

Bottom line, if you want to keep up on all the Harry Turtledove books, get this one (and the previous and next) at the library.

Rating:
Summary: Good character development in recast history
Review: The war between the provinces drags on with the serf-holding north holding on despite advances by the south. After winning the battle in Franklin, the southern army faces a new opponent--one who intends to keep his army intact and to force the south to take losses for every mile of territory they conquer. Fortunately for the south, the northern generals are constantly back-stabbing their leader. If the southern population is willing to continue the battle, the blond serfs of the north may, eventually, be freed.

MARCHING THROUGH PEACHTREE is a fantasy novel (magic, dragons, flying carpets) version of the U.S. Civil War recounting Sherman's march through Georgia. This type of fantasy recasting of real historic events is something of a Harry Turtledove specialty and MARCHING THROUGH PEACHTREE is the best of these novels I've read yet. Turtledove gives the reader a full range of the battle, depicting the decisions and lives of both generals and privates. Ex-serf and blond Rollant is an especially interesting and sympathetic character.

Fans of epic fantasy may be disturbed by the moral ambiguity in MARCHING THROUGH PEACHTREE. Although the southern (U.S. northern) cause is depicted somewhat more sympathetically, the northern side also has its merits--there can be no pure battle between good and evil. To enforce the parallels to U.S. history, Turtledove is forced to introduce some rather extreme stretches--e.g., using magic carpets as a substitute for the all-important railroads. As always, when recounting historical events, the reader is forced to accept foolish decisions (because they actually happened) that no reader would accept in a pure fiction work (because no villain or hero would do anything that stupid).

If you enjoy this type of historical analogue novel, MARCHING THROUGH PEACHTREE is one of the best. It may be read independently of the earlier novel in this series.

Rating:
Summary: Not True Alternate History
Review: This book is not alternate history in the accepted sense--that is, speculation on what would have happened is a historical event had not occurred or had occurred differently (e.g. if the Synod of Whitby had had a different result). Rather, it is a retelling of Sherman's Atlanta campaign with the author exercising his imagination on the names of people and places. As such, it is delivered with the author's accustomed style and wit. The title is a tad misleading since it would apply better to a retelling of Sherman's March. For what it is, however, it's an entertaining read and while I wouldn't dream of buying it at any price I expect to read and perhaps reread my library's copy.

Rating:
Summary: Not up to Par
Review: This re-telling of Sherman's Georgia campaign is not up to Harry's usual high standards. His use of the real characters middle names,I.E. Lt Gen Bell for John Bell Hood, and cute substitutions for places, I.E. "Fat Mama" for Cass,GA do not carry the story. One would do better to read the 3rd Vol of Shelby Foote's Civil War History.