1882: Custer in Chains by Robert Conroy
Published by Baen on 2015
Genres: Type I - Hard
Pages: 377
Format: eBook
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Premise – Point of Divergence (POD)

Following his unlikely but decisive (and immensely popular) 1876 victory over Sitting Bull and the Sioux at the Little Big Horn, George Armstrong Custer is propelled into the White House in 1880.

The Story

Two years after his election as President of the USA Custer finds himself bored and seeks new worlds to conquer. He and his wife Libbie fixate on Spain’s decaying empire as his source for immortality. What President Custer doesn’t quite comprehend is that the U.S. military isn’t up to such a venture. When a group of Americans on a ship headed for Cuba is massacred, war becomes inevitable—and unless calmer, patriotic citizens and soldiers can find a way to avoid debacle, this war may be America's last stand!

The Review

This is the first of Robert Conroy’s books that I have read, and I have to admit to being disappointed. However, given the success of other Robert Conroy’s books this is probably just an exception.

Well plotted, with an interesting and plausible scenario, I found the need to focus on the plot and moving it forward was at the cost of developing interesting and/or sympathetic characters. In addition there was perhaps too much focus on the gee-whiz aspect of the Cuban war, with the Texan, Lang (a fictitious character?) introducing both barbed wire and an improved version of the Gatling gun to the conflict. As a consequence this is not going to be a book I read again.