I admit: this is a fast reading novel, exciting and full of suspense. And I enjoyed reading it. But there is a major flaw: its psychology. It is not really conceivable that the lawyer of the alleged murderer falls in love with her adversary, the lawyer who represents the prosecution. In the courtroom they fight against each other using more or less unfair methods and tricks. Then they go to bed and do not speak a single word about the case. The characters of the alleged killer's wife and his father - among others - are not credible in their action and motivation either.

But if you do not mind this, you can read a novel with a fine plot and in addition a well worked out setting that shows more realism than the characters.

Alternative history can be a treat, if you like the genre. If you like it here is an interesting and suspenseful novel - with two minor flaws in it. The setting of 17th century Europe is seen from a very American angle. Although the major historical facts are quite correct, their evaluation is sometimes too modern and slightly distorts the historical reality and characters. For example: a Swedish officer uses a comparison between a chipmunk and a bear when he watches two other characters. He certainly was not able to use this image as there are no chipmunks at all in Europe. And exactly this mistake leads to another one. All the characters seem very credible as individual personalities. But the natives become less credible when they so readily and quickly accept modern political, technical, and economical concepts that are so alien to them that they must create strong conflicts in this mixed society. Modern western democracy is a political concept that nobody - even the poor and suppressed people of that era - would have accepted then. Something like that developed in centuries, not in days.

But this novel is fiction after all, and, of course, the author is free to use his imagination as freely as he may find it suitable. It is the result that counts, and the result is a very good and exiting novel.

We have all been waiting for this novel to be launched. And it proves to be a novel that again shows Bob Meyer's tremendous writing skills, his expertise in creating suspense, and his careful historic research. All this combined results in another great book in the series. The best is the Custer-plot. It is really convincing and exciting. But I think the Earhart/Dane plot is just a little bit slow this time and cannot catch up with the story of Custer's defeat. But go ahead and read this book. It is very good. But make sure you have read the other novels of the series first.

No, it does not! Robert Doherty is now spinning tales out of his first 6 books to complete the puzzle. Our usual heroes are there no longer, they are mentioned only marginally. The Undead are in our focus now, and the story is as interesting as its predecessors. Perhaps the time-span is just a little bit too long. But the novel is as exciting as those of "Season 1". I sincerely hope this is the beginning of Season 2. And - if you are new to the series, make sure you read the first 5 books first. Otherwise you will not understand large parts of this novel.

No, it does not! Robert Doherty is now spinning tales out of his first 6 books to complete the puzzle. Our usual heroes are there no longer, they are mentioned only marginally. The Undead are in our focus now, and the story is as interesting as its predecessors. Perhaps the time-span is just a little bit too long. But the novel is as exiting as those of "Season 1". I sincerely hope this is the beginning of Season 2.

I liked Jeff Long's "Descent". But this novel is even better. The main character, Nathaniel Lee, is as charismatic as you can only imagine it in a living person. Plot and theme are just as fascinating. This is a book about history - one thinks. But it is not. It is an epos about mankind itself, about our greatness and littleness in face of existential dangers, about perspectives that might destroy us or that might elevate us, about minions and heroes, about crooks and saints. And it is perhaps not too far away - SARS and Ebola may be just round the corner.

It might be fun to speculate about what history might have been like if .... . But this book is different. It confirms all - mainly British - prejudices about Germany and - this is unfair - makes the US part of it. Only Great Britain seems to be the root of democracy. It might have slipped Easterman's mind that the English invented the concentration camps when they fought against South Africa's independence. And they fought against a lot of peoples who wanted to be independent from the Great British Rule. I have always been a fan of Easterman's. But this novel is really bad, its plot lousy, its characters ludicrous. And his German is even more ridiculous. His worst novel.

On the cover of the book someone writes it is a page burner - this is still too weak a characterization of what this novel really is. It leads us into a fantasy world that is very similar to ours populated by very credible characters and fantastic beings that, in their interactions, create most exciting and breathtaking plots. The idea of a sub-planet is not a new one, with Jules Verne being one of the first authors to lead us down there. But this novel is one of the most sophisticated ones I have ever read. It is not only that Long has thoroughly researched human history to create a dark background for his yarn, it is also the language, its rich imagery that is never ridiculous, and the powerful language that he uses, which force you to read the book in one go. Never is there a boring line in 561 long pages.
If you ask about the genre this novel belongs to, the answer is not easy: There is some SF, some fantasy, a lot of horror, and also mainstream. So you would imagine this could be a book for everybody to read. But beware: those who are afraid of blood and gore should think twice before reading it - although the book would be nothing without that. A page burner indeed!

Unlike one of the critics I find this book was written by a very intelligent and gifted author, a master of stylistic means and rich imagery that makes the reading of this book a real pleasure. But this is not the only reason why this book is perfectly written. Tanenbaum's feeling for "plot" is enormous. The constant twists in the actions, the characters' conflicts with each other and in themselves result in a remarkable novel full of suspense. And this book contains some criticism of the legal system: it is not about justice, but a legal Darwinism is described, in which the lawyer is considered a failure who is not able to play the jury as well as his opponent. Justice is of no importance. I recommend this book to everybody who appreciates a well written thriller. I will read more of Tanenbaum's books!

The idea is not bad. But a book has to inspire its readers for the whole length of it, not only for the last 100 or so pages, when the story finally picks up some speed. Long dialogues and descriptions are alright when they contribute to the development of the plot, but they are not a value in itself, as which we can see them here very often. The characters may be conceivable, but their actions are slow and sometimes their motivation remains in the dark. Often the descriptions of the circumstances blur your imagination rather than make things clear.The fact that there is no ending makes me fear there will be sequel. I am not sure I will read it.