To be up front about it, this is the sort of book you approach like a graduate student, in that you read the introduction, the first chapter, and the conclusions, before skimming through the rest of the work. Having thus damned the author with faint praise, I'll also say that I'd rather read a dispassionate dissection of a disaster, rather than some jingoistic "what if" exercise. That's the thing with the Quebec expedition, it was an ill-advised adventure that shouldn't have been attempted, but which came within a hair of military success. However, for the invasion to have real staying power, Anderson argues that it would have been necessary to have immediately followed up with the political organization to take advantage of the situation, and that was not forthcoming. I'll also say that the author has written more about this theater of the war, "Down the Warpath to the Cedars" (Oklahoma, 2021), and I'm looking forward to reading that at some point. ( )

Not many people remember what a large part the Canadian campaign played during the Revolutionary War. This book is the author's attempt to argue that this was more than just an invasion, but was seen by Americans as an attempt at liberation. The full account of what happened, and the ultimate failure of the campaign, his a highly complex set of events and characters which Mark Anderson captures in full detail. While the book is certainly one for any Revolutionary War history buff book shelf, it is a bit dry and very academic through much of it. This makes the book a bit tough for the average casual reader, but the details of events contained within those pages makes it a rewarding read regardless. ( )