I found 1906 enthralling from beginning to end. San Francisco, at the time of the historic earthquake was in the grip of one of the most corrupt political machines we have ever seen in this country. James D’Alessandro’s novel is as much about the efforts of brave citizens to end this corruption as it is […]
Book Review: Total War. Destroy Carthage by David Gibbons
October 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I knew I was in trouble when I read the dramatis personae of this book and found that Scipio Aemilianus was married to a fictional person named Claudia Pulchra (or Pulchradina, as the author puts it.) It is well known that Scipio Aemilianus was married to Sempronia Graccha, the daughter of Cornelia the Mother of […]
Book Review: On Writing, By Steven King
August 31, 2013 By 1 Comment
I must confess that I’ve never read a novel by Steven King, nor have I ever seen a movie based on one of his works. Horror is just not my preferred genre. I did, however, find On Writing a helpful and engaging read, abounding in humor and sound advice. For example: “Pace is the speed […]
Book Review: Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
July 23, 2013 By 1 Comment
Reza Aslan is from a moderate Islamic family who fled Iran after the overthrow of the Shaw. He converted to Christianity at the age of fifteen. Is he still a Christian? He says “The bedrock of evangelical Christianity, at least as it was taught to me, is the unconditional belief that every word of the […]
Book Review: Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
July 16, 2013 By 2 Comments
Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is an intriguing look at one of history’s most enigmatic characters, Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra VII Philopator of Egypt and Marc Anthony. Cleopatra Selene may have been the only one of Cleopatra’s four children to survive into adulthood. Born along with a twin brother, Alexander Helios […]
Book Review: Hannibal: A History of the Art of War by Theodore Ayrault Dodge
July 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Theodore Ayrault Dodge was a military historian who was born in 1842 and died in 1909. He fought as a Union officer in the American Civil War and wrote a number of biographies of history’s most famous generals, including Alexander the Great, Hannibal Barca, Julius Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte. In […]
Book Review: When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
July 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment
When Christ and His Saints Slept, by Sharon Kay Penman, is one of the most magnificent works of historical fiction I’ve ever read. It spans a period of approximately fifty-five years, from the early childhood of King Stephen to the succession of Henry the Second to the throne of England. Penman’s narrative is lively and […]
Book Review:For the Love of Ireland by Judy Lelsie
June 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Much like the union between England and Ireland, the marriage of Margaret Sullivan and Alexander Sullivan was the proverbial “marriage made in Hell.” Margaret is a feisty and independent woman who defies the conventions of the late 19th century by having a career as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. She married Alex with the […]
Book Review: Rocha’s Treasure of Potosi
May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Rocha’s Treasure of Potosi tells the story of two men from very different cultures whose paths cross and who become indispensable to each other. Kenwa is a Watusi from Africa, a large and powerful man. He is captured by Portuguese slave traders and brutally transported to South America, ending up in Potosi and forced to […]
Book Review: Caesar’s Ambassador by Alex Johnston
I loved this book. Historical fiction as comedy. A belly laugh on every page. Caesar’s Ambassador is narrated by Marcus Mettius, who serves as ambassador along with Gaius Valerius Troucillus to the German chieftain Ariovistus. “I don’t know why you’re so worried, Marcus. Everybody knows that harassing ambassadors is against the rules. Anyway we treated […]