This mostly a book about baseball, if you love baseball you will love the way Turtledove delves so deeply into the details of the game itself and the travels of the semi-pro team in a 1929 alternate America that our main character, Jack Spivey, joins. If you dislike baseball or just really don’t care then this is not the book for you as it is Turtledove’s ode to baseball. To be honest, the paranormal elements (zombies and vampires, etc.) could be eliminated entirely and it still would be essentially the same book as it focuses primarily on the details of the game - the routes used to drive a bus from small towns to big cities; each city, its team, and its stadium described in great detail; each game broken down into emotional, nail-biting play-by-plays; a real treat for the baseball lover.

There was, as seems to be true of recent Turtledove novels, a lot of redundancy that a good edit could have solved. I did enjoy the play on names such as pitcher Satchel Page becoming Carpetbag Booker. 

Overall, a book for baseball fans but if you are looking for magic or fantasy look elsewhere. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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