In a change of fate, George Washington fights for the British and wrestles with his loyalties as he watches his countrymen struggle under the yoke of war. His nemesis, Benedict Arnold, seizes power and will stop at nothing to restore his family's honor by driving the British out of the colonies.
Far from the halls of power, the men and women in the army face difficult and painful decisions about their loyalty. Families are torn apart, and brother turns against brother.
Brent A Harris is a Sidewise Award nominated author of alternate history. He also writes science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Previously published works can be found through Insomnia Publishing, Rivenstone Press, Rhetoric Askew, and Inklings Press, the latter having published his short story, Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, which reaped the Sidewise Award nomination.
He is the author of A Time of Need, an alternate history of the American Revolution, which sees a world where George Washington fights alongside the British against American forces marshaled under a power-hungry Benedict Arnold.
His newest book is a steampunk take on classic Dickens' characters in A Twist in Time.
Brent A Harris resides in Southern California, where he's become convinced that Joshua trees are in fact, real trees. When not writing, he focuses on his family, shuttling children around as a stay-at-home dad, and staying up late to write after they are nestled in their beds.
"There’s a whole continent out there awaiting discovery. There’s so much to know. It’s an exciting time to be alive, but we must be at liberty to do these things on our own and not yoked to the Old World,”
This is a very hard book for me to review as it was a very difficult book for me to read. Not difficult in terms of the way it was written but more I was always left feeling as though I was missing the significance of things because my history lessons had never included intimate details - or even more general ones - of the American War of Independence. This meant I never really managed to immerse in the book properly and that was a bit of a problem for me.
So, time to fess up my ignorance. I knew Washington was the great American General - but I can't say I had ever heard of Benedict Arnold or any other of the leading figures. Which left me floundering quite a bit in the wake of their progress through the book.
'Before tonight, he did not think himself capable of killing an unarmed, matronly, woman. But before tonight, he hadn’t thought himself capable of stabbing a slave in the heart.'
I much preferred the story of the 'little people' - probably because there I had no expectation placed on me in terms of prior knowledge. Their story rose from the mire of the dislocation of war and reached out with the strength of immediacy. This was something I could relate to and follow their unfolding lives. Everyman's experience of warfare. Brutal. Savage. Bitter. But shot through with the horrific events which bond brotherhood, and gilded with a slick sense of patriotic glory, as is every soldier's experience of war.
This is a generally well-written book - although it does have places that stumble - and the depth of research shouts from every page. It is alternate history in its most pristine and classic form, reading as might historical fiction, but with twists and turns that do not follow history and weave a steady path ever further from it.
I would suggest this book to any reader who loves the purer forms of alternate history - provided they have some grasp of the fateful events of these times - and to any American who might like to contemplate that events are not always as certain as it might appear from the 2020 hindsight offered by history.
Imagine a scenario where certain historical figures swapped places. This is what happens in this fantastic Alternative History set during the war of Independence. In this reality, it is George Washington, who becomes the turncoat, not Benedict Arnold, as history tells us. I love Alternative Histories and this one is up there with the best of them. Mr. Harris goes to great lengths to cover all the historical bases, down to the last drop of blood. Although I followed each battle with great interest, it was more the human side that I lapped up. I followed Collins and Stevens around like a little lost dog. Their story was so compelling, it drove me to tears. The attention to detail was outstanding, and it kept me interested throughout. What a truly great page turner this was. If I had to complain about anything, it would be the length, but saying that, you can't go into writing something like this, and miss out anything of importance. Well done, Mr. Harris, on writing such a detailed story. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of Alternative History any day of the week. Here's to book two.
A Time of Need by Brent A Harris presents an alternative history - what if General Edward Braddock had not been killed in 1755 in the war against the French, and consequently, George Washington was successful in gaining a commission in the British Army in 1758. What if Washington was a career British officer who remained loyal to the British and consequently did not lead the revolutionary continental army?
It's a fascinating premise and Harris shows considerable knowledge and skill in teasing out the possibilities. He pits the loyalist Washington against revolutionary Benedict Arnold's ambition in a continental army without a clear leader. Many of the events are flipped and Harris goes into great depth in exploring not only the personal motivations of Washington and Arnold - but also smaller fry caught up in the war - a Hessian mercenary fighting for the British, two colonial friends who enlist with the revolutionary army, and Afro-American slaves like Abigail and Jarosa. These characters and their concerns and passions stood out as much as the bigger players.
Though I enjoyed reading the book and found much of it a gripping read, other parts were slower - in part because the prose could have been tighter, but also because it assumed a knowledge of events that I (as an Aussie) did not have. And while some points were often emphasised, others were glossed over (for instance, the nature of the secret message Arnold intercepts at battle of Saratoga in 1777 & why it was important). Also, early on the story jumps several years over events there were significant to plot and so consequently necessitated chunky backstory to get the reader back up to speed. There were definitely a number of places where Harris could have applied his brush strokes with a lighter hand, leaving more to the intuition of the reader.
While Washington's image is on the cover, this book is really about the lovable rascal and schemer Benedict Arnold. Arnold gets the lion share of passages and even when Washington does feature, he feels wooden and only really comes to his own towards the end - perhaps a deliberate ploy by Harris to show the effect on him of being a 'Yank' career soldier in a prejudiced British army. Still, I found it hard to warm to Washington as a character. On the other hand, it was much easier to identify with Arnold and I couldn't help wondering if he would manage to redeem himself in the end.
Overall, an interesting and enjoyable read which brings the War for Independence to a different end - and sets up for the sequel where I'm sure we will see a stronger Washington once again pitted against a wily and power-hungry Benedict Arnold and also the continuation of the story of characters like Stevens and Bakker (and perhaps the appearance of one significant character presumed to be dead).
A TIME OF NEED is an alternative history novel filled with answers to “What ifs” about the Revolutionary War
What if George Washington fought for the British instead of the Colonists?
What if Benedict Arnold stuck it out with the chaotic Continental Army, out-maneuvered all his critics, and was allowed to become the general he always thought he should have been?
And what were the Average Joe fighters thinking—the Colonists and the Hessians?
Brent A. Harris imagines an alternative America as complex and filled with personal and geo-political cross-currents as the one that really existed. His understanding of the importance of personal force-of-will in a fluid military situation is endlessly fascinating. And the resolution to the alternative War will surprise and intrigue you.
The only drawback is the lack of editing. This cost the book 1 full star.
I’ve known about this book for some time and the reviews are good. It just isn’t my usual fare of zombies, robots, dragons, and zombie-dragon-robots, so I left it on the back burner. Then I got the bright idea to buy it for my father-in-law for Christmas! He’s normally a World War One book reader, but I figured an alternative history American Revolution book would work. It did! Last time I checked he was nearly three quarters the way through. It’s been floating around his house since the holiday.
He mentioned that it must have been really tough for those guys to wear wool all the time! I bought him the paperback and got myself an ebook, which I listened to with a synthetic voice via a text-to-speech app while passing by many of the locations the book is set in. I do like to review all sorts of things at Science Fantasy Hub, after all!
Most of the story is about Benedict Arnold and George Washington, but there are also chapters about enlisted soldiers on both sides and a few women who took part in the conflict as well.
I started the book thinking I would see what happened when the “good guy” and the “bad guy” of American history changed roles. Instead I saw an excellent character study of two historical figures under the pretense that they made different choices.
There’s also something very satisfying about a well written, detail rich, period piece. I recommend this book to anyone curious about early American lifestyle, politics, and action.
A Time of Need may well be a perfect read for the history buff (particularly if you enjoy the period of the American Revolution) who also likes to play ‘what if’ games in their head. This book is right up your alley if you assume the world got to where it is not so much by accident but as a cause/effect result of all the choices that have ever been made and if you have ever pondered, ‘what if Hitler prevailed in the second world war and Europe was conquered by Germany?’ or ‘what if Russia hadn’t backed down during the Cuban Missile Crisis?’ or even on a personal level, ‘what if my parents hadn’t met and fallen in love?’. I don’t fall into the history camp, but I’ve been a ‘what-if-er’ most of my life, and that was enough to keep me along for the ride in Harris’ speculation. He imagined two key events in the lives of George Washington and Benedict Arnold that altered their paths. Washington became a loyalist and served in the British army as he attempted to keep his fellow Americans off the blundering course to Independence. Arnold, on the other hand, became a successful leader in the Continental Army’s bid for freedom. To be frank, had this tale been only about Washington and Arnold, I’d have found it considerably less interesting. Arnold shows himself to be completely centered on his own success which merely happens to coincide with the colonies’ bid for Independence from the British Crown. He is frequently named a scoundrel and happily admits to it. Washington spends too much time (for my taste) ruminating about how he is under-appreciated and considered a second-class citizen in the King’s Army because of his place of birth (Yank is a derogatory term used to label those lesser beings born in the American colonies). Though both are main characters, I find neither likable. There are, however, several very likable characters who are in the ranks of each army. Common men who find themselves in the multiple levels of the horror of war. Yes, I’m sure dysentery was responsible for more deaths than musket balls, but that doesn’t mean I like reading about the details. Corporal Collins believes in the ideology of the war—a fight for freedom. His friend, Sgt. Stevens, goes along merely to protect his friend and continually doubt the sense fighting a dying and is promoted solely on his extreme skill as a marksman. On the other side, and not as in-depth to the narrative is the Prussian, Private Bakker, who is part of the mercenary Hessian Army under Washington’s command. He longs to return to his home and become a simple farmer but is obligated to serve as a soldier to pay a debt. This is a lengthy and well-written tale and in the epilogue, Harris plants seeds of a continuation of the story dealing with the hard choices that must be made by the leaders of the infant nation. I wonder if he will also visit the War of 1812 and beyond to create a series of Alt-History books?
A NOT-SO-DIFFERENT STORY A story which is taken from history can become the grounds for intense speculation, developing along the lines that accepted events might have been different. What, for example, might have happened had Harold Godwinson won the Battle of Hastings and not Duke William of Normandy? Such questions exercise a deep fascination, and in “A Time of Need – a Dark Eagle Novel”, Brent A. Harris has delivered a highly plausible and stylish alternative account of the beginnings of American independence, seen mainly in the context of its military actions. In this very well-written narrative, the author places historical characters in situations which are contrary to history. He creates settings and events in which recognisable figures develop their personal storylines, although in unusual ways. Benedict Arnold still gets shot in the leg and George Washington crosses the Delaware river, but the circumstances are hardly what history has handed down. This is a literary genre which is not easy to present convincingly. However, Brent A. Harris has the high level of writing skill, which draws the reader firmly into the world he presents. One has no need to compare the story with actual events. It holds enough colour and authentic detail of the period to create a thoroughly acceptable reality of its own. Perhaps one of the most outstanding features of this novel is the author’s mastery of characterisation. His actors, whether prominent historical figures or undistinguished small part players, are equally strong. They add the very necessary element of human involvement to a novel which could otherwise become little more than a record of events. The details, not only of the military and political action, but also of the individual lives caught up in it, brings unflagging vitality to the narrative. As in all historical novels there is the matter of idiom to consider, and although Harris handles this factor well, there are one or two anomalies which from time to time allow the expressions and words of our own period to intrude a little too strongly. However, this is a minor fact which does not interfere seriously with the general excellence of the presentation. “A Time of Need” is a highly successful historical might-have-been. Based on the author’s professional knowledge of the period, it creates its own world with skill and imagination. It will appeal to people who enjoy a fast-paced, eventful storyline, very well told.
How often do we contemplate the delicate nature of our reality? Even one pebble thrown into the pool of society sends out a ripple effect capable of redefining our existence. Author Brent A. Harris has examined the "ripple effect" concept with surgical precision, embracing what could have been a very possible reality within the one which historians have long since documented. Imagine for one instance what it might be like if the founding father of America had employed his tactical genius for the English army? Such a concept was not out of the question, and the way in which Harris explores that and other historical 'what ifs' is nothing short of masterful.
Excellent writing meets intrigue, and the very real hardships of war in this must read offering. I highly recommend this.
Recap: An alternate history novel where George Washington fights for the British and Benedict Arnold, his arch rival, will stop at nothing to drive the British out of the colonies.
Reviews: I actually know nothing about the American War of Independence so I didn't even know at first that I was reading alternate history. It's piqued my interest to find out more. I thought the book was well paced with enough time period factual information to keep it feeling genuine without suffering from information dumps. Despite being a book about war, the human stories are so well portrayed they tug at your heart strings and you care about the characters.
First things first, I need to make full disclosure. I've been following the creation of this book for some time as Brent A. Harris has chiseled words out of his brain. He even mentions me in the thanks at the front of the book, so be aware that I may be a little bit biased. But I'm biased in favour of quality. A Time of Need tells the tale of an alternative America. In this tale, George Washington sides with the British and Benedict Arnold becomes the figurehead for the US forces aligned against Britain. Instead of the course that history took, we instead see a new shape to the battle for the continent, with Arnold's ruthlessness put to a new use. There's a real depth and thoroughness to this novel - I freely confess not being an expert on the history of the period, but Brent really brings the period to life, and you can tell the amount of research he has put in to get the details right. Beyond the battle between Washington and Arnold, the parts of the novel I really loved were those focusing on the soldiers underneath the generals, as they faced difficult choices about where their loyalties should lie, and the reasons for making the choices they do. The character of Stevens, particularly, struck to the real heart of the novel. Just as he tries to decide his path, so too this young nation is working out where it is going to go, and what exactly it will be when it gets there. The novel is unflinching in some of the horrific parts of the nation's history, such as the way in which slaves are treated, but the better for that. No one in the cast is wholly virtuous, but neither is anyone entirely villainous. Brent has created a story of the red, white and blue that is made up of many shades of grey. In the end, I can heartily recommend this novel - it's an alternative history that taught me real history, and which brought to life the throes of a nation truly being born.
Review of a Time of Need by Brent A Harris. My lack of background knowledge of the American War of Independence was initially a hindrance to reading this book. I knew only two things, George Washington was an American hero and Benedict Arnold was a traitor. Therefore this story in which Washington fights for the British and Arnold is staunch rebel confused me. Quickly I was able to abandon my preconceptions and become immersed in a tale of two implacable foes. The only true reversal is the country for which Washington fights, the manner of the protagonists remains, as far as I can tell, true to life. Because of this clever interweaving of historical fact with learned conjecture, this story takes its own route. There is everything you would hope for in a good historical novel. Plans beget counter plans, alliances are forged only to be abandoned as fate and circumstance dictate and the great and the good ride roughshod across land and people. What makes this book unusual is that the author doesn’t favour one side or the other and includes the views and times of the ordinary fighting man on both sides as well as the generals. In this way, he escapes the sweeping slaughter where those in power cast the dice while the masses pay the price in blood. This may not be historical fact but it gives a real feel of the times and with the freedom afforded by a simple twist of fate allows the reader an insight into two men who history has cast as unalterable stereotypes. All the characters feel real. They have lives, loves and all the problems people actually face. Powerful or put upon these characters breath. I recommend this book it will make you think and if it kicks what you thought you knew and leads you to read around the subject, so much the better. 4 Stars
This book takes "What if?", into the realm of American history. We all have our favorite pet legends about that time and that is what most of what we know really is. Legends and myths. Brent Harris, bravely takes those beloved legends and myths and shakes them up, spins them round and spits them back out again totally changed.
What if Washington had fought for the British? What if Arnold had become the commander of the continental armies? What if things had been different?
A Time of Need is a well researched story that gives one possible outcome to those what if questions. The best part of it is the intimate look at how the common folk dealt with the complete upheaval of their world.
I recommend this story for thinkers who like to ask: What if?