Play For A Kingdom

By Thomas Dyja

In this “brilliantly imagined and neatly plotted” Civil War novel (Boston Globe), two battle-scarred companies-one Union, one Confederate-embark on a series of baseball games amid the carnage at Spotsylvania. “Wonderfully conceived and eloquently executed” (Caleb Carr). Maps.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9780544238596

Thomas Dyja

Thomas Dyja is the author of the award-winning The Third Coast: When Chicago Built the American Dream, as well as three novels. He lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Reviews for Play For A Kingdom

[gabbyhayze · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got this book because I enjoy reading historical fiction, particularly about the Civil War; and I also wanted to read it because of the tie-in to baseball. My father pitched in church league softball for years, and both my brothers played little league. One of my brothers played baseball in both high school and college and then continued on to Twilight league. I spent most of my childhood and much of my adult life following baseball games at one level or another of play. So, the idea of Confederates and Yankees meeting on a make-shift baseball field was interesting to me. This is not to imply, though, that any special knowledge of baseball or the Civil War is necessary to enjoying this book. It is riveting all on its own. Dyja has quite a story to tell, and he does it by taking a group of men of various backgrounds and merging them into a story about evaluating their own lives as well as what each of them comes to believe is his purpose as a soldier. The key moment for me was when one of the men, with more insight than is the norm, realizes that he is not in the war situation to win anything. He is there either to kill or be killed and that is all. For me, Dyja brilliantly makes the point that whether it's the war in Afghanistan or Iraq or the Civil War, war is war whatever century it takes place and no matter what men are forced to fight it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys excellent writing and storytelling as well as what humanity is really all about.

[jaygheiser · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

18th Century historical fiction is becoming a popular genre, but this one breaks the mold. Hard to describe, but it interweaves the Civil War, espionage, and baseball. A great story!