Reviews
Feel free to make comments on the Amazon page or send them to me here. Just for fun, and to save you reading through all of these, here are a few highlights of the nice things people have said about the book so far:
…an extraordinarily well-written piece of mind candy that becomes more and more difficult to put down…
…a creative and entertaining formula.
…a delightful romp through what it terms “a past that never happened.”
…I have only one disappointment with the book. It had to end.
…the writing style of this brilliant new author…
…the plot is convincing and the characters well drawn…
…Good character development and a fun read…
Claude wrote on Amazon:
Nazi Germany and the Confederacy, 80 years on, are building an alliance forged in the darkest depths of Hell, and our intrepid guide, Tokyo based author Hugh Ashton, take us on a tour of this nightmare alternate reality. Mr. Ashton brings a fresh and unique style to the narration of this tale and leaves us with a cold chill running down the spine as we are drawn in slowly into the world that could have been, feeling the unwelcome taste of fear in the back of the throat as we enter a reality that thankfully never was. For a first published work this is an excellent start and I look forward to seeing more in the future from this promising young writer.
Christopher Belton (author of Isolation and Crime Sans Frontières)wrote on his blog:
“When my elder son was in high school, his project for the summer vacation was to write a summary of European history from the 1930s to 1950s under the assumption that Adolf Hitler had never been born. This rather impressed me, as I thought it to be an excellent way of determining if the students had absorbed the details they had been taught. After all, it would be an impossible task without a working knowledge of political activities and the big players who were prominent on the scene around that time. In Beneath Gray Skies, Hugh Ashton, a Japan-based writer and journalist, has proved—through the medium of an extremely satisfying book—that he paid attention in class by not only rewriting the history of Europe, but also that of the USA, albeit with Adolf Hitler alive and kicking.
“The overriding premise of Beneath Gray Skies is that the American Civil War didn’t take place and that the United States of America as we know it today is two separate nations; with the USA occupying the northern part of the land mass it currently occupies in actuality and the Confederate States of America (CSA) occupying the southern part. The time is 1923 and Germany lay in tatters after defeat in the Great European War. Taking advantage of this disarray, the Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, are beginning to flex their muscles, but lack the resources to impress their presence on the rest of Europe. Meanwhile, the Confederate States of America is a poverty-stricken yet resource-rich nation shunned by the rest of the world owing to its refusal to abolish slavery, and the only way to provide universal employment is through conscription into the armed forces at the early age of sixteen, which places a huge burden on national coffers. To put that more plainly, Nazi Germany possesses the technology and international clout that the CSA covets, and the CSA possesses the natural resources and manpower that Germany needs to build the country into a force to be reckoned with: perfect bedfellows, in other words.
“Beneath Gray Skies examines the way in which war-impoverished Germany courts the racist government of the Confederate States of America with the promise of a gift of immeasurable value. To celebrate this alliance, the gift is to be delivered to the CSA by Hitler himself aboard an enormous Zeppelin-like airship. The governments of Great Britain and the United States of America are naturally against this alliance, but as it does not violate any international treaties, the job of thwarting the plan is left up to a handful of people who are both wittingly and unwittingly drawn into the action.
“Beneath Gray Skies is an extraordinarily well-written piece of what-if mind candy that becomes more and more difficult to put down the further one reads. It has a rather unorthodox layout in that it is impossible to pinpoint a single protagonist—with several main characters taking the leading part alternately at different stages of the book—but I hasten to add that this in no way detracts from its charm. The style of writing is satisfyingly fluid and sometimes even whimsical, which is sure to delight those who enjoy a large dash of literary skill mixed in with their conspiracies, and I would certainly rank it among the better books that I have read this year.
“Full marks to Mr. Ashton for writing an enthralling tale of, as the front cover of the book tells us, ‘a past that never happened.’ I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to his next work of fiction.”
Mystery Fan wrote on Amazon:
“If the Civil War had not been fought and the Confederacy had existed into the 20th century, how would modern history have developed? This “what might have been” tale has a tightly written plot, some colorful characters (including Hermann Goering and a forerunner of secret agent 007) and as an added bonus, a remarkably well researched introduction to German zeppelin technology. Kudos to Ashton for coming up with such a creative and entertaining formula.
A.B.Dahl wrote:
“Beneath Grey Skies is a delightful romp through what it terms “a past that never happened.” It brings to mind Les Murray’s Freddy Neptune, with shades of films uncounted, including Guess Who is Coming to Dinner.
“We are in a world where the Confederacy was not defeated, with all the unpleasantness that poses, including ruminations on how to distinguish two parts of what we colloquially call America, even today. The plot turns around a scheme for the bad guys to milk the old world party, the Nazis, for funds to stay afloat.
“The action is fast and furious. Along the way Goering of the Nazis gets shot in the knees but still manages to do dirty deeds. We also get a taste for what the Confederacy could have been used for on the world stage if left to its sordid ways.
“Troublesome interracial relations are treated with sensitivity as well as we are treated to the pratfalls of inter-government antics in the pre-airconditioned steamship age. Eventually the nasties get what they had coming and there is closure. The author has drunk from the well of modern day attitudes and projected them backwards, one may even hear echoes of the very current Health Care brouhaha. “The preface admits to all this and tells how the author looked at modern attitudes, as they are present to us in our unruly world, and how they can be seen to have been there all along: and then with the slight adjustment of letting the Confederecy have survived see how it could have played out.
There is much food for thought and for reflection on what could have been “if just” in many many situations, not least the matter of zeppelins. What if the Tokugawas had been left in place, what if creationists had just plugged Darwin? In our troubled times the template of the novel offers plenty to ponder.”
One reviewer of the manuscript before publication wrote:
“When I first saw the cover of “Beneath Gray Skies”, a shudder ran down my spine. As a product of the South and being quite familiar with the atrocities by the Nazis, I was curious how the author was going to create a what-if historical drama, a sort of Johnny Reb meets Fritz the Nazi.
I must say he did a splendid job. With a good balance between historical fact and fiction, the story proceeds along smoothly. I was particularly impressed by the author’s extensive knowledge of airships, making me enjoy the thriller even more.
While reading the novel, I kept saying to myself, “How is he going to pull it off, with all the different sub-plots?” I won’t give away the ending but let’s say that the loose ends are tied up neatly.
I have only one disappointment with the book. It had to end. When will the second alternative history novel in this series come out?”
“Shoq” on Twitter told me:
“Props for writing what just might be the most preposterous idea for a novel that I’ve ever heard
”
I suppose I’m flattered…
Erin at ClickMyLit wrote:
“…the writing style of this brilliant new author. …this interesting literature book of action set in a past where the Civil War was not fought and where the Confederacy continued on.”
Annie Rose at Amazon UK wrote:
“I enjoyed this. It doesn’t pretend to be great literature, but the story, based on the premise that the American Civil war was never fought and therefore that a slave owning Confederacy exists in the Thirties, is interesting and carries you along. Despite its rewriting of history, the plot is convincing and the characters well drawn.
“A recommended holiday read.”
Chris Shannon wrote at Amazon:
“An interesting alternative timeline is constructed by the author of this book. Civil War Steampunk? something like that anyway. Good character development and a fun read, bringing together the Confederates, the Nazis and Zeppelins!”
Use the contact form to send criticism, etc. to me – even if you hate the book – if it’s valid criticism, it will go up here.
I have also just joined Twitter (as hughashton and BeneathGrySkies) – and find it an interesting way to learn about new ideas and people (in less than 140 characters – does wonders for your style). I’m trying to avoid the “Breakfast – cereal and coffee” type of tweets. If you follow me, I hope you may learn a little more about me and about the book.
Recent comments