Amazing Alternate Tale
353884
This is an incredible tale of what the Superman ideal was doing to limit society. Superman was raised in Ukraine and was a devoted communist. Superman created a great world, which drove Luthor mad, so Luthor had to create his own scheme to prove we don't need an alien God watching over us. It was a very fascinating story.
4238792
This is arguably one of the best books I have ever read. I was honestly a little peeved when i found out that this book was going to be the focus of D Wolfin's time, and not End Online, but I am so glad it was! Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy reading End Online, but this is a completely different level. If you like Brandon Sanderson or Jim Butcher you will enjoy this book. To be fair, it isn't perfectly edited, but honestly that doesn't matter that much to me (as you can probably tell by my horrendous grammatically incorrect review). However, the story is rich and engaging with an original way of looking at virtual reality that lends the concept a  weight that hasn't really existed in the genre before. A great mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and steampunk. Thanks Wolfin for an amazing book!
547036
Sometimes you read a book that makes you want to run around, shouting "YES" to the world and telling everyone you know to read it.  This is definitely one of those books.

Gratton creates such a stunningly fun and real alternative history here, every detail feels simultaneously familiar and brand-new all at the same time.  A glorious blend of the present and fantasy.  For those of us who are not overly familiar with Nordic legends, I never felt lost or confused, but intrigued and ready to learn more.

I've read her other two United States of Asgard books (THE LOST SUN and THE STRANGE MAID), both of which are utterly marvelous, and it was delightful to see familiar characters among the new.  The voices are all wonderfully different but equally strong and passionate and individual.

Strikingly smart and clever;  beautiful writing, accessible and lovely and raw.  Gratton never holds back on the emotions of her characters and at the end of the day, you are just as entwined with the characters' lives as they are, much to your delight.

I am enthusiastically awaiting THE APPLE THRONE, the last in the series, which is out in April 2015.
3576437
Wow. That' all I can say. After reading the first book, and not being pulled too much into the story, this one blew me away.

There was fantastic world building, and the parts that took real thinking on the reader's part really pulled me in. Magic, runes, fae, centaurs, banshees, elves, you name it, it is here.

As all the different characters were introduced, I almost thought I knew what would happen, but then the author would take an unexpected turn, and pull me in to this alternate world even more. It was a very pleasant escape, and I would do it all over again.

Do yourself a favor, and do not base this story on the first one, but allow yourself to be enticed into a fantasy world that is engaging and full of different emotions, as well as different levels of humanity, even though many of the characters are not even human.
1185877
As a proud owner of the original printing of _Journey..._, I was delighted to find that it had been re-issued and doubly so that there was restored text. Sanders is a whiz at alternate histories, and his stepping-off-point  of a Moorish domination of the West opens the door to (in one case,  literal) flights of fancy. The main character is engaging, the situations  are intriguing, and I had a ball all the way through. I freely admit that  there were almost certainly cherished ideas and historical beliefs that he  DIDN'T turn upside down, but I don't think I could name a one. If you like  alternate takes on history, if you like good, solid, classic  character-driven Science Fiction, you can't go wrong with _Journey to  Fusang_. Indians and ninjas and Aztecs, oh MY!
2385408
I took a chance in buying this book.  Alternate Universes are hard for me to get into... with that being said, I was surprised at how well the author brought me into this world, and made it come to life in my imagination!  I loved it.  I loved the way the story flowed, I loved how each character was written, and I loved this love story.  I did not want it to end, and I can not wait for the next installment.  There were some minor flaws in the editing process, but nothing that throws you off too bad, and can be fixed easily.  The story is very well written, and is now one of my favorites.  You will not be disappointed in this story if you give it a try.
1688171
I have to admit, I am a big fan of "alternate history", and this is a gem.  The author has created a very realistic view of an alternate history based upon one change in our history.  His use of "real" characters in new roles is intriguing and adds a dimension of realism to his story.  His main characters are not very well developed, although, much better than some very well-known alternate history authors. They still have enough humanity to keep you interested in what happens to them.  But it's the story that really grabbed me, I hope the author will continue his narrative!
4555553
Wow! I actually really loved this.
It was a bit confusing at the start, as each chapter has its own date and the time doesn't flow from one chapter to another but rather jolts you all over the place bringing you the understanding you need as you need to know it.
I love the parts that read as if you yourself are in the circus. I found this really brought me into the story.
The midnight dinners are a wonderous idea, and I would dearly have loved to attend one.
First course served on the stroke of midnight.
The circus itself sounded brilliant, a real specticle of wonder.
The idea that magic could be all around us still and yet kept subtle due to our disbelief of magic appeals to me.
4782042
I loved, loved, loved this book! It's a different kind of fantacy.  If you liked "The Name of the Wind" by Pat Rothfuss, give this one a shot.  It had the same feel, while being an altogether different story. You could almost believe they were set in the same world, just maybe, thousands of years apart.

The only thing i liked better than the actual story, was the narration by Michael Page.  If audible narration ever strikes your fancy, this one is worth it.  I could listen to that man read the ingredient list on dog food and be mesmerized.

**Small spoiler

I'm 1/4 of the way through the 2nd book and I'll say, everyone deserves a freindship like Locke and Jean. It makes this series standout special.
3520112
This story is an absolutely amazing journey of imagination. The characters, Zarenyia (a quite lovely devil) and Johannes, are complementaries and is very funny to read their dialogues and impressions.
Why four stars? the ending seemed not as perfect as the rest of the story, it felt almost like reading two different stories; more irrelevant I found around there one (or two) misprint and a pair of times I had the feeling that the characters were falling in light anachronisms (but I'm not a deep connoisseur in that age)
With all that said, If you like something of gothic, or mystery, magic, detectives, fantasy, steampunk and a bit of uncanny worlds I warmly recommend this amazing story (and if you don't like them then I am sure you are going to enjoy it the same)
1511167
I know steampunk is terribly trendy right now, but despite coming from the Amish romance genre, Adina has created a really excellent alternate world with great technical imagination and a heroine who is neither a Mary Sue, unbelievably perfect, or a simpering mess who falls to pieces (conveniently into the arms of tall, dark, and handsome). Claire is great fun and the kids are fabulous.
3345403
Time and time again, Scott Westerfeld has proven that he can create vivid new worlds.  He does it again with Leviathan.  Clankers and Darwinists pitted against each other, it's an alternative timeline of WWI.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints, Deryn and Alek.  Deryn feels that she was born to fly, so she pretends to be a boy so she can get into the British Air Service.  Alek is the son of the heir to the Austria-Hungary empire.  But he's not considered royal because his mother was a commoner.

Like many here, I loved Deryn's story.  She is vivacious, determined, clever, and quick on her feet.  All of these things get her both into and out of trouble.

Alek's story is different.  He's not quite as likable, and I had a hard time figuring out why.  But I think it's because he starts out as someone of privilege who is thrown into poverty.  He evokes some sympathy due to his parents, but he still has the arrogance and pride of royalty.  Not many regular people can relate to that.  But still, he grew throughout the story, making plenty of mistakes along the way, and that endeared him to me.  I think he'll continue to grow as the story progresses (at least, that's what I hope),and become more likeable as a result.

I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who enjoys steampunk, or just stories with alternate historical timelines.
2360311
It's been ages since I read Fables, so I must confess that when I realized the ninth volume of The Unwritten was a crossover with that world, I felt a bit of trepidation. Happily for me, the fabulous place Tom Taylor finds himself summoned to - tearing him from his quest to find Leviathan and the source of all stories - is an AU, so a basic knowledge of Fables' characters got me through, though I likely missed a few Easter eggs along the way.

True, this is a bit of a diversion from our tale, but what a diversion, full of epic battles and betrayals and the endless struggle between Light (in this case slyly represented by the child-eating Frau Totenkinder) and Dark. And just in case you're not the kind to be distracted by the sheer pretty, there is a nice narrative payoff at the end, a moment of meta clarity clearly intended to point the way for the series' next installments.

So come for the metanarrative! You'll stay for the Evil Snow White.
3812524
I've read almost every alternate history novel Harry Turtledove has written. As a history buff I love these stories, and since I'm trying to write alternate history myself, I think Turtledove is one of the best. Opening Atlantis was an interesting take on what-if the Eastern US was an island and the English/French fishermen found it at least 100 years before Columbus sailed. He describes weird looking animals, are honkers really flamingos or are they something entirely different? What kind of "eagle" would be that big? The novel takes us through the English Civil War to the Pirates of the Caribbean(or of the Hesperian Gulf in this case) to the 7 Years War between the French and English.  I look forward to the next book in the series.

Cliff Ball
author of Out of Time, a time travel/alternate history novella
2935777
I picked up this book not knowing it was alternate history. Wow! Gingrich and Forstchen take the well known battle of Gettysburg and add some great twists.

I won't rephrase what has been said in earlier reviews, you can get the general plot outline there. What I loved about this book is how the characters came alive in all their humanity...this is raw war, and it shows the reaction to war, the shock, the digust, the nerves, the vomiting, the loose bowels (sorry, but it is reality). This is not a caricature of heroes past, but showing them in all their honor, fear, glory, and humanity.

I also found myself thinking a lot ....what if? What if Lee had flanked at Gettysburg instead of Pickett's charge? What if he had won a large battle south of Gettysburg and threatened DC while essentially destroying the Army of Potomac? And what if after the fall of Vicksburg US Grant had been called east? (the next book I am reading now).

A great read, whether Civil War buff, looking for a good read, or military expert.
4487386
After reading Hontas, I had to backtrack and read this one. I'm so glad that I did.
I'm a huge fan of these reimagining tales and this is one of the best I have come across.
It takes a lot of imagination to shake up a beloved fairy tale. Most of the time, just some characters are shifted around of a few twists are added.
Cinders does more than shake things up, it rewrites the whole story. This harkens back to what a fable used to be, before they were sanitized. This is a hard life, with hard characters and it is amazing.
You have never imagined a Cinderella anything like this.
This shortened format lends itself so well to this story. This is a tale that needs to be in your face and shocking, and to be a novel length would draw out the punch too far.
3553222
Using vivid descriptions and remarkable imaginative effort, Matt Thomas has created a startling alternate reality to provide the narrative framework for this engaging story.  The action is fast-paced, and the dialogue often entertainingly snappy, making for a fun read.  But it may be superficial to focus only on the blow-by-blow, exciting though it is.  What is most impressive--and most rewarding for this reader--is that Thomas has artfully invented a world that differs from our own in a truly fundamental way; it is a fantastical world that should defy belief, and yet Thomas makes it both plausible and intriguing.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.