The Walk in Hell

"Walk in Hell" opens with a poem from noted WWI poet Wilfred Owen, who died on the French front 11/4/1918. The poem quoted is from "Mental Case" and sets the mood for the book. One of the horrors of the First World War was so bad that using gas in warfare is considered heinous today. Another is that no one uses trench warfare either. Just like in any war, WWI brought innovation. Harry Turtledove incorporated them into the story naturally. I especially like how he has shown the development of aircraft. airplanes in war (balloons were used in the civil war) aerial photography interrupter gear aircraft carriers u-boats were a proven part of the navy (also first used in the civil war) hydrophone (for locating subs) depth charges, tanks flamethrowers tracer bullets gas trench warfare wristwatches A reoccurring theme is Country and race count for more than class. During the previous era, class counted, now there is a sea-change to race counting for more. As more black and brown people have money or even the right to vote, white people still want to be higher than them. Black and brown people are set on vengeance for wrongs they have suffered or thought to have suffered for years. It is a long book with many characters, not all of which get a lot of ink. Just like the war it depicts, the book drags on. I hope that the next in the series spends some more time on all the characters.