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Title: Counterclockwise Author: Roger L. Conlee Rating: Not available Avg. Score: 5 Submit Comment Hits: 26

Review of Counterclockwise

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Comments for Counterclockwise

• Posted on 2008-03-24
  The best of both worlds
  
  Good fiction not only answers the question of "what if," it plausibly fills in the blanks. Roger Conlee's robust second novel COUNTERCLOCKWISE is an entertaining and thought-provoking romp based on the "what if" premise of the Japanese attacking southern California during World War II. While some may debate the genre - is it historical or speculative fiction? - the truth is that it combines the best elements of both. While Conlee proved to be a first rate military history novelist in his wonderful debut EVERY SHAPE, EVERY SHADOW, he shows himself equally adept at the time-travel caper in COUNTERCLOCKWISE.
  
  The authenticity of the setting is apparent in everything from the greasy burgers at the diner to the uneasy suspicion that anyone with a foreign name or look might be an enemy spy. Conlee pays homage to the black and white days of Hollywood with clipped, stacatto dialogue and plot involvement featuring some of the Silver Screen's biggest names of the era. As the taut, drama of the spectacular attack scenes unfold, the reader may ponder if something was left out of the history books.
  
  Genre aside, it is the fate of the characters that compel the reader to turn the pages, and it would be wrong of this reviewer to spoil the fun by revealing more. The book will be a treat for any history or sci-fi buff who wants to go back in time and discover the missing battle of World War II.
  
  Maybe it's wishful thinking, but do I sense a sequel coming?
  Score: 5
• Posted on 2008-02-24
  Dull - save your money
  
  I like mysteries, SF, and military novels so this should have been a good read. The writing was serviceable enough that I finished the story but nothing was exciting. Bland cutout characters(lots of them), no tension, dull. All the excitement of Mary went to the corner store and bought a carton of milk. The contents were white. I gave the book two stars because of the research put in on the period as revealled in dialogue. The writer doesn't do the description thing so the setting doesn't come to life. I think the idea was to write sparse prose a la Parker or Elmore Leonard.
  Score: 2
• Posted on 2008-01-26
  The battle of Los Angeles
  
  This a quirky but likable book, involving a couple from 1988 who read a book detalling a Japanese attack on Los Angeles and San Diego in 1942. The attack really happened in a parallel universe, and before the book is over, our couple travels into that universe - to 1942, a day before the attack.
  The book is far more character-driven than you'd expect, and the book climaxes nicely. A must for alternate-history fans.
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2007-10-29
  A Wonderful Tale
  
  Counterclockwise is a wonderful tale full of unexpected twists and turns. Roger L. Conlee, combining historical knowledge and compelling style, has written an absorbing mystery within a science fiction framework. Or maybe it's the other way around. Whichever, you'll marvel as you travel back and forth between universes, often not sure exactly where you are until it all becomes clear at the end.
  
  Conlee handles the complicated plot masterfully; he has also created believable characters. Not only are the main characters dimensional, but so too are historical figures that are woven into the story. It's a book that, once started, you'll have to finish.
  
  Score: 5
• Posted on 2007-09-06
  Second Novel a Winner
  
  Congratulations Roger, on another very good book. Although I enjoyed Roger's first book, Every Shape, Every Shadow, I really got caught up in Counterclockwise. In fact, I read it twice to take a closer look at how Roger wove the story elements--time travel, alternative history, a mystery and a love story--together. When I first began reading, I couldn't imagine how these seeming incongruous elements would fit together, but Roger skillfully intertwined them with many twists and turns to the plot that made time travel and alternative history seem real. Then he threw in a few famous movie stars; it worked! As Roger himself told me, "Counterclockwise is an intriguing `what-if' book." Whether you are interested in alternative history, time travel, parallel universes, or just want to read an entertaining novel, Counterclockwise is a "must read."
  Score: 5