Title: Scourged Souls
Author: Keith N. Corman
Publisher: Readersmagnet
ISBN: 978-1949981827
Pages: 126
Genre: Historical Military Fiction
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina

Read Book Review

War is one of the most heartbreaking, bloody and horrifying things any nation or group of people can endure. As the legendary Sun Tzu once said, “There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.” In author Keith N. Corman’s book Scourged Souls, the effects of the American Civil War on those participating in the battles and from afar are closely examined.

In this book, the author takes a unique approach to military fiction and historical fiction overall, exploring a well-known period of time in United States history, the American Civil War. However rather than explore the fighting directly, the author takes time to explore the affect the war had on families, neighbors and loved ones during the war both in the North and the South, away from the front lines. From sons with a need to enlist and travel to the frontlines, leaving their families behind to worry, to families witnessing neighbors worrying about the war traveling to their front doors, and even freed slaves reflecting on the scrutiny they faced in the days of the war in search of runaway slaves and the work that went into earning their freedom, the author explores the painful and heartbreaking reality of war and the reason many took up the fight to begin with.

A powerfully written book, author Keith N. Corman does an excellent job of creating a short read that packs a punch. Written to highlight the personal consequences war has on families, friends, neighbors and loved ones while the soldiers are fighting on the front lines, this book showcases how even after all these centuries, war still impacts us just as hard today and the families of those brave soldiers as much as it did back then. This book is an honest collection of historically accurate stories which reflect on the nature of life in general for families in the North and South, the cost of war on a personal level, and the various ways everyone viewed the events of the war.

Scourged Souls is a book for those who enjoys military and historical fiction, books talking about the American Civil War and emotional and heartbreaking stories of the affect war has on people both in battle and at home. As a fan of historical fiction, it was insightful and engaging to read the stories of the Civil War from a completely fresh and new perspective, exploring a group of people that are often overlooked as the focus of the infamous war focuses primarily on those on the battlefields.

This was a powerful and well written work that everyone should read. While a fairly quick novel to read, it is completely engrossing and engaging throughout. A wonderful cast of characters within each story makes this book feel personal and real, and does an amazing job of relaying the way events like the Civil War shaped the lives of so many away from the battlefields as well. Be sure to grab your copy of Scourged Souls by Keith N. Corman today!