How to Dodge a Cannonball by Dennard Dayle is certainly ambitious—part satire, part absurdist comedy, part reimagining of Civil War history. The premise is bold, and there are moments where the humor cuts sharply, exposing uncomfortable truths about war, identity, and the contradictions of America.

Unfortunately, the execution didn’t fully work for me. The satire often leaned into chaos and shock value rather than building a coherent narrative, making it difficult to stay invested in Anders’s journey. While some of the characters were colorful, many felt more like caricatures than fully realized people, which dulled the emotional impact. The humor also felt uneven—sometimes biting and clever, other times overdone to the point of distraction.

Overall, How to Dodge a Cannonball is provocative and unique, but it was more exhausting than entertaining. Readers who enjoy sharp, chaotic satire may find more to love, but for me, the story’s ambition outweighed its execution.

⭐️⭐️ It was OK, I can see why some loved it
I really couldn't get into the story. The funny moments were good and I did chuckle a little, it just wasn't for me. At times I was engaged in the characters and their outcomes, but overall, I just powered through it to finish and be able to review it.

The narrator, William DeMeritt, did a good job, I had no trouble understanding who was saying what, where, when, with what expression/intension.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and author Dennard Dayle for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. How to Dodge a Cannonball is out June 17, 2025.

This book had a very rough start and ended up being pretty boring overall. While there were a few genuinely funny moments, it leaned way too hard into satire. The characters were mostly unlikable and often just plain dumb. Anders(the mc) in particular was incredibly annoying. Some jokes dragged on way too long, like the repeated "when can I touch someone's butt?" bit. On top of that, the accents were distracting and cringey rather than adding anything useful.

This book is satire, and honestly, just wasn’t for me. I think it was well-written and very well narrated, but the character development was poor. The reader for the audiobook was excellent, made the story feel alive.

This book was strange and interesting at the same time. I randomly picked it out as something different to listen to, and wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed the narrator.

While I cannot say I am adept when it comes to either civil war books or satire, I cannot imagine a better combination exists than what Dennard Dayle provides us with. How to Dodge a Cannonball follows young Anders, a fool, as he crosses battle lines multiple times to eventually become the white flag bearer in an all-black regiment. It is not some shining light of idealism that leads him here but a survivor's instincts of making it to the next day. His main passion is not emancipation or preservation of the union, but the artistry of flag-twirling. These survivor's instincts lead Anders further north and then ultimately west and to a truly unexpected group; Catholic zealots trying to use the shadow of the civil war to prop up a new American monarchy. Along the way, Dayle provides some laugh-out-loud but deeply uncomfortable laughs at the state of our shattered union.

Narration is impeccable and adds gravitas and joy to every part of the story.

I had to abandon this book early on as the use of language was too vulgar for me. I wanted to like story and originally rooted for the main character, but couldn't get past the casual use of some of the slang.

How to Dodge a Cannonball relies heavily on flag twirling, theater, and timely defecting in this farce of the absurdity of war, set in the not-so Civil one. The early days of science fiction, codebreaking, and many other novelties get fleshed out as part of some inventive shenanigans.

That was a ride, and definately satire, and I'm really not sure what else to say. If you don't like satire, or if you don't like satire with a sense of humor, then you would not want to read this book, but I also would not want to be stuck having to talk to you in any context.

Darkly funny and razor sharp, How to Dodge a Cannonball is a satirical story about a man who defects from the Southern cause to join the Negro regiment in the Union army.

The narration was fantastic and I would highly recommend that version but a note to the listener that there is some very explicit language and I feel like that wouldn't have taken me by surprise in the same way on the page.

I feel like this would be the perfect read for fans of Mel Books, dark, disturbing, but still whacky and all over the place with a lot to say. I'm not sure it totally landed for me but for the right reader, I feel that How to Dodge a Cannonball will be a breath of fresh air.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

How to Dodge a Cannonball is a sharp, creative historical fiction novel.

I enjoyed parts of this one, but it unfortunately fell flat for me. The characters were interesting and vivid, but I found it difficult to connect to Anders. The plot was intriguing, and the story’s American Civil War setting was immersive. I loved the incorporation of theater. The pacing felt rushed at times, and I found it difficult to connect to the story's humor. Dennard Dyle’s prose was lovely, and it fit the story nicely. I would recommend this one to readers who’ve had their eye on it.

William DeMeritt was a great narrator for this one. His voice and accents fit the characters and emotion of the story well, and he made the experience wonderfully atmospheric. That said, I often longed to see the page in front of me as I read (particularly during the one-act play).

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Thanks to @MacmillanAudio and NetGalley for the advance listener copy of How to Dodge a Cannonball by Dennard Dayle! This audiobook was outstanding. The narrator was phenomenal—I usually speed up audiobooks to 1.75x or 2x, but this was the first one I could enjoy at regular speed. He delivered each character’s voice with clarity and nuance, making the listening experience truly immersive.

The book itself is a wild, thoughtful, and often contradictory journey—sad, tragic, hilarious, irreverent, and unexpectedly hopeful. Dayle takes on weighty subjects like civil war, slavery, death, and systemic racism, but he approaches them with sharp satire and a unique voice that somehow manages to balance levity with serious reflection.

I loved the shifting perspectives, along with the use of journal entries and quotes—it gave the story richness and depth. This book isn't easy to categorize, but it’s exactly that complexity that makes it memorable. A smart, original work that isn’t afraid to take risks.

I really wanted to enjoy *How to Dodge a Cannonball* by Dennard Dayle, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. While I did get a laugh or two out of the satirical humor, the book mostly felt like it was being silly just for the sake of being silly. Instead of clever or meaningful absurdity, it often came across as random and pointless, which made it hard for me to stay engaged. I’ve read worse books, which is why I’m giving it 2 stars instead of 1, but overall, I found it more frustrating than funny. If you’re looking for satire with a bit more substance or payoff, I’d look elsewhere.

I will say, however, that if you go into blind like I did, it may help to know that the author is a POC. I didn't realize that going into it, and I was really turned off by the prolific and joyful use of the 'n' word. Thinking the book was written by a white person really just made it feel like the author was super excited to be writing about a time period where he could use that word and not get canceled. Ha. (Seriously, I wasn't kidding when I said "prolific and joyful use," as that's exactly how it reads all ten million times it's used.)

Finding out the author was black put a new spin on that that made it less grating and cringeworthy. Still, overall, this book just was not the one for me.

<u><b>How to Dodge a Cannonball</b></u>
Dennard Dayle
Narrated by: William DeMeritt
Release Date: June 17, 2025

ALC courtesy of MacMillan Audio and NetGalley.

Irreverent satire about the civil war, following the main character, Anders’, adventures defecting from the Confederate army to the Union. The humor is quick, and sometimes genuinely funny. Overall, however, I thought it was absurd and exaggerated – a slapstick in novel form. I am sure quite a few people will enjoy this type of comedy, however it was not for me. Neither did I find myself bonding or even liking any of the characters, all of whom were fairly one-dimensional.

2.5 stars rounded up

This book was a complete surprise in a great way. I am a fan of John Scalzi and this book was very much along that same vein.

The narrator was quite good. Very animated. Loved all the different voices.

(3.75 Stars)

This was one of those books that makes you think... and maybe your internal story makes you like the book better than you would if you only based it on the writing. I don't know if that makes sense or not. But as I was reading this story, I found myself thinking about American history, and how truly messed up it is when it comes to people treating people ... well, like people.

This is a satirical look at race in America, about exceptional people compared to American exceptionalism, and about double-standards, among other things.

One thing is for sure, either the author likes to use superfluous words, or maybe just archaic words that have fallen out of favor in the modern vernacular and have become obscure. What I mean to say is to have a dictionary handy, and use it because the words you'll need to look up are usually crucial plot elements and integral to the story arc.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I have to admit that I like his collection of short stories slightly better, but this was a solid story with great dialog and interesting concepts. I read the audiobook version and thought the narrator did a great job.

One thing you might want to remember, especially if you are "listening" to this book. The use of racist language is common and unabashed. We are talking the "hard-r" here.