Doug Henning Post

I just finished reading the Harry Turtledove trilogy: The Great War (American Front, Walk in Hell and Breakthroughs). It is an alternate history of World War I based on the South having won the Civil War (which was another book he wrote but I have not read). I quite liked it but not for the normal reasons I would like a book.

1. I found the whole idea interesting. Previously, I didn't even know there was such a genre as Alternate History.
2. There were so many storylines (maybe 20) going on at once. Each would be told for handful of pages and then off to the next one. It took some amount of effort to keep track of each one.
3. It reads very much like a documentary (or 20) as opposed to some contrived mystery. (Well, for the most part, not too contrived.)
4. It was just so long. Almost like a war just getting through it. :)

This trilogy is not for you if you are looking for deep character development. Nor if you are looking for a happy ending (it's a freakin' war for crying out loud). I will also note that the word p*nis is used in the book.