In Time of War

Alex Balfour #4

by Allen Appel

Professional historian-hero and time-traveler Alex Balfour returns in the most exciting of his critically acclaimed adventures. This time he wakes up literally in the middle of the Civil War. And this time, he’s not the only one traveling through time. Last seen falling asleep on a small Japanese island shortly after Hiroshima, Alex, a twenty-first century New Yorker, awakens between a Rebel stand and a Union charge led by George Armstrong Custer. Wounded by crossfire, Alex is taken to a makeshift hospital, but not before he witnesses the gruesome murder of a helpless soldier long after the fighting has ceased. Meanwhile, in present-day New York City, Alex’s girlfriend and intrepid Times reporter Molly Glenn loses her way chasing a story and winds up in the thick of the Civil War herself. As Alex tries to make sense of the murder and Molly, in cumbersome crinolines and petticoats, tries to make headway against prevailing male attitudes toward women, they meet such historical figures as Abraham Lincoln, Sidney Lanier, Ambrose Bierce, and Walt Whitman. Confronting hard-hitting historical truths, exploring moral dilemmas, and packing page-turning adventure, In Time of War continues the timeless series beloved by legions of fans.

Genres: Time Travel, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction

380 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kwauditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story. Always enjoy the weaving of well-known as well as little-known historical facts into the story. The resarch into these little-knwon facts to bring the reader actually back to the times and places Alex finds himself in is interesting and informative. I like the way the book ended, and am ever hopeful that a new Alex Balfour story will be written.
I like the author's style of writing. My own wide scope of history and historical novels allows me to really enjoy the small tidbits of extensive research that the author provides woven into the story. I can quite easily visualize the settings and events of the story.
I enjoy my e-books for the primary reason that I love having a library full of books to select from in my purse at all times. Before e-books I needed to pack 2-3 books for as little as a long weekend vacation. I still keep all my hard-bound and paperback books, simply because I love books.
The first book in this series was purchased when it first came out in paperback, simply because I had not yet heard of this author. I kept that paperback and would always look in bookstores for new releases, but only found the second one years after it had been published. So much for the exposure of an author by publishers. Allen Appel deserves better. I hope I don't have to wait too long for the next book.

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be one of my favourite books I've read this year. The main character, Alex Balfour, is a historian who involunatarily travels in time and most of the book is set during the American Civil war where he meets people like Lincoln and Walt Whitman.

It was a great mix of time travel -with a few paradoxes thrown in like when Alex hasn't heard of 9/11 - action, drama and angst. I liked the relationship between Alex and Molly too although they spent most of the story just missing each other.

Unfortunately this is book 4 in the series and so far this is no sign of any others being written. I need to track down the first three as well as this was the only one my library had.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest (and hopefully not last) novel in the Alex Balfour books. Alex is a history professor with a genetic (and uncontrollable) predisposition to travel into the past. I may be biased because the author has become an acquaintance, but on the other hand, I "discovered" his writing before we became acquainted. So . . . these really are terrific stories. "In Time of War" may be the best of the lot.

[J. Dallas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started out loving this book. Just as I did the previouse three books. But when I got to the end I was appalled. The ending of this book ruined the whole set for me. I have no desire to read any other works by this author.