From uucp Tue May 2 03:36 SST 1989 >From matoh Tue May 2 03:36:16 1989 remote from majestix.ida.liu.se Received: by sssab.se (smail2.5) id AA05896; 2 May 89 03:36:16 SST (Tue) Received: from majestix.ida.liu.se by sunic.sunet.se (5.61+IDA/KTH/LTH/1.44) id AAsunic26860; Mon, 1 May 89 03:39:04 +0200 Received: by majestix.ida.liu.se; Mon, 1 May 89 03:37:55 +0200 Date: Mon, 1 May 89 03:37:55 +0200 From: Mats Ohrman Message-Id: <8905010137.AA22748@majestix.ida.liu.se> To: matoh@sssab.se Status: RO Path: liuida!sunic!kth!mcvax!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!att!cbnewsj!ecl From: ecl@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (Evelyn C. Leeper) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf-lovers,rec.arts.books Subject: GRAY VICTORY by Robert Skimin Keywords: alternate history, Ciil War Message-ID: <126@cbnewsj.ATT.COM> Date: 26 Apr 89 17:28:47 GMT Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 37 Xref: liuida rec.arts.sf-lovers:20438 rec.arts.books:1064 GRAY VICTORY by Robert Skimin St. Martin's Press, 1989 (1988c), ISBN 0-312-91375-3, $4.95. A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper This is half Civil War buff's novel masquerading as an alternate history novel, half actual alternate history. That is to say, about two hundred pages are devoted to the alternate history aspect and about two hundred pages to an in-depth analysis of the battle of Gettysburg, why it turned out the way it did, what might have made it different. Yes, in this alternate history it is NOT Gettysburg that is the turning point that lets the South win the Civil War, but a change in a later event in history: Davis did not send Hood to defend Atlanta, but left Johnston there instead. So Atlanta held out, Lincoln was defeated in 1864, and the rest was alternate history. This is being marketed as historical fiction ("An Epic Saga, A Passionate Struggle--and a South That Never Fell..."), so naturally there's a fair amount of sex and related shenanigans. All this leaves less time for the most interesting part of the book--the plot to assassinate the Confederate leaders and bring about a slave uprising. Towards the end I found myself skimming (no pun on the author's name intended) the long descriptions of Gettysburg being given as evidence at the inquiry into possible incompetence or treason on the part of J. E. B. ("Jeb") Stuart, and concentrating on the uprising plot. This did keep me interested, with vivid characters and a well-maintained level of tension. Unlike REMEMBER GETTYSBURG!, which in my opinion had nothing to offer a person who was not a Civil War buff, this novel would be of interest to the average science fiction reader. (Well, probably more to American science fiction readers than those in other parts of the world.) It's just a pity that there is so much battle detail, especially since I suspect the Civil War buffs will find the uprising part of little interest. Still, if Skimin can sell to two different audiences and keep both reasonably satisfied, he's much better off financially if not artistically. Evelyn C. Leeper | +1 201-957-2070 | att!mtgzy!ecl or ecl@mtgzy.att.com Copyright 1989 Evelyn C. Leeper