Two in the Field

If I Never Get Back #2

by Darryl Brock

Baseball-loving time traveler Sam Fowler returns for another heart-pounding through America’s past in this sequel to the best-selling If I Never Get Back
 
The year is 1875. Gripped by an economic depression, America is a darker place. Once again, time traveler Sam Fowler falls in with ballplayers, but then spins off on his own seeking the whereabouts of Caitlin, the woman he loves. His knight-like, hazardous quest forces him to ride the rails with tramps, deal with starving miners and the desperate Molly Maguires, work in a Saratoga casino, venture into the Nebraska prairies—and even encounter author Mark Twain. In the end, Sam will have to head into the Black Hills accompanied by Cait, a former slave, and a Sioux guide to face the ultimate reckoning of his life.
 
Like its predecessor, Two in the Field combines authentic research (including accurate details of early baseball), a narrative filled with twists and turns, and memorable characters in a white-knuckle ride through a dramatic period of American history.

Genres: Time Travel, Baseball, Historical Fiction, Sports, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure

408 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

After having simply and massively adored Darryl Brock's If I Never Get Back, I was constantly and even a bit obsessively at times on the lookout for a continuation (as If I Never Get Back concluded in a rather open-ended manner and was thus certainly hinting at a probable sequel). And yes, when an actual sequel, when the author's Two in the Field was published in 2002, I of course and very eagerly purchased a copy as soon as it was released in paperback format (but then did not actually end up reading the novel until just recently, scared off a bit by some rather negative reviews, and which also, and sadly unfortunately were indeed more than somewhat correct and truthful, as I have indeed been a trifle and really if truth be told even more than a trifle disappointed with and by Two in the Field, and enough so to only consider a two star rating at best).

Now Two in the Field is still both entertaining and again exceedingly well researched (with Mark Twain once more and also George Custer making an appearance). However, since the main plot lines and thematics of Two in the Field this time do not really revolve all that much around baseball (and the reader thus hardly ever gets all that much information and details on the diverse baseball players whom Sam Fowler had met and actually traveled with on his first sojourn into America's past, into the 19th century), my interest is and remains only very incompletely satisfied. For while I do enjoy reading about Sam and Cait (and their ups and downs both romantically and humanly) and while I appreciate the inclusion of historical figures such as Mark Twain and even George Custer, I guess it was and is the players of the Cincinnati Red Stockings and Sam's dealings and relationships with them that have made If I Never Get Back such a personal favourite. And sorry, there is simply and truly not enough historical American baseball, and with that not enough Andy Leonard, George and Harry Wright, and even less savoury and less likeable characters such as Sweazy present in Two in the Field for me, for my personal tastes and for my personal expectations. Still partially recommended as a basic and adequate sequel, but always and at best a rather pale and often even frustratingly and annoyingly lifeless reflection of the first novel, of Darryl Brock's truly brilliant If I Never Get Back! And thus, really quite massively disappointing (especially considering how much I had wanted a sequel to If I Never Get Back, how much I had been desiring and even needing a sequel to If I Never Get Back).

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darryl Brock follows up on his very entertaining time travel / baseball / historical fiction 1989 novel If I Never Get Back with the 2002 publication Two in the Field.

In the previous book, his protagonist escapes a lot of domestic and emotional issues in modern day San Francisco and finds himself in 1869 and playing baseball with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Much of that book’s charm was the innocence of the earlier age and our hero’s interaction with Brock’s exceptional illustration of that time.

Two in the Field is still entertaining and well researched and with interesting historic characters – including Mark Twain and George Custer – but some of the earlier charm is lacking. What did it need? More baseball.

[Tom Gase · Rating 2 out of 5]

The sequel to Darryl Brock's great, "If I Never Get Back" book about a man from SF that travels accidentally back in time to 1869 and becomes a baseball player on one of the first teams ever assembled. This book once again has Samuel Fowler going back in time, but there is little to no baseball going on in the movie, and instead focuses on the Fowler character trying to win back the love he once had with Cait. The book has some historical characters like Custer, Mark Twain and Jesse James, but the story moves very slow and once again, has little baseball in it. Read "If I Never Get Back." Skip this one.

[Michael Brockley · Rating 5 out of 5]

TWO IN THE FIELD by Daryl Brock is the sequel to the author's IF I NEVER GET BACK. Both novels feature time traveling, nineteenth century baseball, the Irish cause in the U. S. at that time and the protagonist, time traveler Sam Fowler's love for Caitlyn O'Neil. In TWO IN THE FIELD, Fowler returns to the U. S. in 1875 to find his love as well as a way to stay with her. During the course of the story, Fowler plays ball, jumps trains, hobnobs with Mark Twain, runs a sting, robs a gambler, escapes in a hot air balloon, has encounters with George Custer and Crazy Horse and shares various cultural tidbits in the process. Brock tells a rollicking, informative, Indiana Jones-like yarn.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the sequel to “If I Never Get Back”.
Pro: 1) A bit more action than the first book, and less of an emphasis on baseball.
Con: 1) Again, not focused all that much on time travel or the consequences of time travel per se (as with the first book, it was a device to place the proponent in a particular time period). 2) I did not find the parts concerning Native Americans (i.e., Indians) to be very good. 3) The romance between the main character, Sam, and Caitlin never really develops, and so was disappointing. 4) The story was somewhat disjointed, involving too many locations and characters without enough development.
Overall, a 4 out of 10.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a good premise - historical figures in a time travel setting. I actually like the time travel idea and the author does a relatively good job with that aspect. However, he throws in every famous person from the time period making it pretty unbelievable.

I did learn about the early history of baseball, but the author strayed from that as well. It would have been a good story had he twined the story around the Red Stockings and try to literally travel the early United States forcing the character to meet every historical figure along the way.

[Brian Eshleman]

This book will tell if you really liked the characters in the other book or were just in it for the baseball. The sequel has the baseball to grab the attention, so it was something of a disappointment. Still, the juxtaposition of the early Victorian era to the modern one still make interesting reading.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

i can't get enough time travel

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Book #1 but an enjoyable read

[Amy Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to If I Never get back ... almost as good as the first one. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

[Richard West · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to one of my all-time favorite books, "If I Never Get Back." It's not nearly as good. It does however, answer any questions a reader may have after reading the original although I thought the original answered almost all of any questions and worked well as a stand-alone novel. Yet, something like 15 years later, here came the sequel. (The original was published in 1990, this was done in 2005.)

At least this sequel does provide a happy ending for Sam Fowler where the original ended and you may have felt let-down because the ending wasn't all that happy.

But, there are some situations in this one which are a bit of a stretch for anyone with even the slightest bit of imagination......and there's not enough 19th century baseball!!! There, I've said it! The original was all about baseball for the most part - in this one it gets some play (no pun intended), but the primary thrust of the novel is Sam's search for his lost love, the rescue of her son from some not-so-very-nice-people and some other adventures.

If you've read the original and enjoyed it, you'll probably want to read this one to see how things turn out - happy, sad? Seldom is a sequel as good as the original and that holds true here as well. Entertaining, but it won't go on my list of "All-Time Favorite Books" like the original did.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are reading this book hoping that it has anything to do with baseball or even a continuation of any part of the baseball start of the first one, you will be disappointed, there is about as much baseball in this book as there is in Idaho. Very misleading cover photo for sure.

That said, it was well written. The author has good character development, albeit very predictable, or I guess you can call it foreshadowed...

The creativity lacks. Reeling from the success of such an interesting concept from the first book in the series, the author tries his best to continue a story. I think he watched a lot of back to the future three before publishing this one though.

Anyway. Overall its an okay read, it just did very little to continue the story for me. At least this one used Mark Twain encounters sparingly, though he makes up for it for many other opportune encounters that I guess you will have to read about.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Darryl Brock's "If I Never Get Back", and when I found out there was a sequel to it, I was excited to read it. The original had Sam Fowler, a man in the late 1980's San Francisco, transported in time to 1869, where he meets up with the Cincinnati Red Stockings baseball club and becomes a part-time member. Along the way, he meets and falls in love with Caitlin O'Neill. At the end, he, unwillingly, is returned to modern times.
In "Two in the Field", Sam again returns to the past, in 1875. Six years have gone by and Caitlin has moved away. The baseball aspect is barely a factor in this book, but the search for Caitlin guides Sam's actions. Very well written, just not as fascinating as the first book. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

[Dave Schoettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got hold of this book because I had really liked If I Never Get Back. This book continues the story but with much less baseball. Without the baseball narratives the story becomes just another soap opera, albeit a fairly exciting one. I did enjoy following up on the characters introduced in the first book and seeing the story brought to a close. If Brock writes another sequel, I will definitely read that one too.

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. As a native of Cincinnati and a baseball fan, I first read Brock's If I Never Get Back some 30 years ago. I liked it so much I re-read it last year. This is a sequel to that. And while it doesn't have near as much baseball history in the narrative, in some ways, I liked it even more. Great story line. Easy to read and easy to follow, but maintained my interest and kept the suspense going all the way through.

[Jim Krotzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sequel to If I Never Get Back. Sam Fowler returns to the past but this time it is 1875. His former baseball team has broken up. Little baseball is in this novel. There are episodes with Mark Twain, a balloonist, a casino in upstate NY, and a return of Le Carone, a villain from the earlier novel.

[Jonathan Ginsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two in the Field is the sequel to If I Never Get Back and Brock continues the tale with many unexpected twists. Very interesting premise and use of colloquial language to draw the reader into the mid 1800's. The characters were nicely developed and likeable. If you enjoyed If I Never Get Back you will enjoy Two in the Field just as much.

[James A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel

Not quite as good as If I Never Get Back (which I thoroughly enjoyed) but still a damned good tale and the sequel I had been waiting for. Loaded with unforgettable characters and history.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like books that involve time travel. Baseball not so much. Didn’t keep my interest. DNF

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to If I Never Get Back, not as good as the first, but a good continuation of the story...

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as good as the first novel but still very entertaining.

[Ron Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roughly the equal of book one with less baseball and more period specific historical fact and fiction which made it more enjoyable. I’ll give it 4.5 stars.

[Michael Shipley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute of it! MUST READ!!!!!

[Debra Diggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book. This sequel does not have all the wonderful and interesting discoveries of how things were in the past. It is more a story about Caitlin and Sam with a famous person conveniently thrown in every time you turn around.

[Zach Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the fact that I was recommended "If I Never Get Back" because of my appetite for baseball literature, I found that the time-travel component of that book hooked me more than the "baseball stuff". Thus, when it comes to "Two in the Field", I actually enjoyed this sequel MORE than the original because of more focus on characters and less focus on the games themselves.

For a basic plot summary, this book opens with Samuel Fowler struggling to come to grips with what happened to him. He longs to get back to his beloved Cait and would do anything to make that a reality. When the opportunity presents itself, however, Sam quickly realizes that the circumstances have drastically changed since his previous foray into the past.

To be honest, I don't know how author Brock can even get away with putting a baseball on the cover of the book...that is how little baseball actually figures into the plots of "Two in the Field". Instead, it is all about the "Wild West" and what it took to make a living in those times. Like I said, despite being a huge baseball fan, I was relieved that this book could do away with pages and pages of "game summaries" and instead be intent on developing the characters/plots at all times.

While obviously the novelty of the whole "time travel notion" has worn off by this point, Brock does a great job of remaining true to his "period" style. While reading, you really feel as if you ARE Sam, living in the Old West. He also introduces some new, very interesting characters that keep the action from getting stale.

Overall, I view "Two in the Field" as a rousing success. While it isn't a "favorite of all-time" kind of book, I was very entertained and am looking into possibly consuming more of Brock's works in the future. He has a very unqiue, straightforward-yet-exciting style that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

[Jimmy Tarlau · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in a series about a modern day journalist who travels back in time to play with the Cincinati Redlegs in 1869. It is not nearly as good as the first book (If I Never Get Back). In this book the hero goes on a journey to North Dakota to search for his true love...a little too much for me.

[Dean Krebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old friends

I have read this likely 6 or 8. Times. I have read If I Never Get Back, it's predecessor 12 to 15 times. Needless to say, I love these two stories and that work better in sequence. If one lives baseball, time travel novels, or love stories, these are the books for you.

[laristas · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh well... not as good as the first. brock packed it all in there - who *else* can sam run into? even Crazy Horse! too much! not quite believable characters, not enough development, not enough depth. the extra star is for sentiment - sam ends up right where i wanted him to.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

After I read and loved Brock's first novel, If I Never Get Back, I had high hopes for this one, but was very disappointed. He gets away from the baseball theme in this sequel, and although some of it reads OK, it becomes quite sappy and disjointed at times.

[Paula Schumm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hesitated to read this one because I couldn't find the first book in the series. I had no trouble catching up, however. I loved the late 1800s history: baseball, Indian wars, Wild West. This was a good read.