Play for a Kingdom

by Thomas Dyja

Book Overview

In this "brilliantly imagined and neatly plotted" Civil War novel (Boston Globe), two battle-scarred companies-one Union, one Confederate-embark on a series of baseball games amid the carnage at Spotsylvania. "Wonderfully conceived and eloquently executed" (Caleb Carr). Maps.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156006294
• ISBN13: 9780156006293
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A book to be remembered

I picked this book up because like so many others my to passions are baseball and the civil war. Dyja has a wonderful way of creating characters you remeber and learn to care about even with a large cast of characters you have no problem remembering them all. The battle brutal battle scenes are very well done you can almost feel the animalistic survival instincts these men felt specifically the part when they are fighting hand to hand. The baseball scenes are also well done the wording and dialouge are fresh and vivid. This book really puts a human face on the tragedy that is war.

Unique

18th Century historical fiction is becoming a popular genre, but this one breaks the mold. A description cannot do it justice. It suffices to say that Dyja interweaves the Civil War, espionage, and baseball in a completely believable and engrossing way. It is moving, suspenseful and exciting. A great story!

Read the book: it is worth your time

Thomas Dyja writes an entertaining novel about humans tested under the strain of war--all revealed through baseball games...And the first two reviewers can think of nothing but complaints over the dust-jacket photograph; or the fact that the 14th Brooklyn had no Company L??? Come on, Gentlemen, nobody cares how high-speed your educations are--Just enjoy the Novel.

Baseball and the Civil War - A Winning Combination!

When you take two pieces of American history like baseball and the Civil War you are bound to have an interesting book. Mr Dyja has written a wonderful story that not only desrcibes the horrors of the war but uses baseball as a way for the north and south to get together outside the battlefield. Who will betray who? That is the central question as the story plays itself out. The battles are deadly for both sides and the play by play of the games is done with edge of your seat excitement. I would be interested to know if this book was based on any type of facts or is it just a wonderful story. If you are a civil war buff, a baseball fan, or both - you will enjoy this great book.

Great characters and an engrossing premise

When I saw this book on the shelf at our local bookstore I almost could not believe my eyes -- a baseball Civil War book? Almost too good to be true. But Play For A Kingdom pulls it off. It does an outstanding job of presenting the point of view of regular, Union soldiers. All of the characters are engrossing and interesting. And the baseball scenes are satisfying. One of the best books I have ever read, regardless of the genre.