Thursday, December 18, 2014

Book Review: Chris Stoesen's CSS Appomattox

One of my wargaming heroes is Chris Stoesen - blogger, historian, researcher, scenario writer and all around good egg can now add novelist to his resume.  



CSS Appomatox is an altnerate history novel set in a world where the Confederacy won the American Civil War.  In Chris’ carefully thought out and quite plausible version of events, the Confederacy has made its own peace with its past.  Slavery is abolished and blacks even serve in the CSA military.  The South has established an uneasy cold war peace with the North, and forged alliances with some of the European powers including Spain, except for Germany, a Northern ally.  This book begins as Germany picks a fight with Spain over her Caribbean holdings, Cuba and Puerto Rico.   The Confederacy commits her newest technology, an armed airship, to stop the German expeditionary forces. I need to be careful that I say airship and not balloon.  It is definitely not a balloon.

The hero of the novel is Thomas Devareaux, a tough and technologically minded naval officer who is luckier in war than he is in love.  He has a series of adventures in the air and on the land, and is supported by a crew of sailors, marines, technical wizards and shadowy intelligence operatives.  I won’t spoil the plot for you.

CSS Appomatox reminded me a little of the alt-history novels of Harry Turtledove, except with a much tighter focus on a small cast of characters.   I won’t flatter Chris by competing him further to the likes of a writer like Turtledove.  There are some rough edges to his style, and you definitely know that you aren’t reading the work of a professional writer.   However, how many of us can say that we’re written a novel?  Probably a lot fewer than the number of us who have wanted to write one.

CSS Appomatox is self-published and available on Amazon as an e-book.  It’s as cheap as chips so treat yourself to a copy in your e-stocking.

Reading Chris’ book makes me want to order the Avalanche Press title Zeppelin from its Great War at Sea series and put some warships against giant balloons … not balloons, Zeppelins!  Zeppelins!  AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

10 comments:

  1. In what year is this tale set? From the book cover, those look like battleships.

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  2. The cover is misleading. It is set in 1882. The picture was the look I was going for without the right ships that I was looking for, if that makes any sense at all.

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    Replies
    1. Anyone know of a comparable picture of pre-dreadnoughts that Chris could use?

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    2. I welcome any suggestions. The good Padre forwarded me a great site that has German ships but none as a fleet.

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    3. Is this useful at all?
      http://www.heritage-history.com/books/horne/empires/zpage042.gif

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    4. That has possibilities, Chris - definitely somewhere between the screw-ironclad and the pre-dreadnought era.

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  3. How I missed this one??
    Looks a good Christmas reading!

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    Replies
    1. So how much do I owe you Padre for this sale? Probably those orcs I promised you would be a good start. :)

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    2. Now I have one copy!
      Just bought in Amazon's website and filling second position in the reading queue (currrently finishing a history of the IIWW German para forces)

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