A BYU friend recently recommended Goodreads to me. I visited the website, liked what they were doing, and promptly joined. Here's my first book review. I've been very interested in the Revolutionary War period for some time and have read a number of books on the subject and key figures from the period (more recently, 1776, Washington's General, and Benjamin Franklin: An American Life). I have a rather pathetic start at a historical novel during the period, and was enthused by the detail-oriented picture of soldiers on the battlefields provided in my latest foray: Patriot Battles, by Michael Stephenson. Here's my review:

Mr. Stephenson has done a great job condensing large amounts of information into short, crisp, logically structured data on the Revolutionary War. If you enjoy the period and want to get a feel for the realities of this war period (and especially the soldiers who fought the war), this book deserves serious consideration.

Given its brevity, the book naturally has omitted some areas of the war, viz. the stories of war prisoners, many of the naval battles and minor actions, detailed biographical information, etc., but it is no less commendable for its excellent detail in describing the soldiers who fought the wars, including an interesting sidelight on Negro soldiers serving on both sides; the recruiting process; the weapons used; etc., and a substantial account of the major engagements of the war from start to finish.

I will likely be coming back to this book when I write a historical novel on the period.