The Rivers of War | 
| Author: Eric Flint
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 335807
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345465679
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345465672
ASIN: 0345465679
Publication Date: May 17, 2005
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Condition: Cover wear and may contain some marks or writing. Keen Northwest ships in 2 business days or less. Refunds for any reason if item returned within 30 days of shipment.
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Download Description
Advance praise for The Rivers of War
“Eric Flint [drops] his readers into another time and place, where cultures collide, the action is hot and heavy, and we get to experience the best of the human spirit.”
–DAVID WEBER, New York Times bestselling author of the Honor Harrington adventures
“Eric Flint has a genius for taking his passion for history and turning it into powerful, action-packed stories that instantly grab the readers and plunge them into a time and place that might have been.”
–DAVID DRAKE, author of The Far Side of the Stars and Redliners
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Loved it. Great Military, Alternate History SF March 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love Military Fiction. I love Science Fiction even more. Though this book has plenty of military action, it is the characters and the 'not quite' real history that make it irresistable.
There are really two books (so far) int the series. They are both Alternate History. I'm not sure if that makes them SF or Fantasy or something else, but they were both written by Eric Flint and I consider them to be SF.
The two books are: "1812: The Rivers or War" and "1824: The Arkansas War."
In the first book, set in the war of 1812 we meet a number of interesting characters, some historical, such as Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston and some that are made up or conglomerates.
It doesn't sound like much, but it was VERY interesting, to see 'almost history' from a different perspective, and I think Eric Flint is one of the best in the business when it comes to creating ENGROSSING characters, and describing amazing military battles and activities.
The premise essentially is that Sam Houston, serving as a young officer under Andrew Jackson is injured in a battle (I believe it was the "Battle of Horseshoe Bend.") In real history, his injury was quite severe and kept him out of the rest of the War of 1812, but in the book, because he slipped, his injury was more minor. Then, the cascading effects of the presence of Sam Houston, in some battles and places where he otherwise would NOT have been (because HISTORICALLY he was recuperating, not defending Washington DC or New Orleans) led to some real changes in history, in particular a 'softening' of the attitude of a lot of people (including Andrew Jackson) to the 'Indian Question' and the EARLIER (and more voluntary) migration of the Cherokees (and Choctaws, Creeks, etc.) to the west to the Arkansas/Oklahoma area. Because they got there earlier, and voluntarily, they ended up with better land, a better position and more power than they would have otherwise, and were able, in essence, to create their own nation (think the 'Indian' equivalent of Texas) on the borders of the United States, where they could maintain more of their own culture.
Some of the (famous, actual) Native Americans (especially some of the Cherokees) are major characters in this book, though not the MAIN characters.
1824: The Arkansas War takes place 12 years later. Many escaped slaves and Freedmen have made their way to Arkansas (part of the 'Indian Confederation' allows slaves and part of it doesn't) and these former slaves (along with some Indians and White men) have come to dominate the Arkansas portion of the new nation. Naturally, being so close to 'The South' and being a haven for runaway slaves, there was going to be friction. So certain people influence the US to go to war against them. Native Americans, though present, are less conspicuous in these battles, but I found the whole thing to be COMPLETELY fascinating.
I recommend these books.
Surprisingly good March 5, 2008
Eric Flint remembers what few authors do nowadays for a book to be read it first has to be FUN. What no one has remembered since Harry Turtledove wrote "Guns of the South" is its not the amount of research that makes your book interesting its how fun can you make your "what if." What could be more entertaining then the idea that the Cherokee banded together earlier helped the Americans in the War of 1812 and in so doing saved themselves as a people? This book and its baby brother "The Arkansas War" are the two most entertaining books I have read thus far this year.
Just as in 1632 and its sequels Flint has created a cast of characters that have a life of their own that you will want to see win and "Whoop the Bloody British at a town called New Orleans"
Overall-If you want serious stuff you can always get "For Want of a Nail" to just have some fun do yourself a favor and check out Rivers of War.
 Nothing like 1632... February 14, 2008
1632, 1633, and all of the other "Grantville" novels, as you probably know, concern the application of modern technology to some past, historical period. That is the crux of those novels. I find the concept fascinating. IMHO 1632 was the best, an absolute page turner, and the sequels are just ok.... remember, IMHO.
1812 (and 1824) are just "alternative" historical novels, and have no connection with technology except that which existed in 1812/1824. As such, to me, they're just boring "historical" novels (which they aren't, really... since "historical" implies factual data) with lots of involved plot twists, personal motivations, politics, details, personalities, etc. I tried to read them and basically fell asleep. I don't consider them to be page turners like 1632 was, nor are they as engrossing as superb historical novels like, say, THE BLUE NILE or THE WHILE NILE by Richard Snailham.
Flint is clearly a gifted author, and the right audience will certainly appreciate all of the minutiae that 1812 and 1824 contain. But they're not interesting to me because the minutiae is just fictional speculation. I just wish someone had explained to me this fundamental difference between 1632/1633 and 1812/1824 before I bought them. They're not my cup of tea, that's all. I'll probably donate them to my local library.
A strange anti-British rant November 15, 2007
I have always enjoyed Eric Flint's books and so happily bought '1812' believing it would offer some interesting variations on a poorly understood subject. Instead I found myself immersed in what, from this side of the Atlantic, appears to be an anti-British rant. Why Mr Fint feels the need to invent battles between the British and Americans so as to chalk up a few undeserved wins for his home team is beyond me. The more I read the book the worse I felt and in the end gave up in disgust; a first for me with one of his book. However, I shall not be buying any more of his books in this ilk. I'm just glad that his low opinion of us is not shared by the vast majority of his countrymen.
Good idea, poor execution November 10, 2007
I like the concept, but Flint doesn't know how to develop characters. How many times do we have to have one character, say Andrew Jackson, spend four paragraphs thinking how handsome or well spoken Sam Houston is? Ten pages later, the same thoughts again come out. Then, its James Monroe's turn to do the same. Then, it's someone else's turn. This style of writing is so frustrating that I put the book down about halfway through and I can't pick it up again. And people, I always finish books.
Boring and mind-numbingly repetitive. I like alternative history, but I just can't finish this book.
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