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Post by macbeth on Jun 14, 2017 23:52:53 GMT
Yesterday I finished "A Brief History of Khubilai Khan" and really enjoyed it. So while watching the younger of my (not so) little warbands at Gymnastics last night I started one in a similar vein. Bamber Gascoigne's "A Brief History of the Dynasties of China"
I am just shy of halfway through.
Cheers
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Post by paulisper on Jun 15, 2017 12:10:41 GMT
Yesterday I finished "A Brief History of Khubilai Khan" and really enjoyed it. So while watching the younger of my (not so) little warbands at Gymnastics last night I started one in a similar vein. Bamber Gascoigne's "A Brief History of the Dynasties of China" I am just shy of halfway through. Cheers Read this last year and it's a nice, readable overview of all the key periods and players 👍 P
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Post by medievalthomas on Jun 16, 2017 16:45:57 GMT
Have finished Hugh Bicheno's Battle Royal and just starting the second volume Blood Royal.
Good history of the War of the Roses with excellent coverage of the battles. Bit deep on genology but with plenty of tables to help.
TomT
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Post by macbeth on Jun 19, 2017 4:36:03 GMT
I am keeping on with the Brief Histories theme. After finishing "A Brief History of the Dynasties of China" early on Saturday Morning, I picked up Cecil Jenkins "A Brief History of France: People, History and Culture". I am about a third of the way through and so far it is an engaging read.
I also read the fourth of Stewart Cowley's "Terran Trade Authourity Handbooks" - "Starliners" published way back in 1980. Cowley took pages of SciFi Artwork and wove a narrative around them. The first book was written as if a textbook on spacecraft (not unlike all the books on tanks and warplanes I owned), whilst the next two were written as short stories about space battles (book 2) and spacewrecks (book 3) - I bought the first three books when I was in junior high school and devoured them. Only recently I trolled the internet and discovered that 1) There was a roleplaying game created based on the books - which I ordered and received mid last year 2) There was a fourth book I was unaware of. Starliners, which follows the format of the first book, but focusses on commercial shipping companies. I finally weakened and ordered a secondhand copy when the price came down to reasonable levels.
It was not a bad read, but as I went through I had memory cues, and indeed a quick check of the older books kicked up some anachronisms - with worlds being settled much later according to the earlier books, and no mention of important incidents with respect to certain worlds in Starliners.
Still - having fulfilled the obsessive need to collect all the books I am happy.
cheers
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Post by martini on Jun 19, 2017 20:37:45 GMT
Just finished reading Rage of Ares by Christian Cameron. This is the 6th (and probably last) novel in his Long War series and focuses mainly on the battle of Plataea in 479BC. I enjoyed most of it - I skipped over some of the musings on domestic 'trivia'. I've enjoyed the whole series, which covers the life and mixed fortunes of Arimnestos, a citizen of Plataea who starts off as a fairly humble chap and becomes a hoplite, slave, pirate, 'killer of men', navarch of a small fleet and fights at Marathon, Lades, Salamis and Plataea and many smaller actions. I particularly like this series because hoplites are my favourite troop type.
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Post by Berthier on Jun 20, 2017 0:50:28 GMT
Currently reading about the 1st Crusade. In fact, three books at once: In the Image of Their God by Merlin Douglas Larsen, Son of Blood by Jack Ludlow and Gaeta Tancredi. I picked up Larsen's book back when it was a free download from his website and never got around to reading it. I will say it is a good read. I started reading Ludlow's Conquest trilogy when they first came out and love the way he weaves the story of the Norman conquest of Southern Italy. Once I finish Son of Blood, I will start Soldier of Crusade.
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Post by macbeth on Jun 25, 2017 23:31:45 GMT
Last week I finished off "A Breif History of France" and then picked up Gillian Bradshaw's "Island of Ghosts". This was a great first person novel of Sarmatian Cavalry arriving in Britain and adjusting to the Empire.
I finished that book over the weekend. This morning I have started reading Michael Jones' "After Hitler: The Last Days of the Second World War in Europe"
Cheers
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Post by macbeth on Jun 29, 2017 3:23:42 GMT
Today I finished "After Hitler". I am hoping that when I get home tonight I will have the third instalment of Giles Kristian's "Rise of Sigurd" series waiting for me.
However if "Wings of the Storm" is not there on the doorstep then I will dive into the new arrivals from Henry Venmore-Rowland - two books set during the year of 4 emperors.
Cheers
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Post by martini on Jul 2, 2017 15:34:38 GMT
Just finished The Flame Bearer, latest volume in The Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell. Wont say much for fear of spoiling it for other readers. Suffice to say that I really like this series and The Flame Bearer did not disappoint.
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Post by macbeth on Jul 2, 2017 23:43:20 GMT
So having taken Friday off work and with Wf(X) and the (not so) little Warbands off in Brisbane for the week I settled down to read Henry Venmore-Rowlands two books set during the Year of Four Emperors. These were excellent stories - covering this period from a different angle to the other offerings about this subject. Most series on this period have their main character very quickly finish up in Vespasian's camp so that they are in at the final triumph (Manda Scott and Douglas Jackson). Likewise if Simon Scarrow and Robert Fabbri extend their series long enough we will have those characters in the 69AD civil war action and probably on Vespasian's side (definitely in the case of Fabbri ) Venmore-Rowland's hero (Aulus Caecina Severus) is based on a historical figure who was central to the events in 69AD and seemed to have the knack for picking the right side at each turn. He led Vitellus' army out to meet Vespasian's vanguard where he tried to switch sides just before the battle and was imprisoned by his men. (I remember reading this event in Jackson's series as well). After knocking over both books in the course of the weekend I wondered about the fact that here were two excellent works published a year apart, but nothing since in the last 3 years. The web soon pointed me to his facebook page, and apparently he has thrown himself into screenwriting which he prefers Pity as I would love to see more from this author Next on my list is the latest in Elliot Patison's series about a disgraced Chinese investigator in modern Tibet. "The Skeleton God" has been excellent so far. Cheers
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Post by macbeth on Jul 4, 2017 7:31:27 GMT
On a roll - today I finished off "Skeleton God" and it was a great read. Pattison's series is bleak and grim but very engaging. This was the 9th book in the series and they do seem to be getting better
Cheers
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Post by gregorius on Jul 4, 2017 23:36:04 GMT
I've just started on Christian Cameron's HYW trilogy. He seems to be using the same narration device that he used in his Persian Wars saga. Cheers,
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Post by macbeth on Jul 5, 2017 4:26:59 GMT
Last night I started on "The Welsh Kings" by Kari Maund - a short narrative history of the various Welsh rulers. At the moment we are blundering through the early years (5th-9th Century) and it is of course peppered with references to having a lack of reliable sources.
Her commentary on royal genealogies is quite interesting though
Cheers
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Post by Cromwell on Jul 6, 2017 6:51:25 GMT
Just about to start "Cromwells War Machine' by Keith Roberts. It is a study of how the New Model Army was raised, trained, organised and used.
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Post by martin on Jul 6, 2017 7:03:08 GMT
Just about to start "Cromwells War Machine' by Keith Roberts. It is a study of how the New Model Army was raised, trained, organised and used. Written with a little insider info from yourself, Mr Cromwell ?? Martin
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