Down to the Sea

Lost Regiment #9

by William R. Forstchen

In the aftermath of Gettysburg, the 35th Regiment of the Union Army were pulled through a time warp, leaving them stranded in a strange alien word. Now it's time for exploration -- and to discover a way to survive...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Alternate History, Fantasy, Military Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Historical Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2000

About the author

William R. Forstchen (born 1950) is an American author who began publishing in 1983 with the novel Ice Prophet. He is a Professor of History and Faculty Fellow at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. He received his doctorate from Purdue University with specializations in Military History, the American Civil War and the History of Technology.

Forstchen is the author of more than forty books, including the award winning We Look Like Men of War, a young adult novel about an African-American regiment that fought at the Battle of the Crater, which is based upon his doctoral dissertation, The 28th USCTs: Indiana’s African-Americans go to War, 1863-1865 and the "Lost Regiment" series which has been optioned by both Tom Cruise and M. Night Shyamalan.

Forstchen’s writing efforts have, in recent years, shifted towards historical fiction and non fiction. In 2002 he started the “Gettysburg” trilogy with Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; the trilogy consists of Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War, Grant Comes East, and Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant - The Final Victory. More recently, they have have published two works on the events leading up to Pearl Harbor and immediately after that attack Pearl Harbor, and Days of Infamy.

In March 2009, Forstchen’s latest work, One Second After, (Forge/St. Martin’s books) was released. Based upon several years of intensive research and interviews, it examines what might happen in a “typical” American town in the wake of an attack on the United States with “electro-magnetic pulse” (EMP) weapons. Similar in plotting to books such as On the Beach and Alas Babylon, One Second After, is set in a small college town in western North Carolina and is a cautionary tale of the collapse of social order in the wake of an EMP strike. The book has been optioned by Warner Bros. and currently is in development as a feature film. The book was cited on the floor of Congress and before the House Armed Services Committee by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R.-MD), chair of the House Committee tasked to evaluate EMP weapons, as a realistical portrayal of the potential damage rendered by an EMP attack on the continental United States.

Forstchen resides near Asheville, North Carolina with his daughter Meghan. His other interests include archaeology, and he has participated in several expeditions to Mongolia and Russia. He is a pilot and co owns an original 1943 Aeronca L-3B recon plane used in World War II.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/willia...

Reviews

[James Tullos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was definitely finished before this, stretching it out further made it dull.

3 stars because the final battle was good.

[Brenton J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lost Regiment series is a fabulous story set in the days of the American Civil War. It is basically the Civil War meets Planet of the Apes. It is one of those refreshing stories that no one has done before or since. The writing style is smooth and easy to understand, and the plot moves just right. A great series is one where the reader gets to grow with the characters and this one does just that.

[Kieren · Rating 4 out of 5]

come on Forstchen why is the next book taking decades?!?

[Dale (Aus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and extension of the series. A pity there are no more, would love to follow this into the future.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

TBH not the best of the bunch so can see why not on Kindle.
This read like an effort to rekindle the flames of the series by using the next generation of characters. Lots of promise but disappointed as a cliffhanger was left so feels incomplete. The bulk of the book was capture, torture and turning of Sean O-Donald and lots of political intrigue with technical detail. Only the last 1/4 of the book was the battle expected. I've read all books.
In my opinion either close the loop or dont bother. If you as a reader aelre happy knowing job done after 8 and only view 9 as 'supporting' material then great. The ending is a happy life for all of Suzdal and humankind with a hidden enemy that could pounce in the future. Same ending as number 8 really. As a lover of the series I would've like to have read a 'proper' ending where Kazan was burnt to the ground, then peace and celebration like book 8.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Lost Regiment series and its epic conflicts. This reboot of sorts has the next generation involved after the peace of the war of the previous novel. It sets up a new enemy and the wider reaches of the world they inhabit. The action in these books is always great and engrossing. Unfortunately this seems to be the only novel that was written and left on a minor cliffhanger.

[Andy Janes · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Not quite as) Fun.

[Magnús Friðriksson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this 22 year old book is the most recent in the series and it ended with a major plot development, I can not give it the five stars it really deserved. A pity really.

[Thomas Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a reboot of the series that was never followed up on. It stops more than ends which would be fine if there were another book in the series.

While I loved the fact that the series was continued, I did not care much for the villains. They were almost too evil. I did not enjoy the scenes from the villain's POV.

This is a book you can skip without much loss. That said, if the sequel ever came out I reserve the right to change my tune.

[Wenzel Roessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book eight of the series ended things so well I was nervous as to what book nine would bring. I did not want to see a "kids of the heroes" story. While the next generation is a part of the plot it is thankfully well done. And as always Forstchen shows how important finance and logistics are to a battle. I did not like the new confusing enemy they had to face or that the book ended on a cliffhanger that, twenty years later, is not resolved.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

After he took the Lost Regiment series to a kind of conclusion, Forstchen tried to "reboot" the series by introducing more villains from the south. It wasn't as good, I don't think. You can't capture lightning in a bottle twice. I enjoyed it, but the first series is really where the great stuff is to me.

[E.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love William Forstchen and have praised his Lost Regiment series but this one is just not up to his usual standards. It felt as if the writer was tired of his world at last. The characters were thin and the story took some weary turns. He's still a good writer but his own normally high bar condemns this book to a forgettable piece of the series. Clearly, the Lost Regiment's story is over.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forstchen fastforwards the world of the Lost Regiment twenty years into the future, where a new generation of Republic heroes must fight off the threat of the far more advanced Kazan horde. A great jumpstart for a new series, but it looks like the author has abandoned it.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This did not suck me in like the rest of the series. :-(

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a re-boot of the Lost regiment series, it isn't as successful as the previous books. Not really worth the time, as the author seems to be done with the world.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shame this is the last book of the Lost Regiment; a good read like the previous eight.