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Book Review By Brian R. Hughes
The Guns of the South: a Novel of the Civil War by Harry Turtledove

Toward the end of the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee knows he needs a miracle if the Confederacy is to survive. A miracle appears, in the person of an oddly dressed stranger with a new, devastating infantry weapon which the stranger calls an 'AK-47'.

Armed with full-auto firepower against blackpowder rifled muskets, the Confederates take Washington and enforce their secession from the Union. However, General Lee suspects that the gift of the AK-47 may come with a sinister price for the new nation he loves so dearly...


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - alternate history
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - unraveling a conspiracy
War or Invasion Yes
Major kinds of combat: - guns
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30 %

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Eccentric: Yes
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor

Setting
Terrain
Earth setting: - 19th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - descript of touching personal anatomy - actual description of sex - description of breasts - descript. of private male anat. - descript. of non-breast female anat.
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog
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