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A Fine Likeness
A Confederate guerrilla and a Union captain discover there’s something more dangerous in the woods than each other.
Jimmy Rawlins is a teenaged bushwhacker who leads his friends on ambushes of Union patrols. They join infamous guerrilla leader Bloody Bill Anderson on a raid through Missouri, but Jimmy questions his commitment to the Cause when he discovers this madman plans to sacrifice a Union prisoner in a hellish ritual to raise the Confederate dead.
Richard Addison is an aging captain of a lackluster Union militia. Depressed over his son’s death in battle, a glimpse of Jimmy changes his life. Jimmy and his son look so much alike that Addison becomes obsessed with saving him from Bloody Bill. Captain Addison must wreck his reputation to win this war within a war, while Jimmy must decide whether to betray the Confederacy to stop the evil arising in the woods of Missouri.
Length: 95,000 words
This is the first in the House Divided series of Civil War novels. Each book will be a standalone novel.
Sean McLachlan is the author of numerous books on Civil War and Missouri history, including American Civil War Guerrilla Tactics and Ride Around Missouri: Shelby's Great Raid 1863.
Jimmy Rawlins is a teenaged bushwhacker who leads his friends on ambushes of Union patrols. They join infamous guerrilla leader Bloody Bill Anderson on a raid through Missouri, but Jimmy questions his commitment to the Cause when he discovers this madman plans to sacrifice a Union prisoner in a hellish ritual to raise the Confederate dead.
Richard Addison is an aging captain of a lackluster Union militia. Depressed over his son’s death in battle, a glimpse of Jimmy changes his life. Jimmy and his son look so much alike that Addison becomes obsessed with saving him from Bloody Bill. Captain Addison must wreck his reputation to win this war within a war, while Jimmy must decide whether to betray the Confederacy to stop the evil arising in the woods of Missouri.
Length: 95,000 words
This is the first in the House Divided series of Civil War novels. Each book will be a standalone novel.
Sean McLachlan is the author of numerous books on Civil War and Missouri history, including American Civil War Guerrilla Tactics and Ride Around Missouri: Shelby's Great Raid 1863.
- GenresHorrorHistorical Fiction
ebook
First published December 3, 2011
About the author
Sean McLachlan
95 books112 followersSean McLachlan is a former archaeologist who worked for many years on excavations in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. Now a full-time writer, he specializes in fiction, history, and adventure travel. In 2013 he won the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award for his Iraq reportage.
Half of Sean's time is spent on the road researching and writing. He's traveled to more than 30 countries, interviewing nomads in Somaliland, climbing to clifftop monasteries in Ethiopia, studying Crusader castles in Syria, and exploring caves in his favorite state of Missouri.
Sean works in a number of genres, especially historical mystery and science fiction.
Sean is always happy to hear from his readers, so drop him a line via his blog!
Half of Sean's time is spent on the road researching and writing. He's traveled to more than 30 countries, interviewing nomads in Somaliland, climbing to clifftop monasteries in Ethiopia, studying Crusader castles in Syria, and exploring caves in his favorite state of Missouri.
Sean works in a number of genres, especially historical mystery and science fiction.
Sean is always happy to hear from his readers, so drop him a line via his blog!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 7, 2014
With the American Civil War raging, two men are set on a collision course by the conflicting ideologies of the Confederacy and the Union--and by supernatural forces which neither of them understand, or even believe in. Captain Richard Addison is a loyal union soldier whose reputation has been forever tarnished by the harsh necessities of war, but he has suffered just as much as anyone he has been forced to hurt. The death in combat of his youngest son has wounded him more deeply than any bullet and left his frail wife teetering on the verge of breakdown, driving her to embrace spiritualism and mediums in the hope of contacting their boy once more. By contrast Addison buries himself into his duty, pitted in a constant struggle of attrition with roving gangs of Bushwhackers--the Confederacy’s volunteer “army”, who employ guerrilla tactics to harry the union wherever they march—only to come face to face with the spitting image of his dead son: Jimmy Rawlins, a young man dedicated to the independence of the South.
Jimmy has thrown in his lot with the most brutal bushwhacker of the war, William “Bloody Bill” Anderson, but there is more to Bloody Bill’s campaign against the North than meets the eye. He is an agent of a mystical cabal seeking victory in an unseen war, one between the forces of Chaos and Order, and Jimmy is unwittingly dragged into this conflict as well. Neither he nor Captain Addison are aware of what is at stake, but when a strange African-American wanderer named Rufus recruits Addison to the side of Order the two men find themselves drawn towards a confrontation that will determine more than just victory in America. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
This is the third book by Sean McLachlan that I have reviewed, but I think it's the first one I read. He and I met when he welcomed me to one of the various writers' groups I've joined since moving to Spain, and soon after I had the chance to read one of his short stories (which eventually became the title piece in The Night the Nazis Came to Dinner and other dark tales). A Fine Likeness was one of the first titles I bought when I finally got an ebook reader ("real" books in English tend to cost quite a bit here) because, you know, solidarity, brother...
Before trying his professional hand at fiction, Sean already earned a living writing--amongst other things--historical texts about the American Civil War, and this background set him in good stead. His familiarity with the period, military tactics and the attitudes of participants on both sides of the cultural divide come through clearly and provide an authentic flavour to the story. There is more to proceedings than simply regular gunfights (and, admittedly in a departure from the facts, the occasional rearing up of oppressive supernatural forces bent on destruction). The story also hints at the personal cost of participating in war via (obviously heightened) comparison with that of engagement in a supernatural struggle in which one's humanity is literally, rather than figuratively, at risk.
If I have a criticism of this melding of historical and fictional conflicts, it is only that the unseen workings of evil and good are superficially aligned very much with the Confederacy and the Union respectively--though not in such a way as to suggest that any questionable motivations of the South were actually demoniacally inspired, and nor is it suggested that all Southerners were driven solely by the issue of slavery. However, there were also beats in which I felt the storytelling craft fell a bit short in the basic text. I sometimes found too little insight into characters or their motivation to carry a particular scene, or dialogue presented with simply too little narrative description so the lines seemed flat, floating in a vacuum, starved of any grounding that I could really visualise.
These foibles aside, though, A Fine Likeness was a decent read overall. In relation to the other things I've seen of Sean's, I'd say it exists on a spectrum of steady improvement, with The Night... below and his new post-apocalyptic tale Radio Hope above. His second House Divided novel should be out in 2014, and I'm looking forward to it representing another step forward in his fiction career.
Jimmy has thrown in his lot with the most brutal bushwhacker of the war, William “Bloody Bill” Anderson, but there is more to Bloody Bill’s campaign against the North than meets the eye. He is an agent of a mystical cabal seeking victory in an unseen war, one between the forces of Chaos and Order, and Jimmy is unwittingly dragged into this conflict as well. Neither he nor Captain Addison are aware of what is at stake, but when a strange African-American wanderer named Rufus recruits Addison to the side of Order the two men find themselves drawn towards a confrontation that will determine more than just victory in America. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
This is the third book by Sean McLachlan that I have reviewed, but I think it's the first one I read. He and I met when he welcomed me to one of the various writers' groups I've joined since moving to Spain, and soon after I had the chance to read one of his short stories (which eventually became the title piece in The Night the Nazis Came to Dinner and other dark tales). A Fine Likeness was one of the first titles I bought when I finally got an ebook reader ("real" books in English tend to cost quite a bit here) because, you know, solidarity, brother...
Before trying his professional hand at fiction, Sean already earned a living writing--amongst other things--historical texts about the American Civil War, and this background set him in good stead. His familiarity with the period, military tactics and the attitudes of participants on both sides of the cultural divide come through clearly and provide an authentic flavour to the story. There is more to proceedings than simply regular gunfights (and, admittedly in a departure from the facts, the occasional rearing up of oppressive supernatural forces bent on destruction). The story also hints at the personal cost of participating in war via (obviously heightened) comparison with that of engagement in a supernatural struggle in which one's humanity is literally, rather than figuratively, at risk.
If I have a criticism of this melding of historical and fictional conflicts, it is only that the unseen workings of evil and good are superficially aligned very much with the Confederacy and the Union respectively--though not in such a way as to suggest that any questionable motivations of the South were actually demoniacally inspired, and nor is it suggested that all Southerners were driven solely by the issue of slavery. However, there were also beats in which I felt the storytelling craft fell a bit short in the basic text. I sometimes found too little insight into characters or their motivation to carry a particular scene, or dialogue presented with simply too little narrative description so the lines seemed flat, floating in a vacuum, starved of any grounding that I could really visualise.
These foibles aside, though, A Fine Likeness was a decent read overall. In relation to the other things I've seen of Sean's, I'd say it exists on a spectrum of steady improvement, with The Night... below and his new post-apocalyptic tale Radio Hope above. His second House Divided novel should be out in 2014, and I'm looking forward to it representing another step forward in his fiction career.
August 10, 2012
(On my blog, I gave this a 4.5.)
Historical books haven’t generally been my thing, but I have started developing a taste for those that mix genuine historical events with paranormal aspects. The Civil War also hasn’t been a great source of fascination, despite a brief obsession of my mother’s with Gettysburg and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
That’s changed somewhat since I — a tried and true New England Yankee — married an Alabama boy and made him move up to the Northland. Upon meeting my in-laws, I realized that the Civil War had not truly ever ended, at least not down there, and I developed a little more interest.
So, I agreed to give this book a go, and I really enjoyed it. It didn’t move at a hyper-speed pace, but I never felt like it was dragging either. I like evenly paced stories. It really kept my interest, so I was able to read it in about three days.
One thing that I really liked about this story was the “grey” characters.
All the main characters weren’t black and white, from the union captain Addison and his attitude towards Negroes, and the Southern bushwhacker Jimmy who didn’t really seem to care one way or the other. It had a very realistic feel to it, when many Civil War stories try to make the divide more pronounced. (Bad Southern Slave Owners, Righteous Yanks.)
Not being a history buff, I would need to do some research to know how many of the events and people were historical, but it certainly had an authentic historic feel to it. I did do a little Wiki work and got to learn something about Missouri from the book and Wiki that I hadn’t known before.
The paranormal aspects, the goals of the Southern group and the spiritualist characters, interwove flawlessly.
The writing was good, and there was one line that stood out, talking about Bloody Bill Anderson: “This wasn’t a rebel yell, but a scream of Hell triumphant.” There was a theme of that with Anderson and his followers, the bestial/unearthly roars instead of rebel yells. I liked that.
Elijah I found the saddest subplot, although I won’t say too much about it since I don’t want to give stuff away.
Really, I think the only reason I’m giving this less than a 5 is that it was missing some extra spark that makes me sit back and go, “Wow.” I’m not sure what it was, but we all have different things that catch us in that way. That’s really the only thing I have, so this is a 4.5. And apparently, this is the first in a series, so I’ll keep an eye out for later books.
Historical books haven’t generally been my thing, but I have started developing a taste for those that mix genuine historical events with paranormal aspects. The Civil War also hasn’t been a great source of fascination, despite a brief obsession of my mother’s with Gettysburg and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
That’s changed somewhat since I — a tried and true New England Yankee — married an Alabama boy and made him move up to the Northland. Upon meeting my in-laws, I realized that the Civil War had not truly ever ended, at least not down there, and I developed a little more interest.
So, I agreed to give this book a go, and I really enjoyed it. It didn’t move at a hyper-speed pace, but I never felt like it was dragging either. I like evenly paced stories. It really kept my interest, so I was able to read it in about three days.
One thing that I really liked about this story was the “grey” characters.
All the main characters weren’t black and white, from the union captain Addison and his attitude towards Negroes, and the Southern bushwhacker Jimmy who didn’t really seem to care one way or the other. It had a very realistic feel to it, when many Civil War stories try to make the divide more pronounced. (Bad Southern Slave Owners, Righteous Yanks.)
Not being a history buff, I would need to do some research to know how many of the events and people were historical, but it certainly had an authentic historic feel to it. I did do a little Wiki work and got to learn something about Missouri from the book and Wiki that I hadn’t known before.
The paranormal aspects, the goals of the Southern group and the spiritualist characters, interwove flawlessly.
The writing was good, and there was one line that stood out, talking about Bloody Bill Anderson: “This wasn’t a rebel yell, but a scream of Hell triumphant.” There was a theme of that with Anderson and his followers, the bestial/unearthly roars instead of rebel yells. I liked that.
Elijah I found the saddest subplot, although I won’t say too much about it since I don’t want to give stuff away.
Really, I think the only reason I’m giving this less than a 5 is that it was missing some extra spark that makes me sit back and go, “Wow.” I’m not sure what it was, but we all have different things that catch us in that way. That’s really the only thing I have, so this is a 4.5. And apparently, this is the first in a series, so I’ll keep an eye out for later books.
November 24, 2011
A Fine Likeness by Sean McLachlan is a historical horror novel based during the Civil War. Jimmy is a young bushwhacker fighting for the South with his group, the Rawlins Rangers. The group of young men from the same town are a fairly successful ambush troop taking out Union supply caravans and destroying transportation and communication lines. Elijah, one of the members, also has the dubious habit of collecting the souls of the soldiers he kills in a special bottle. When the boys are offered the chance to join up with Bloody Bill Anderson, the most famous bushwhacker, they are eager to strike a meaningful blow for the Confederacy. What they see after joining up however terrifies them all (except Elijah) into second guessing if the South should actually win.
On the side of the Union you follow Captain Richard Addison. He is a good man who only joined the military reluctantly after he realized how badly he was needed. Dealing with his wife seeming to lose her mind after the death of their youngest son and none of his requests for assistance being granted, he has a heavy burden. When his patrol is ambushed by Jimmy he sees his son in the young Southerner's face. As he begins to try to hunt down Bloody Bill he secretly hopes that Jimmy can be redeemed, but the more atrocities he sees committed the more he doubts himself.
Sean has written several books about the Civil War the history of Missouri, so he has a lot of knowledge to share. The book is very well done using actual people (Bloody Bill) who were involved with the War in the area to add a layer of realism to the story. He does such a wonderful job with the weapon descriptions and battle detail that the book really comes alive. I had some interest in this time period in high school so it appealed very much to me. This is the only book like this I have ever read so I don't have anything to compare it to, but if he writes any more like this I will read them.
On the side of the Union you follow Captain Richard Addison. He is a good man who only joined the military reluctantly after he realized how badly he was needed. Dealing with his wife seeming to lose her mind after the death of their youngest son and none of his requests for assistance being granted, he has a heavy burden. When his patrol is ambushed by Jimmy he sees his son in the young Southerner's face. As he begins to try to hunt down Bloody Bill he secretly hopes that Jimmy can be redeemed, but the more atrocities he sees committed the more he doubts himself.
Sean has written several books about the Civil War the history of Missouri, so he has a lot of knowledge to share. The book is very well done using actual people (Bloody Bill) who were involved with the War in the area to add a layer of realism to the story. He does such a wonderful job with the weapon descriptions and battle detail that the book really comes alive. I had some interest in this time period in high school so it appealed very much to me. This is the only book like this I have ever read so I don't have anything to compare it to, but if he writes any more like this I will read them.
January 18, 2013
I confess that I am not a fan of the paranormal genre and was not inclined initially to give the novel a high rating because of that bias. Thinking it over, however, the overall quality of the writing merits a better ranking. A Fine Likeness is one of those novels that falls between genres: American historical fiction with a regional focus, paranormal, a bit of the "Western." That may limit the readership, but the writing shouldn't be penalized for that. My rating is intended for fans of one of those genres who might be tempted into the crossover represented by Sean McLachlan's work.
The author does an excellent job in incorporating accurate Civil War and Missouri history and handles the military action sequences with ease. The tale reads smoothly and is a very easy read. The motivations of the main protagonists on both sides of the conflict are realistically developed. The novel requires a leap of imagination that Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson was the heat of a cult of devil worshipers and not simply your garden-variety sociopath. Most readers will not be troubled by any damage to the bushwhacker's reputation.
I liked the novel, but and would have enjoyed it even more as straight American historical fiction with more character development of the lead protagonst from each side of the war, and with fewer demonic figurines and visions. The writer, in my opinion, has the capability of writing solid literary fiction. In the meantime, he is seeking to create a unique niche in popular fiction and has come up with an interesting volume for that empty shelf.
The author does an excellent job in incorporating accurate Civil War and Missouri history and handles the military action sequences with ease. The tale reads smoothly and is a very easy read. The motivations of the main protagonists on both sides of the conflict are realistically developed. The novel requires a leap of imagination that Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson was the heat of a cult of devil worshipers and not simply your garden-variety sociopath. Most readers will not be troubled by any damage to the bushwhacker's reputation.
I liked the novel, but and would have enjoyed it even more as straight American historical fiction with more character development of the lead protagonst from each side of the war, and with fewer demonic figurines and visions. The writer, in my opinion, has the capability of writing solid literary fiction. In the meantime, he is seeking to create a unique niche in popular fiction and has come up with an interesting volume for that empty shelf.
May 25, 2015
A fine and liked read.
This novel starts out as a historical fiction blending real world events of the American Civil War with the tale of Jimmy Rawlins and Captain Addison, one Confederate, the other Union. Gradually though the horror element comes to the fore, first as rumour perhaps, and then as something real and tangible. Perhaps too slowly for some, but Sean McLachlan takes his time to build the grounding of reality (it is a different period to our own after all) and I think that gives the supernatural elements a place and a subtlety. I didn't know anything about the period, but I learnt as I read along. I'm sure aficionados might get more out of it knowing such-and-such an event or real world person. It does make me want to how far the reality really went, of course.
This novel starts out as a historical fiction blending real world events of the American Civil War with the tale of Jimmy Rawlins and Captain Addison, one Confederate, the other Union. Gradually though the horror element comes to the fore, first as rumour perhaps, and then as something real and tangible. Perhaps too slowly for some, but Sean McLachlan takes his time to build the grounding of reality (it is a different period to our own after all) and I think that gives the supernatural elements a place and a subtlety. I didn't know anything about the period, but I learnt as I read along. I'm sure aficionados might get more out of it knowing such-and-such an event or real world person. It does make me want to how far the reality really went, of course.
February 13, 2013
Thank you to the author and Goodreads for the "first-reads" copy.
This was an engaging read, alternating between the viewpoints of a Union militia captain and a Confederate bushwhacker in Civil War era Missouri. The plot moves well, the characters are interesting and have good depth, and the story gives you a flavor of both the tensions between supporters of the opposing factions and the mystical world the author has created. On the latter front, there is just enough to get you into it without taking away anything from the feeling of the rest of the story. Very well done, enjoyed immensely.
This was an engaging read, alternating between the viewpoints of a Union militia captain and a Confederate bushwhacker in Civil War era Missouri. The plot moves well, the characters are interesting and have good depth, and the story gives you a flavor of both the tensions between supporters of the opposing factions and the mystical world the author has created. On the latter front, there is just enough to get you into it without taking away anything from the feeling of the rest of the story. Very well done, enjoyed immensely.
December 8, 2011
An assured debut novel which clearly shows the author's grasp of the period, without ever getting bogged down in period detail. The characters are well drawn and morally murky, and the sense of unease builds throughout the story. A good read.
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June 20, 2012Love the book. It is nice to read a book set in the area where you live. Makes me want to find the Indian cave that is around here somewhere.
November 28, 2012
If you like the civil war and a good mystery this is the book for you. I really enjoyed the history and the twist and turns of this book. I won this book on Goodreads.
November 28, 2011
An excellent book... filled with civil war intrigue and many twists and turns. Lots of fun!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews