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Post by elisabeth on Jan 1, 2006 6:24:16 GMT -6
"The Curse of Destiny The Betrayal of George Armstrong Custer" by Romain Wilhelmsen.
It's fiction, but less adrift from the facts than many a non-fiction offering(!). The writer knows his stuff, and has integrated his research very smoothly into the narrative.
You might fear, as I did, that the subtitle indicates a "Grant-plots-Custer's-murder" scenario, but the book resists the temptation. Downsides: a) the story's dominated by fictitious romances/characters, b) the battle scenes are improbably talky. Overall, though, it's good fun; a pretty entertaining read.
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Post by alfuso on Jan 1, 2006 13:09:19 GMT -6
Elizabeth
I have Curse of Destiny. I also like to collect Custer novels as well as boys adventures.
It's not a bad read.
Best "novel" of the lot though, is Chiaventone's A ROAD WE DO NOT KNOW.
Oddest look at Custer is YELLOW HAIR by Will Henry. Novelization of Washita. I loe the scout's horse, Wasiya - the Winter Giant.
It's a darn good read.
alfuso
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Post by elisabeth on Jan 2, 2006 1:17:06 GMT -6
I like Will Henry's writing, too. But yes, the Chiaventone book is stunningly good. Hard to think anyone will ever better that.
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Post by Tricia on Mar 21, 2006 17:07:29 GMT -6
Elisabeth--
Managed the first chapter so far and Wilhelmsen does one of those things that can make some readers and critique groups cringe. I gave up counting, but there's something like thirteen characters (!) fully introduced in the first ten pages. Granted, at this board, most us would already be familiar with the array of fellows with the Seventh, but anytime a so-called normal reader might need a flowchart to keep up ... still, I look forward to reading more!
I would have stuck with Keogh and his pals and kept with one POV, perhaps a second one. The author is not shy in offering very negative opines of Benteen and Reno ... where are CSS and West when you need them?
Regards, Leyton McLean
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Post by Melani on Mar 21, 2006 18:46:27 GMT -6
I just finished The Curse of Destiny, and it was pretty good. I would recommend it for entertainment. I shall have to check outA Road We Do Not Know--any novel described as "stunningly good" gets my attention right away.
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Post by elisabeth on Mar 22, 2006 8:21:59 GMT -6
Well, I'm not incapable of exaggeration, as you know -- but I think most people would agree on that one! You'll like it a lot, I'm sure. Beautifully written, beautifully thought through, every character given his due, no hero/villain nonsense. And he's had the brilliant idea of using Varnum's POV, which works really well: an intelligent and observant man, but one who's having to work out what's going on just as we are. Lovely!
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Post by Tricia on Mar 22, 2006 9:12:00 GMT -6
I just finished The Curse of Destiny, and it was pretty good. I would recommend it for entertainment. I shall have to check out A Road We Do Not Know--any novel described as "stunningly good" gets my attention right away. Melani-- You've touched upon one of those terrible things that happen when a writer joins a critique group or does a lot of editing ... in many cases, it ruins the experience of reading for entertainment! Suddenly, one is looking at everything with a critical eye, thinking, "what could the author have done better?" So, now instead of blissfully reading a chapter or two before bedtime, I'm stressing out, thinking about point-of-view issues ... ugh. I've got Chiaventone on the list next--I've heard it's quite tactical in nature (kind of like The Killer Angels), so I hope his narrative skill can pull me through what might be minutae. Regards, Leyton McLean
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