Nobility played a large part in the Civil War, and that image of fighting for your country's independence is what opens J.D.R. Hawkins' novel "A Beckoning Hellfire." Focused on a young man in a divisive atmosphere, "Hellfire" is a solid tale of what happens when doing the right thing meets bloody reality.

David Summers is one of thousands of Southeners driven to enlist, desiring pure vengeance following his father's death at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Leaving his home state of Alabama he enlists in the cavalry, joining an offensive riding all the way to Pennsylvania to strike at the Union's heart. But the long journey, punctuated with absolutely vicious battles, soon strip him of his optimism and leave him hoping only to survive what comes next.

Hawkins does an excellent job of portraying David's emotions, showing everything a young soldier would experience on his first tour. The thrill of seeing a camp of soldiers is soon followed by surprise at how disorderly they seem, and a gradual comfort as he joins their games. The drive to kill invading Yankees goes away quickly, replaced with numbness over taking lives and rage at losing more friends after each clash.

David has to learn the difference between ideals and reality quickly, and "Hellfire" is set up to portray that. Events happen at a quick pace, beginning with a train ride out of Alabama and moving through soldiers training and looting. There's little long-term calm, as on one page David is praised by Robert E. Lee himself and on the next is swept up in a Yankee ambush. The writing paces the story perfectly, with no out-of-character hyperbole or brooding.

Although David emphasizes his boredom regularly and the battles cover only a couple pages apiece, Hawkins doesn't skimp on details. Several scenes keep "Hellfire" interesting, such as Northern and Southern soldiers dueling with songs across a river and David discovering his patrol placed him in a bone-strewn battlefield. A particularly vivid image comes when David hurls a Christmas tree outside and lights it on fire, a gesture of grief and rage foreshadowing what is to come.