Danny J. (DanJohnson) reviewed Guns of the South on 3/2/2009 + 63 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Guns of the South is an intriguing look at a past that never was. Imagine, if you will, that it is January of 1864, and you are General Robert E. Lee. The manpower of your ragged and ill-equipped army has been severely depleted by the devastating defeat that it suffered at Gettysburg. Then, a strange man with an accent that you can't quite place comes to you with an unbelievable offer. He demonstrates for you an amazing weapon with an incredible rate of fire that the Union army's Spencer carbine rifles cannot come close to matching, and guarantees you an unlimited quantity of this weapon and the ammunition for it.

The weapon is an AK-47. Suffice it to say, this changes everything. The South wins the Civil War. Then they realize that they have a new and perhaps more dangerous enemy

Harry Turtledove's book is an intriguing work of alternative history, with just a dash of science fiction thrown in for good measure. While it is definitely an entertaining and fast paced read, it also gives the reader a good look at the central issues behind the Civil War (referred to in the book as The Second American Revolution). While slavery is an obvious issue, this book tries to focus on other issues as well, among them the South's opinion that it had the right to govern itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I look forward to reading more of Mr. Turtledove's work. *****!

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