This book is what it says it is- a what if. It may be a very well executed what-if book, but that's all it will ever be- a what if. If you're looking for a "realistic' book, this version of "Gettysburg" is not for you. I just don't get the logic of calling this 'what-if' book 'realistic' when the very essence of this novel is to change history. So in sumary, if you didn't like the U.S Army winning Gettysburg, and wish to dream that the Confederates won, this book is for you.
Nonetheless, the book is somewhat entertaining. It has some very exciting elements, and this story does paint a very bloody picture of what the Civil War battlefield was like; our culture these days discount the days of the Civil War as somewhat backward and strange; this novel changes that.
Why a one star? Because you need to remember that people died to make Gettysburg finality. It'd be saying that all the U.S Army boys died for nothing, and Gingrich and his co author throw around lives to make the book more interesting.

When writing a "what if" it is necessary by implication to alter the scenario while keeping the story within historical realism. In this book the authors have done a very good job but in certain respects have gone a little too far. For example they have altered Lee's personality from the tired, uninspired fatalism of Gettysburg to a dynamism that closely resembles Jackson. Perhaps this is necessary as it is no coincidence that with Jackson the Army Of Northern Virginia never lost a battle and without him never won one. That said this is an exciting and well written alternative history and well worth a read.

The first volume covers the battle of Gettysburg, though with strategic maneuvers beyond anything contemplated by the actual participants. Like any successful counterfactual history, the authors are careful in their initial changes - in fact, most readers will not even be aware of the changes in the battle to after the end of the first day's fighting, but by this point many small changes have already occurred - enough changes in fact to lead Lee to a strategic masterstroke on a par with Jackson's Chancellorsville march. From here the story rapidly diverges from what we know as history, but never beyond possibility, and it's amusing to see various participants like Sykes, Sickles, Joshua Chamberlain and others perform in this parallel universe.
The battles scenes are excellent and provide a closeup look at the experience of individual troops. They note often how the opposing sides would arrange unofficial truces when the battles end. You'll probably suspect that the climactic battle of the second book won't resolve everything since there's still that third volume! But that never subtracts from the tension & suspense of these books. Great history - my only regret is that Gingrich didn't start writing novels earlier, rather than spending so much time fighting other battles in Congress.

As a southerner who grew up on stories about the lost cause, I always heard two recurring phrases; 1.) What would have happened at Gettysburg if Stonewall Jackson had not been killed in a previous campaign and 2.) Would the Confederacy have won the war if Lee had won at Gettysburg? In this book, Gingrich and Forstchen set up a scenario of how Lee could have carried the battle in Pennsylvania, and set up two other volumes that carry the war to its conclusion.

I found the book to be engrossing and well written. I can picture the authors standing over a topographical map of the area, saying "What if...." They seem to have a solid understanding of the weapons and tactics of the day and a grasp of the impact that politics and political interference had on both the Union and Confederate armies. The latter issues particularly affect the scenario.

An enjoyable, engrossing read, giving a plausable what if to the eternal questions. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Highly recommend