I can live with the Rosato brothers being around in the early days, because there's no rule that they should be completely reminiscent to the Gallo brothers, whom they are based on. Afterall, The Godfather has its own universe. I also don't have a problem with the war being set a year later than in the original novel. Remember that Clemenza says in film that the last war took place ten years earlier.

But I can't deny that I also have the impression that this story was written too hastily, based on the many discrepancies. But then again, the original novel and even the films also have many discrepancies, which we are all more than aware of.

The good thing about this novel is that's its much more a novel like the original than the Winegardner stuff. It's much more true to the original novel and the films and is therefore a nice addition. The portrayal of the main characters, like Vito, Sonny and the rest of the family is well done. They all act and behave authentically, based upon their behaviour and personality as seen in the films. I especially liked the story of Sonny and Sandra, which was excellent and very realistic. I very much enjoyed that part. So for that I give Falco a big plus.

But this novel also has too much of an introduction and too less of an ending. IMO, a little too much of the story is focussed on the Irish, and too less on the actual war between the Corleones and Maranzano/Mariposa, which was something that I think this novel was supposed to be about. In the original novel the war went on for six months, while in this novel it only went on for a couple of weeks. So in that perspective, the story lacks information and it leaves many questions unanswered. I'm a little disappointed in the fact that there's no mention of Hyman Roth, Moe Greene or Murder Inc., which was at its height in the mid 1930s.

The story overall is decent, but as of this moment it's not completely fulfiling. I hope that Falco makes some changes in a next edition based on our feedback.