macbean221b's review
2.0
I received ANDERSONVILLE as an ARC through NetGalley.com.
To be completely honest, there were several points in this book where I almost gave up. The real story of what happened at Andersonville was scary enough, and I kept getting this feeling--an actual twisting feeling in my stomach--because adding paranormal elements (in an attempt to make it scarier...?) was just...really not the way to go. I kept going just to see how it would play out, and if the awful gut feeling would go away, and there were parts where I was interested enough in the characters to forget that I had a weird grimace on my face, but overall, I'm still wondering what possessed me to even request this one.
To be completely honest, there were several points in this book where I almost gave up. The real story of what happened at Andersonville was scary enough, and I kept getting this feeling--an actual twisting feeling in my stomach--because adding paranormal elements (in an attempt to make it scarier...?) was just...really not the way to go. I kept going just to see how it would play out, and if the awful gut feeling would go away, and there were parts where I was interested enough in the characters to forget that I had a weird grimace on my face, but overall, I'm still wondering what possessed me to even request this one.
beckylej's review
4.0
Barclay Lourdes was trying to run when he accidentally fought his way onto the train going to Andersonville prison. Or at least that's what he said.
In fact, Andersonville is exactly where Barclay wants and needs to be.
It seems something fishy is going on at the prison camp. Something beyond the conflict of war. Something truly evil.
It might not surprise readers to learn that Andersonville was a very real place and that there were horrors aplenty there.
Erdelac weaves a story of supernatural horror around the very real events and people of Andersonville; the raiders, the regulators, Father Whelan, and Big Pete are all taken from actual history. Henry Wirz, the commander of the prison, was also real and was convicted of war crimes as a result of the heinous treatment of the soldiers imprisoned there.
Military horror is kind of hard to come by, but it is a natural combination (I think) and one that amplifies all of the scary bits in a lot of ways. Nothing is more horrific than war and the Civil War is one that's still a sensitive topic for many. Erdelac combines the sentiments of the day with the very real Andersonville history (as mentioned above) and other fabulous aspects of the time as well - the First Lady's fascination with otherworldly issues, Pinkertons, Union/Confederate spies... throwing in a main character whose roots make him the perfect hero for this particular story.
Because Barclay is there under false pretenses, his own story is revealed to the reader in pieces as the tale progresses. Through his eyes we witness the awful atmosphere of the prison as he investigates the true cause behind it all. He's an interesting character both because of his skills and because of he is a free man from New Orleans. Erdelac does go into some of the politics of the war - how could he not - especially where Barclay is concerned. It makes Andersonville a more layered read than one might expect. And honestly, it was a welcome experience.
In fact, Andersonville is exactly where Barclay wants and needs to be.
It seems something fishy is going on at the prison camp. Something beyond the conflict of war. Something truly evil.
It might not surprise readers to learn that Andersonville was a very real place and that there were horrors aplenty there.
Erdelac weaves a story of supernatural horror around the very real events and people of Andersonville; the raiders, the regulators, Father Whelan, and Big Pete are all taken from actual history. Henry Wirz, the commander of the prison, was also real and was convicted of war crimes as a result of the heinous treatment of the soldiers imprisoned there.
Military horror is kind of hard to come by, but it is a natural combination (I think) and one that amplifies all of the scary bits in a lot of ways. Nothing is more horrific than war and the Civil War is one that's still a sensitive topic for many. Erdelac combines the sentiments of the day with the very real Andersonville history (as mentioned above) and other fabulous aspects of the time as well - the First Lady's fascination with otherworldly issues, Pinkertons, Union/Confederate spies... throwing in a main character whose roots make him the perfect hero for this particular story.
Because Barclay is there under false pretenses, his own story is revealed to the reader in pieces as the tale progresses. Through his eyes we witness the awful atmosphere of the prison as he investigates the true cause behind it all. He's an interesting character both because of his skills and because of he is a free man from New Orleans. Erdelac does go into some of the politics of the war - how could he not - especially where Barclay is concerned. It makes Andersonville a more layered read than one might expect. And honestly, it was a welcome experience.
bluekaren's review
5.0
This book is really scary.
I should just leave it at that, but I know you want me to elaborate.
Andersonville was a real place. During the Civil War the south had a camp where they kept their POWs. The south was losing and barely had enough money to provide for their own troops, so this camp had no budget. Camp Sumter, aka Andersonville, was the worst place to be for a union soldier, much less a black one. Andersonville was known for its cruel condition where death, disease, and starvation abound. The author of this story, Edward M Erdelac has re imagined Andersonville and all it’s horror, and then added a paranormal twist. This story the thing of nightmares.
I really enjoyed this story. I really enjoyed the pacing of this story. It was a slow, scary, build up into something very evil. The author threw in famous and infamous characters and their dialects making me wonder about what really happened. I highly recommend this macabre story for real horror fans.
theresaemig's review
1.0
I did not like this book at all. It started off really well but as soon as it moved into the otherwordly stuff it lost me altogether.
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