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Post by sirsteve on Sept 23, 2021 21:23:57 GMT
Just started this... Looking forward to reading his latest work, but I’ll wait a while until the paperback version emerges in about six months time 😉 P It's a big book so I can see why but my aging eyes prefer the more spaced typesetting. 😂
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Post by gregorius on Sept 23, 2021 23:25:06 GMT
Just started this... Hopefully it's available for Kindle. And thanks for the heads up. Cheers,
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Post by macbeth on Sept 26, 2021 22:52:27 GMT
Over the past couple of weeks I have finished the first two books of Richard Denham and M J Trow's "Britannia" series - "The Wall" and "The Watchmen" alongside the Companion to the series.
I quite like the story, there are a few moments where suspension of disbelief is hard, and the characters sometimes act in ways that are hard to predict, but the author has managed to skilfully give the impression that no character is safe, and main characters have died suddenly and without build up.
I am now about halfway through the final book "The Warlords"
The series is inspiring me to build up the armies involved in the Barbarian Conspiracy
Cheers
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Post by macbeth on Sept 27, 2021 22:34:13 GMT
This morning I started "The Three Paradises" - No. 2 in Robert Fabbri's "Alexander's Legacy" series.
Cheers
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Post by timurilank on Sept 30, 2021 20:25:37 GMT
Reading Gaiseric by Ian Hughes.
The first few chapters are inspiring enough to add a few scenarios to the Migration to Kingdom thread.
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Post by sirsteve on Oct 1, 2021 22:14:34 GMT
Not currently reading but read a few weeks ago. An interesting book on the mysterious battle that most people have forgotten.
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Post by macbeth on Oct 2, 2021 11:12:17 GMT
This morning I polished off "The Three Paradises" an excellent novelisation of the early Successor period.
For a change of pace I have now started "Congo Blue" by Mike Lunnon-Wood. A very long time ago (approx 20 years) I saw one of his books that was about fighting in Belize, but forgot the author and title, and never picked it up. Recently I stumbled across it again and ordered it and two loosely connected books. 'Congo Blue' is one.
Cheers
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Post by Cromwell on Oct 3, 2021 8:17:52 GMT
About half way through "The Republic of Pirates" by Colin Woodard. A fascinating history of piracy during the golden age of pirates.
It is inspiring me to create a pirate crew in 28mm. I am going to base the crew around that of Edward Thatch (Sometimes Teach) better known as Blackbeard.
I was fascinated to read that Blackbeard and his crew captured around 300 ships during their career but research around ships logs and eyewitness accounts shows that no lives were lost among the crews or passengers of those ships that he took. Apparently ships surrendered on the Pirates approach as Blackbeard was the ultimate spin doctor and had the word spread that he was a ruthless cutthroat and his crew the same. On approaching a merchant ship his crew would line the ships side waving boarding pikes, cutlasses, grenades and muskets, firing off shots and discharging cannon. (Never at the merchant ship, did not want to damage it). Blackbeard wove matchcord into his hair and beard setting them alight so his head was wreathed in smoke and sparks! The ship immediately surrendered and then found their attackers were reasonably affable! The captured ship, once looted was usually returned to the it's Captain or if the pirates wanted it they may give the captain a ship from their fleet that they no longer had use for.
Blackbeard's Boatswain was a chap called Israel Hands who Robert Louis Stevenson immortalized as one of the pirates in his book "Treasure Island".
I am going to model the crew as it was in 1717. Then create a force of naval personnel to fight them!
Another lead mountain looming!
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Post by Cromwell on Oct 3, 2021 8:21:46 GMT
Also the pirates picked up a great many extra crew members from the ships they captured. The reason being life and conditions on a pirate vessel were better than the merchant service. Better pay, better food, compensation if injured, pension if incapacitated and the pirate ships were run democratically. Don't like your captain, just vote him off the job and elect a new one!
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Post by timurilank on Oct 8, 2021 17:18:23 GMT
Finished reading Gaiseric by Ian Hughes. Well detailed and rich with source material, this took nearly a week to finish reading.
Started Bohemond of Taranto by Georgios Theotokis.
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Post by greedo on Oct 8, 2021 18:31:06 GMT
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Post by gregorius on Oct 8, 2021 22:35:40 GMT
Greedo, ive read his Legion versus Phalanx and found it quite engaging. I'd be interested in reading your thoughts on his take on the Spartans. Cheers,
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Post by macbeth on Oct 10, 2021 22:06:27 GMT
I finished 'Congo Blue' last week and then picked up the expansion to Lion Rampant - 'The Crusader States' by Daniel Mersey and Gianluca Raccagni
Both were excellent reads
Now I have just started "King's Shilling" by Mike Lunnon-Wood - another in his British Military series - this one is set in Liberia.
Cheers
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Post by gregorius on Oct 10, 2021 22:20:38 GMT
After a hiatus with regard to reading, I've started on the 2nd installment of the Titus Chronicles by R.W. Peake. In this series Peake has skipped half a millennium plus, and numerous generations of the Titus dynasty, to locate the action in Anglo-Saxon England during the reign of Alfred the Great. Once again, a rollicking good read.
Cheers,
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Post by greedo on Oct 11, 2021 16:37:17 GMT
Finished reading The Tragedy of the Templars: The Rise and Fall of the Crusader States, by Michael Haag. Very interesting reading about the Templars, Hospitalers, and the various Crusades & Crusaders, into the Holy land, as well as the various factions that fought against them. Saladin, the Malmuks, Turks etc. Fascinating. I actually started reading it because I'm getting into the game Saga, but can see how it is applicable to DBA
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