" Leon Uris was one of the greatest writers of historical fiction that ever lived. Even though it is not his best work, the present book was still absolutely spellbinding, and damned difficult to put down even to sleep at night. This was his last book; Mr. Uris died in June 2003, three months before it was published. Sadly, he apparently ran out of time and strength before he could finish it properly, which is easy to tell at the end for anyone familiar with his style. I would be willing to bet that he wrote this ending fairly early in the writing process, and put it in an envelope for his editor to open in case of his death before the book was finished. The thing that has always amazed me about Mr. Uris is that he was of East-European Jewish ancestry, yet he had a deeper understanding of the Irish soul and character than I would have imagined possible for any non-Irish person. The most interesting thing about this particular book, most of which is set in the late 1880s & early 1890s, is that the discussion about amphibious warfare provides a pseudo-historical foreshadowing of events during the mid-20th Century such as the development of the amphibious tractor, which in turn brings to mind the military career and writings of Victor J. Croizat, whose books are well worth reading in any case for a variety of reasons... "
— Liam, 1/28/2014