I'm not saying that Mr. Stackpole hasn't created a believable world. I'm saying I didn't enjoy the story.
My primary reason for disliking the story was that the villain "reanimates" the dead. A lot of people love zombies, vampires, etc. This is probably your book! I don't, so it's not a book I'll ever read again; nor shall I read the rest of the series.
Besides that primary point, I also didn't appreciate the bedroom scene. ( )

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission. Title: At the Queen's Command Series: Crown Colonies Author: Michael Stackpole Rating: of 5 Battle Axes Genre: SFF Pages: 450 Format: Kindle Synopsis: An Alternate Fantasy History. A history where the King James Bible is the King Robert Bible. A world where magic is real, wurms are used as troops and NorIsle and Tharyngia are fighting as viciously as England and France ever did. Owen Strake is a soldier, sent on a mission from NorIsle to explore and update the outer frontier regions of Mystria. Only Owen is a pawn being used for hidden means. Can he throw off his shackles, fulfill his mission AND foil the hidden agenda that could spell his death? My Thoughts: In response to the above question, the answer is "Of Course!". Owen Strake is the main character of the book and I thoroughly enjoyed following along. Owen goes from a snobby NorIslean to a Mystrian Patriot. We get the best of the late 1700's with magic, zombies and battles. The last time I read Stackpole was back when he did his Age of Discovery trilogy, which was horrible. It put me off of him for many years. And after I recently went on his website, it seems that he'd been going through a dry spell back then and hated writing. Thankfully, he was back in top form with this series. While very different from Talion or Once a Hero, it was just as enjoyable and in many ways seemed more mature, in talent. This was a joy to read and my only complaint is that it is part on only a duology instead of something longer. " ( )

When I first started reading this book, I was kind of annoyed because the author was clearly riffing off of the history of colonial America and just changing names and how boring is that? Seriously though, second chapter in and I was hooked. Stackpole created a world that is fantastical and otherworldly, yet because you recognized the historical context is still completely relate-able. The book was funny, sad, suspenseful and I could not put it down. I am completely looking forward to the next chapter in the Crown Colonies and only hope that it is as well written as this one was. ( )

Um. Not good. I thought, for some reason, that this was a first novel, and was prepared to overlook some clumsiness - but it's most definitely not. Most of my complaints are of poor editing, and poor choices in marketing - the back blurb focuses on something that barely happens in this book (it'll be important in the sequel), and totally ignores what does happen. But the writing, particularly the dialog, is rather stiff and clumsy - language varies, in the narrator's voice, from simplistic to overblown. Maybe he wrote this first and can only now get it published? It really reads like a good writer's first (publishable) attempt. It's an interesting universe, though some of the correspondences are hard to figure out (though they seem to be important to the story); there are far too many characters without any redeeming characteristics, though. All the good guys (male and female) are severely handicapped by _being_ the good guys and actually behaving with honor. Overall, an interesting world poorly depicted. I'll certainly look for the next book in the series - I want to know what happens - but I'll get it from the library. I don't have any interest in owning or rereading this book. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book. I'm familiar with Stackpole, having read many of his Star Wars books, and this new series has a strong opening book. This is one of my first experiences with alternate/fantasy history and Stackpole made it seem realistic and engaging. The additions of magic, the undead, and dragons gave the traditional history a new edge and cast events in a new light.

The geographical locations in colonial Mystria and the key players are left similar enough to the historical narrative that an astute reader can figure out where they fit in. I enjoyed seeing the similarities and differences with history. The Old World conflicts were transplanted to the New World, and rivalries and alliances followed historical lines.

Captain Owen Strake of the Queen's Own Wurm Guard is a realistic character with triumphs and failures. Seeing his transformation from loyal Norilian to a lover of Mystria provided insight into how some of the loyal American colonials turned patriot.

Overall a good book with a well paced plot, which combined forest gun fights, Bostonian town life, frontier men and Indians, a little romance, magic, and some strong divergent political currents into one solidly told tale of reinvented history. ( )