Often, in my experience, historical novels are too much fish or too much fowl, too many facts or too many fictions. Poniske does a fine job of keeping the story, the characters, the action moving while setting it all within the realities of the American Civil War. His people seem as real as their times. Their conversations, ruminations and even their reflections ring true. When pressed, they can carry you right out onto the battlefield, swords swinging, making you wonder if your own eyes are red from the smoke.

A lot of people can write villains in drastic situations but writing decent folks caught up in complicated events takes a deft touch. Poniske's characters are subtle, human, capable of error or even great wrongs. They are also recognizable as us.

He avoids those devils of historical novels, anachronistic behaviors and motives, while still making you care, making you cross your fingers and dragging you right smack dab into some of the most hair raising times in American history.

This is an outstanding story, solid and sound history, and a grand read.

Please tell me Book 2 is coming soon!

OK, full disclosure. Yes, I bought the book. Yes, for fifteen years I taught in the classroom next to John—the cool teacher—while I was, at my best, the teacher next to the cool teacher. Yet, professional jealousy aside, this is still an objective review: Buy the book. Say, “cool,” when you discover John’s ear for dialog and detail—all the while dealing honestly with both the difficult and the inspiring. Say, “Why, that rascal!” when you discover how many bits of primary source documents John has slipped past your defenses—while you were completely engrossed in the story/description/characters. Say, “Guess what I just learned!” when you recount events from the book to impress your rich uncle who once thought you a dolt. Say, “Wow!” then read another chapter and repeat. Say, “When?” as you wait for the next in the series. But you can’t do any of this until you buy the book and recommend it to your friends who will then praise your erudite insight. Honestly, the history is impeccable, the storytelling masterful, the issues germane and timely. Discover why John’s still the cool one. Buy the book.

It is refreshing to find a series on the Civil War that starts before the bombardment of Fort Sumter. This one not only does that but also adds in stories of the Irish coming across the Atlantic (in this case a young woman and a priest traveling on a ship aptly named Hibernian), as well as those who farmed the east and those who trekked west. These devices allow the author to put his characters as eyewitnesses to John Brown's trial, Lincoln's "speechifying" as he runs for president and the contentious and highly-charged Democratic National Convention in Charleston, which occurred prophetically exactly a year before the soldiers of that city turned their guns on the federal fort in their harbor. The book, however, is not all "big picture." On the contrary, the author gives equal time to day-to-day life in the quarter-century leading up to the war. The one such event that will surely stick in the minds of most readers is the chapter on "Frog Giggin'" (no spoilers here - go read the book).

"Snakebit" is a strong, intriguing introduction to what promises to be a stellar and very human journey into the darkest period of our history.

In his novel, Fire-Eaters, author John Poniske has navigated the difficult path of placing the large-scale national issues of the Civil War Era within the context of every day citizens. Full of local and regional perspectives this novel examines the conflicts and dilemmas of common people attempting to make sense of the complexities of life in the time period. Historically accurate and thought provoking this work places the reader in a position to question how they would react to similar circumstances. The characters are well developed and elicit strong responses from the reader. This historical novel is easy reading and holds the attention of the reader.

Darwin Seiler

Retired Social Studies Teacher

Historian Monterey Battlefield Park and Museum

As much as I enjoyed the first book in this series, I found the second even better - at least from my perspective. As someone who went to military school (we wore blue, not gray, thankfully) I could relate to the Citadel cadets at Fort Sumter and, like John, I am also a wargame designer, and I could see how he drew upon that for the Philippi Races to make that rarely featured battle come alive in my mind. And, like John and I, those of us who wore the uniform are well-acquainted with officers cut from the same sorry cloth as General Benjamin Butler. John's fictional and historical figures do leap from the page. Can't wait to see the hurdles he puts in their way in book 3.

Mark Mclaughlin

Free-lance Journalist, military historian

Author historical fiction Throne of Darius and Princess of Persia

What we learn about American history in grades K-12 is, by necessity, limited because the available time, teachers and other resources need to be shared by many other imperative courses like math, science, literature and more. So much to learn, so little time. Often the details of the past that we miss are critical to illuminate the big picture – to recognize all the diversity and debate that were an integral part of the significant events of our country’s history. John Poniske has clearly invested countless hours to research those additional stories and present them to the reader in his series, Snakebit, meticulously and successfully filling in the gaps and rounding out our view of past events. His use of dialog and situation make the past come alive and transcend the traditional “textbook” approach to reveal the past and, in turn, help us to better comprehend the present. I encourage you to treat yourself to this extensive and enlightening trip back in time

Maxine Beck , Retired English Teacher

Co-author of the historical fiction series, The Royers of Renfrew