The Guns of the South: Amazon.co.uk: Harry Turtledove: Books

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Northern Virginia is ragged and ill-equipped. The battle of Gettysburg has broken the back of the Confederacy and decimated its manpower.

Then Andries Rhoodie, a strange man with an unplaceable accent, approaches Lee with an extraordinary offer. Rhoodie demonstrates an amazing rifle; its rate of fire is incredible, its lethal efficiency breathtaking--and Rhoodie guarantees unlimited quantities to the Confederates.

The name of the weapon is the AK-47.

"As a Civil War historian, I literally could not put The Guns of the South down. It is absolutely unique--without question the most fascinating Civil War novel I have ever read. Harry Turtledove knows his Civil War. And best of all, The Guns of the South is not simply great entertainment; it is also a serious and successful effort to come to grips with the central issues of the war. It is must reading for every Civil War student."
--Professor James M. McPherson, Edwards Professor of American History, Princeton University; Author of Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom

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First Sentence
Robert E. Lee paused to dip his pen once more in the inkwell. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My favorite characterization of Robert E. Lee, 4 Oct 2003

By

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Guns of the South (Paperback)

On one level Harry Turtledove's "The Guns of the South" reminds me of the Saturday Night Live skit which asked the question, "What if Napoleon had a B-52 at the Battle of Waterloo?" This alternative history novel about the Civil War asks "What if the South had AK-47s during the Civil War?" The answer is, of course, that Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia would have destroyed the Army of the Potomac and anything else Abraham Lincoln threw at the them and the Southern Confederacy would have won their independence. However, "The Guns of the South" disposes of both the Union army and the Civil War rather quickly, because this alternative history is ultimately about what type of nation the Confederacy would have become. Specifically, what would have happened to the institution of slavery in the wake of a Confederate victory in which conquering hero Robert E. Lee succeeds Jefferson Davis to the presidency?

Turtledove certainly makes an interesting case for the angels of the better nature of the Southern Confederacy, however, for me the most ironic aspect of this novel is that this fictional work provides what I have come to consider the most realistic portrayal of Robert E. Lee; yes, more than "The Killer Angels," which is the obvious choice. As a historical figure, Lee has always been distanced by the reverence with which he is held and his own reticence, which made him rather unique as just about the only Civil War general who survived and did not write his memoirs. Turtledove's Lee has clearly come down off the pedestal and there is something so compelling about the way Lee anguishes over political decisions. Of course, this is all imaginative speculation, but I happen to like imaginative speculation. I do not need anyone to work out the theoretical rationale for the time machine that allows the South African patriots to ship back weapons to the Confederacy. The strength of this novel does not rest on physics but on characterization and even though the idea that Lee's personal charisma would have been sufficient to get the Confederacy to abandon slavery, it is simply one of those idealized beliefs I would like to hold on to. "Guns of the South" is a good read, and whether you come to it as a Civil War buff or a fan of alternative histories, I think either way you will enjoy the novel.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed this - impressed with Turtledove's work., 6 Jan 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Guns of the South: A Novel of the Civil War (Paperback)

Harry Turtledove has the ability to write a novel of such stunning fiction that it takes your breath away. Unfortunately, he also has the ability to write a novel of such numbing inanity that it, again, takes your breath away. This, however, is one of the former types. The book starts innocently enough, but quickly twists and turns, in characteristic Turtledove style, into a maelstrom of different stories, all weaving together into a cohesive whole.

Very few authors have the capacity to pull so many threads together, but Turtledove is one of them, and he produces his magic with a flourish, as suddenly everything you thought you understood about the plot is turned on it's head and yet another new development is unleashed.

Have you figured out I liked it yet? It was excellent - I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading science fiction. I won't use the cliche "impossible to put down", because if you read it without putting it down and thinking about what is happening, you will miss some of the finer nuances in the plot. Well, to be honest, you'll lose some of the major "nuances" in the plot as well :)

In short...

A Very good book. Recommended to all who like Sci-Fi, and Fantasy novels, for that matter. Enjoy.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 'Stand Alone' (despite the dull bits!), 12 Mar 2007

By

Kevan James "yeskev" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Guns of the South (Paperback)

Harry Turtledove writes long books in long series ..... they're lots of fun but demand a lot of staying power. This stand alone book is therefore a great place to start with this great author!

What starts as a simple premise (and to other reviews - of course it's not original, this sort of thing has been done LOTS of times) - going back in time with modern technology to change the course of history - opens up to an epic tale of the American Civil War. The sci-fi bits (time travel, etc.) are not gone into at all, which means the plot stays very much at the pace of the eigthteenth century soldiers - and I think it works all the better for it.

The majority of characters are real people of the period (including some of the minor bit-players according to Turtledove's notes at the end), but it must be said that a little knowledge of the Civil War will probably help - if you don't know what REALLY happened, can you really appreciate the changes?

The books sags for a bit during the battle scenes, but this is more than made up for in the latter half with the politicians of the days crossing swords with their benefactors of the future.

Excellent stuff - highly recommended!!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Starts well
As ever with this author brilliant ideas awful execution this novel starts well but goes down hill half way through
a real shame but not uncommon with H Turtledove

Published 7 days ago by CVH