For many months I avoided this quasi-historical novel after I was sickened by its opening scene.

Against the armature of The War Between the States a moral epic unfolds among the Bushwacker Secessionists who are young men (teenage boys actually) enacting grotesque deeds against the Jayhawk Federalists. These are guerrilla fighters, not inclined to join up and follow the rules of the regular armies. Strangely, an enigmatic figure is a black man fighting along side the "secesh".

How much violence on this earth is caused by young men in need of brotherhood and purpose who are vulnerable to the sucking vacuum vortex of charismatic yet immoral leaders.

The language is stunning to read but this book reached the 5 star mark for me when I realized it touched on universal themes.