Until Shiloh Comes

The Shiloh Trilogy #1

by Karl A. Bacon

In the bloody Battle of Shiloh two boys are struck down. Only one will survive.

One boy is Stanley Mitchell, a Yankee, shot and his leg broken. The other is Aaron Matthews, a Confederate, mortally wounded, the son of a local Christian family. When Aaron's mother, Davina, comes in search of her son, she finds Stanley instead, who tells her where Aaron is—on the condition that she take Stanley back to her farm and nurse him back to health.

Davina's older children are outraged at Stanley's presence in their home, but no one could have anticipated the results of his presence among them:

• The kindling of romance between Stanley and Davina's teenaged daughter, Anna.
• The challenge Stanley's presence brings to Davina's relationship with the Jacksons, her family of slaves.
• The uncontrollable enmity with which Davina's son Luke regards Stanley.
• The warmth that develops between Stanley and Davina herself.

Until Shiloh Comes, the first novel in the Shiloh Trilogy, is a story of love—love between Stanley and Anna, and love among the members of the two families on the farm, one white, one black. It is a story of personal choices and their consequences. And it's the story of the fight to save Stanley from the grief-fueled anger of Southerners who would rather kill a Yankee than allow him to live among them.

Once you have begun to read Until Shiloh Comes, you won't be able to put it down.

Genres: War

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2015

About the author

From youth Karl A. Bacon has been a serious student of the Civil War. Countless hours of detailed research supply the foundation for each novel, including copious reading, internet research and personal visits to battlefields and historic sites. For Prairie Dog Town, he toured Vicksburg National Military Park, did research at the Old Courthouse Museum, stayed in the Duff Green Mansion, and visited Natchez and the ruins of Windsor House. The research provides depth and realism to the stories so that the novels might be as historically accurate and believable as possible. Karl lives with his wife, Jackie, in Connecticut.

His first novel, An Eye for Glory (2011) was a Publisher's Weekly Top Pick and a Christy Award Finalist. Until Shiloh Comes (2015) is the first book of a Civil War trilogy. Until Shiloh Comes won the 2016 National Indie Excellence Award for Historical Fiction and the Independent Publisher Awards Bronze Medal for Best Adult Fiction E-book.

Reviews

[BooksNCrannies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling... Poignant... Heartwarming...

✏️ Review ✏️

Built upon themes of love, grace, forgiveness, and faith, Until Shiloh Comes delivers an exceptional and moving American Civil War story. It dives deep into the complexity and richness of human thought and emotion, producing a touching and heartwarming story.

Can we just talk about the characters for a minute because they literally stole my heart! They are so well developed! Like, the characters are the foundation of this story. The connection between the characters and the reader is artfully achieved, allowing for a compelling and heart-warming (and heartbreaking) character-driven narrative filled with wells of emotional depth. Further compounding the story's emotional depth is the multiple perspectives from which this story is told. I'll admit that at first the multiple POVs didn't seem to flow very well, but after the first few chapters as the characters' roles became more rooted and apparent, I became even more invested with each and every perspective, except maybe Luke's. 😔...

And, yes, I have to mention the realistic romance. :⁠-⁠) Like, the romantic relationship between Stanley and Anna made this story even deeper and more heartfelt. It illustrates the fragile nature of unity during a time of hate and division and becomes a crucial element of the plot that forces the characters to make difficult decisions — decisions that will bring peace to some but bitterness to others. So, thumbs up on the romance!... What else can I say?... Karl A. Bacon knows how to craft a diverse and relatable cast of characters. They're tangible, dynamic, deep, relatable — a poignant medium for drawing the reader into the story and illustrating the harsh and stark realities of war.

"He was uncomfortable lying on his back. He tried to move and was rewarded with stabbing, searing pain, and something else — a tightness, a sense of being bound. He lay still. Uneasiness gnawed him. Dreadful images captured his thoughts. There had been a battle — many men dead, all around him. He had been shot — was it once or twice? Why couldn't he remember?"

Bacon's writing style is neither amateur nor scholarly. It's just where it should be: accessible to anyone who reads this story but still filled with an artist, creative flair. Laying an even stronger foundation of realism, the dialogue is marked with cultural and geographic dialects. So, yeah, I really enjoyed the writing style of this book a lot better than I thought I would.

As far as the plot goes, there's really not much to say since the characters drive this story. But still there are many events that happen which fuel the story's energetic punch. Especially the last quarter of the story! 😯 Woah! So much going on. The ending nearly broke my heart (so upset with Luke 😒) and made me feel so sad inside (man, I love books that do that!).

Until Shiloh Comes has easily become one of my favorite American Civil War reads. It's raw. It's real. This story is not a bed of roses. It depicts the stark realities of death, suffering, division, and hate. But it also offers hope: that God is actively involved in the affairs of this world and shines forth love, mercy, and grace even in a small war-torn, battle-ravaged valley. A powerful story with excellently developed characters and solid themes, Until Shiloh Comes is a compelling and poignant piece of historical fiction.

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📊 A Quick Overview 📊

👍🏼 What I Liked:
• The compelling character-driven narrative.
• The solid Christian themes — really gives great dimension to the story.
• The characters — so deep and dynamic (I'm so looking forward to see how they continue to develop throughout the remaining two books of the Shiloh Trilogy.)
• The romance — it's realistic and makes the story even deeper.
• The writing style — it's clear and accessible with realistic dialogue.
• The ending of the book — so good yet heartbreaking!

👎🏼 What I Did Not Like:
• The first few chapters of the book — a bit too unengaging (see Random Comments for more details).

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❓ To Read or Not To Read? ❓

— Would I recommend this book? Of course!*

— To whom? To those who enjoy realistic, character-driven Christian historical fiction that features solid themes, realistic romance, and multiple POVs.

*(Note: I leave it up to each individual to decide the maturity and discernment level required to read the books I recommend, based on my content warnings below [in my Book Breakdown]. My content warnings [if any] should always be considered alongside my recommendations when deciding who these books are best suited for.)

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📖 BOOK BREAKDOWN 📖 (Overall: 4/5)
~Fundamentals: (1=worst; 5=best)
— 📈 Plot: 3.5/5
— 📝 Writing: 4/5
— 👥 Characters: 4.5/5

~Content: (0=none; 1=least; 5=most)

— 🤬 Language: 0/5

• (There are a few instances of somewhat extreme name calling. Nothing majorly objectional, hence no "Language" rating).

— ⚔️ Violence: 2/5

• A few potentially disturbing scenes involving death and grief.

• Mildly graphic descriptions of suffering and injuries (mentions blood).

• A few brief descriptions of mild war violence.

— ⚠️ Sexual: 1/5

• A guy and girl are mentioned as kissing a few times (one is described as "passionate"; minor but appropriate details of touching and thoughts of romantic attraction appear else where as well).

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📣 Random Comments 📣

• Let me mention that the beginning of the story was a bit mediocre, and it isn't until about 60-70 pages into the story that it gets a lot more engaging and enjoyable. So if you start reading it and don't like it at first, hang in there! It will get better.

• Don't make the same mistake I did — reading this book and then going into panic mode because you don't have book two, Prairie Dog Town (I'm still waiting for my Amazon order 😐). So make sure you have book two before starting Until Shiloh Comes; the ending is a cliffhanger.

• Do be aware that the last half of Until Shiloh Comes focuses a lot on a romantic relationship. Just keep that in mind when deciding what age level this book would be best suited for.

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💬 Favorite Quotes 💬

• "A man ain't what he is, but who he is.... What's on the outside is what he wants you to see, and that can be anything. But what's on the inside where nobody can see is who that man is for real." (p. 258-259)

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A mother should never see her son like this.”

A Christian, historical fiction novel would seem an easy to overlook niche book. That would be a mistake. Until Shiloh Comes: A Civil War Novel is about more than a poor southern family’s reaction to the devastation of a major Civil War battle on their doorstep. It’s about reality forcing its way into what we think is right and normal. Yes, five stars is a stretch, but there are so few really good books of this genre.

“How you talk isn’t important … what’s much better is the meaning of your words.”

Until Shiloh Comes: A Civil War Novel is what fiction should be: engaging at a level deeper than facts. It’s what Christian fiction should be: real. It’s what historical fiction should be: accurate, yet accessible. Bacon succeeds telling a story true to the history, religion and sensibilities of 150 years ago yet still engaging to modern readers.

“It mightn’t seem right to us, but it’s what the good Lord’s given us, so that makes it right.”

The case in point is religion. Evangelical Christianity in 2016 has a different vocabulary and set of assumptions than Christians held in 1862. But to exactly reconstruct the particulars of the old-time faith would make it unintelligible to moderns. The author gently suggests differences in belief without raising contentious issues.

“But God had a different plan, and I don’t know what it is.”

Similarly, Bacon keeps the reader in the story historically with true-to-the-time details of race relations, farming, building and weapons technology. Experts may quibble, but for most readers its close enough.

“Famished food’s always better.”

Quibbles: Bacon overdoes the regional and racial dialects. Yes, rural Tennesseans would have spoken an argot unintelligible to modern ears, but having established his character’s types early Bacon could back off as the novel progresses. The neighbors’ reaction to a feared and hated enemy might be less laissez-faire, but highlights the behavior of those whose reaction isn’t.

“A man ain’t what he is, but who he is.”

It ends with a cliffhanger, but unlike so many inept series the first volume is a cogent whole. The reader is drawn in to more, but not left feeling cheated by a three hundred page introduction.

“I’d rather not pass that way in the dark again.”

[Ray Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

The Civil War was a tragedy beyond anything else this nation has under gone. Not a story of armed battle, but a story of the battle in the heart, Until Shiloh Comes is a wonderfully composed journey into the division the war brought into families.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book nearly broke me with the gut-wrenching ending. I've read a lot of civil war fiction, but none compare to this work of art

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this story

From the historical setting,to the family members,to the slave family and the strong Christian ethos,I loved it all.
A beautiful emotion packed book which draws you in so that you feel you're there in the midst of all the happenings.
A great insightful story of love,resilience and spiritual awakening for Stanley Mitchell ,the principle character...oh that young men nowadays could be as he turned out to be.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t have many expectations when I picked up this book other that interest in how it would show fighting between the union and the confederates. My interest kicked in when the Davine the mother in search of her son who was a confederate soldier who had been died. She met instead an injury Union soldier name Stanley Mitchell, who was one of the last persons to see her son alive. In her compassion she took home and cared for his injuries. The first thing the family noticed was the way he talked and he was a key to where her son was buried as well as the last person to see him alive. The daughter of the family in time turned toward him but the son was a true confederate and disliked him just because he was a Union soldier. He had to learn how to do all of the things which helped this family using a cane fastened so he could move from place to place. He even interacted with their slaves (man, wife and children) and spent evening having Bible Study with them. Just when it seemed that perhaps this relationship could work (against the wishes of the son) into their lives came a slave catcher and because of the rumor he heard left with this Union soldier to places unknown with the war still going onward. I don’t feel that I can fully give this book its due, because it gets to human nature and how one change when living with others who are perhaps different than how their lives have been. One thing for sure I would love to see a sequel of what happened in the later years with this Union s Soldier and

[Kristine Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written historical fiction explores the challenge for one family to stick to their Christian principles when it takes them well outside their comfort zones. Full review coming soon.