Reviews
“A very good alternative history novel! Totally believable, no space aliens or magic beings or any of that type of thing. It's the what if story of Japan and Germany succeeding in their expansion through war, and then turning their attention to the USA. I could completely believe this could have happened.
The character development was great, the people seemed completely multi-dimensional, not simply some he-man soldier or poor distraught females. The timeline was excellent, and very easily followed. The action was on multiple fronts, and non-stop. The writing was strong enough to actually pull multiple emotions out of me, which isn't easily done.
The book reminded me of the best of the Turtledove novels, the ones about the world wars. I think the character development was even better here.
I honestly could not put this book down. I was so disappointed when it ended, I wanted to find out what happens next. I will definitely be getting the next book in the series, I just hope it's not too long before it's released.”
Randal White | Goodreads
“Author Bart Stark’s Wolves at the Gate, a self-described “work of alternative history,” offers a blend of historical and fictional characters that provides human stories amid the carnage of WWII.
Reading like diary entries or radio broadcasts of Ernie Pyle, and William L. Shier, this author writes some of the most engaging accounts of the war from a unique perspective, with emotional depth, passionate catharsis and evocative power.
Spanning the years of the war, its campaigns, and its battlefields—Eurasia, the Pacific, the Atlantic, England, France, Japan, and the U.S. We are thrust into the minds and daily challenges of those involved. From Hitler to President Roosevelt and all the major and minor players in between, Stark’s narrative paints a vivid and immersive picture of war.
With its fresh and satisfying read, the author leaves us implying a follow-up novel to “Forge ahead”.”
S S Jung | Author
Proximity Factor
“Superb alternative military history novel. The author wrote an excellent book with an exciting plot and great character development. The battle scenes were well thought out and tense. I’m a combat veteran and I found the descriptions of battle to be very believable. I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series. I highly recommend this book"
Bruce Sandmeyer |
Army Combat Veteran
"My first NetGalley book, and I would call it quite the success. I don't often read WWII historical novels, but the alternative history premise in which the States are being invaded seemed very intriguing.
The novel is told from various point of views: we've got Americans (obviously), but also Germans, Italians and Japanese characters. Bold choice by the author in his debut novel, and it worked out really well. It was a real benefit to the story to experience it from so many viewpoints. I think all of them were distinctive and unique.
Another bold choice was to tell it in a diary-like manner with location and time specified to the km and the minute. While that helped with keeping track of when and where something was occurring, for me personally this style isn't my favorite. At times it made it feel a bit like non-fiction, especially with the extensive and technical approach to warfare. Be prepared to read A LOT about naval warfare. Again, for me personally not my favorite. Boats have never captivated my attention that much. Of course, it stands to reason that so much focus is given to naval warfare, the only way to invade the US (during WW2) from Japan and Germany is with boats.
The action, fighting and war in general were all depicted very realistically, very detailed and mostly very engaging. At times it was a bit too much to keep me hooked, as I said, naval warfare ain't my favorite, but if you're interested in a novel that focuses very much on war and engagements, then this is definitely a book for you."
All the King's Books | Goodreads