Great book. Grabs you right away and moves quickly. I enjoyed reading this one a great deal. Time travel through a parallel universe. Very clever. ( )

Not as good as Dies the Fire, felt it was slower paced. May not read another Stirling anytime soon. His telling of a fictional world and the thought process that went into all the characters is quite impressive. I felt though a lot of it could be dropped out and the main story could be told very well in a shorter novel. Too much going on for me. I think it would be better if left to two timelines and not the four to five he has in the book. Although most of the reviews are praising good I did not find the book as enjoyable. Read my rating system to better understand my review. ( )

This book was an interesting look at an alternate Earth, particularly western America. I liked the interactions between characters Tom, Adrienne and Tully and the ways Tom and Tully noticed the differences between New Virginia and First Side (current Earth). ( )

Good quick read. Simple, feasible entry into alternate world. Strong characters, bad guys a little sterotypic, sneaky Italian, brutal Russian and racist Afrikaans. Thoughful picture of prehistory California and the effects of the modern invasion on the indigents. Ends with a believable special ops takeout by the good guys. The modified Mosquito type fighter bomber is a nice touch. I would hope for a next installment as they explore their new gate into the land of sabertooth tigers and giant sloths. ( )

Great story line--alternate dimension/realities based on alternative histories. ( )