Customer Reviews

The Napoleon Options: Alternative Decisions of the Napoleonic Wars (Greenhill Historic Series)

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A nice collection of alternate realities where often the key factor lies in the after effects of a changed descision. Some of the chapters are better than others. The best ones are the ones which run closest to what actually happened with the smallest change amending the course of history Hofschroer,Elting,Haythornwaite,Gallagher,Elting all fitting nicely within this with strong possibilities the weakest in my opinion was Uffindell's who wrote a nice story but then ruined it by calmly stating that the campaign was a foregone conclusion and Napoleon would never have won. Read the other 2 two waterloo accounts and make your own mind up on this.

It was also enjoyable, after reading, to work out any other obvious 'changes' that could have changed history at Waterloo d'Erlon not being recalled and hence winning Ligny - all it needed was one order to arrive with Ney before he lost his temper at the second or Bourmont not defecting and hence Ligny starting 3 hours earlier. Junot in Russia blocking the Russian retreat etc etc.

All in all enjoyable and a mind opening book

This was a hard book to read. I don't read much alternative history, simply because it is not true. I enjoy the academic debate of what might have happened if things were done differently. In this book, ten distinguished historians change some facts and show how things could have gone differently for Napoleon. Some of them are OK to read. The large majority have changed the scenario so completely that it is simply fiction. That is why I didn't like reading this book. It also may have been the reason for it being on the discount shelf.

I am not sure of other alternative history for the Napoleonic era. However, readers could probably pick a better book from the thousands on Napoleon.