A gritty, hopeful journey across Civil War America
Blueland captures the courage, survival, and loyalty of those who fought and endured through one of America’s toughest and most defining periods.
Told largely through dialogue and featuring an extensive cast, this story explores the devastating cost of war; the fight against injustice, including antisemitism and racism; and the power of friendship and family.
Author Robert Jaxx opens this story in July 1862, with a weary Captain Alden Zur and his band of Rangers preparing for a reconnaissance mission that could very well be a suicide mission. After a narrow escape, the group survives to fight another day and eventually makes it to the end. But the end of the conflict doesn’t mark the end of the war. Instead, it becomes the beginning of several new battles as a divided nation struggles to move forward.
Refusing to continue fighting and ready to leave his war days behind, Alden and his crew eventually set out to build a new life on the American frontier, Blueland, Colorado. But the scars of battle run deep, and the fight for justice, belonging, and hope is far from over.
From daring rescues to the struggles on the wagon train and the promise of the West, their journey is shaped by love, loss, loyalty, and the struggle to build something new from the ruins of war.
Blueland is deeply rooted in history, bringing the aftermath of the Civil War to life through the people left behind to pick up the pieces. It’s serious but somehow light at the same time. While the novel doesn’t hold back on the atrocities, hatred, greed, and gruesome deaths of the time (it can get a bit graphic), it does balance out the heaviness of its themes with witty dialogues among the characters, the brotherhood between the Rangers, acts of kindness, and love. In a way, the story reminds us that even in the most troubled times, hope isn’t completely lost.
Blueland’s cast of characters is also expansive, with the story exploring different peoples’ perspectives and jumping through different points in time and locations to move the story forward. While this keeps the pace brisk and engaging, the constant shifts can get confusing at times. It’s almost natural to lose track of where the story had been the last time you were reading or who had been telling it.
On the other hand, the multiple perspectives give Blueland a much-needed broad view. We get to see how Aldren, his family, his fellow soldiers, and even children are affected by the war and how they each try to find their place. Their experiences are different, but they are all dealing with the same question of what comes next. The Civil War may be over, but for many of these characters, rebuilding their lives becomes its own kind of struggle.
Balancing the violence, injustice, and loss with loyalty, friendship, compassion, and love, Blueland is a moving piece of historical fiction.
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