What are you reading? - 2019, and beyond.

[Otto Harkaman]

Been reading a lot of WW2 Pacific stuff, needed a break so I saw there was an audio book of one of Andre Norton stories "Search for the Star Stones"

Murdock Jern and his mutant partner EET try with the help of a down on his luck Free-Trader pilot, to discover the source of the Star Stones with the Patrol and Thieves Guild in hot pursuit.

[stevemitchell]

The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Two foundational novels of science fiction, still very readable and entertaining.

The Cryptoterrestrials by Mac Tonnies. First, the Extraterrestrials tortured you. Then, the Ultraterrestrials terrified you. Now, meet the Cryptoterrestrials! The author explores the possibility that the UFO occupants come, not from another planet, not from another dimension, but from our very own Earth—possibly, from deep beneath the Earth. (Richard Shaver, thou are avenged!)

MacArthur at War by Walter R. Borneman. A detailed look at MacArthur’s campaigns in World War II. Personally, I think he should have been relieved of command after the loss of the Philippines, but that was not possible from a political standpoint. So, he retained his position—and went on to wage a successful campaign in New Guinea and then drive on to recapture the Philippines.

Green Tea and Other Ghost Stories by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. A compact collection of four Le Fanu novelettes, including the classic title story and two tales of deals with Mr. D.

B-Movies by Don Miller. This book covers low-budget Hollywood productions from about 1933 to 1945, including B-movies made by the “majors”—Paramount, Warners, Columbia, etc.—and films made by the independents, almost all of them of B-status—Monogram, PRC, and Republic. Very enjoyable, at least, if you are a film fan.

The Bushwhackers, This Gun Is Silent, and The Big Land by Frank Gruber. Three good novels by my favorite Western writer this side of Louis L’Amour.

Bloody Bill Anderson by Albert Castel and Thomas Goodrich. Bloody Bill was probably the most psychotic of the Confederate guerilla leaders operating out of Missouri. His short, murderous career is well documented here.

Night Winds by Karl Edward Wagner. Six stories and novelettes featuring the immortal swordsman Kane. Great sword-and-sorcery!

The Rise and Fall of Stalin by Robert Payne. Lengthy, well-written, and depressing—but then, what biography of Stalin is not depressing?

The Moonlit Road and Other Ghost and Horror Stories by Ambrose Bierce. Another “compact” collection of weird stories, part of the Dover Thrift edition line (like the Le Fanu volume cited above). The usual grim and sardonic fare from Bierce.

[rhialto]

Glad to see there are many of us in the midst of reading multiple things at the same time...in no particular order:

The Green Pearl by Jack Vance, in the lovely VIE edition. Always a treat to read Vance, learn new words and marvel at his logodexterity.
The Captive Mind by Czelsaw Milosz, a tough read that I can only do in small amounts.
The Adventures of Thunder Jim Wade by Henry Kuttner (though I'm not sure it counts, as I just finished it, and have the more recent pastiches by other authors queued up)
Many many gaming-related PDFs on my e-reader, all part of the ingredients for my-OD&D.

[geoffrey]

Earlier today I finished The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I was disappointed that it does not recount Hiawatha's defeat of the great bear of death with his bare hands (as mentioned and illustrated on page 14 of the AD&D Deities & Demigods Cyclopedia).

[Otto Harkaman]

"The Three Musketeers" Alexandre Dumas
"Memoirs of a Cavalier" Daniel Defoe

[terje]

The Beetle by Richard Marsh (in swedish translation).

[stevemitchell]

The Slayer of Souls by Robert W. Chambers. A late novel from the creator of the King in Yellow, somewhat in the vein of Sax Rohmer. Intrepid (and insipid) white men and women battle against a diabolical Bolshevik/Mongol/Yezidee plot to take over the world. Not so great.

Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce. Bierce was a veteran of the war and wrote some very interesting tales based on his experiences and observations. Excellent work.

Sicily ’43 by James Holland. A detailed history of the Allied invasion of Sicily, the beginning of the campaign against Hitler’s Fortress Europa. Told from the perspectives of the soldiers and commanders on both sides.

The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill. The first volume in Churchill’s history of World War II, covering the growing tensions of the pre-war years, and continuing on to the start of the war and Churchill’s rise to the office of Prime Minster. A good book, but too heavily laden with long excerpts from Churchill’s many reports and speeches.

The Discovery of King Arthur by Geoffrey Ashe. The author believes he has identified the historical prototype for King Arthur as one Riothamus, a British king who fought against the Goths in France in the late Fifth Century. Riothamus is attested to in a few sources and is likely to have been a real person; whether it was his exploits that gave rise to the legend of King Arthur seems doubtful to me. Still, a very interesting book on the historical period and the mystery that surrounds Arthur.

Rakossy by Cecelia Holland. A Hungarian warlord, his wife, and his brother fight to stem the Turkish invasion of Hungary in the 1520s. An excellent historical novel.

The Roman Revolution and The Fall of Rome by Nick Holmes. The first two volumes of a projected four-book series covering the decline and fall of the (Western) Roman Empire and the Roman continuance in the East as the Byzantine Empire.

Deadly Spaghetti by John LeMay. An informal survey of about 30 Spaghetti Westerns, some well known, some pretty obscure. A fun read.

Weird Talers by Bobby Derie. Essays on the various contributors to the Weird Tales pulp magazine, mostly focusing on Robert E. Howard and his relationships with the other writers.

The Book of Ptath by A. E. Van Vogt. An American soldier from 1944 is reborn as a god two hundred million years in the future. A rival goddess wants him dead and sends legions of warriors and monsters to destroy him. A rare excursion into fantasy from Mr. Van Vogt.

[rayotus]

THE WAGER

30% in. This is great! Jacket summary: A merchant ship refitted as a poor-man's Man-o-War heads off to harry the Spaniards. Turning the corner of South America it wrecks. One group of survivors shows up nearly a year later in Brazil, thousands of miles away, and are heralded for their endurance. Then a crew of surviving officers shows up in Chili and cries mutiny! The whole thing goes to court.

The hardcover is somehow cheaper than the pback: www.amazon.com/Wager-Tale-Shipwreck-Mutiny-Murder/dp/0385534264/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1695494994&sr=8-1

Oh, it's non-fiction. Told from combined first-hand accounts. Gripping narrative. 

[tdenmark]

My daughter is into anime and manga and she picked up this light novel. I remember liking the Lodoss War anime from the 90's, so decided to give it a read. It is an enjoyable easy to read YA novel. I'd put the writing somewhere around the level of the original Dragonlance novels. Not great literature, but fun.

If you're not familiar with Lodoss War, a Japanese manga artist based it on his D&D game. It is very classic red box style D&D.

[stevemitchell]

Trafalgar: Countdown to Battle by Alan Schom. This covers not only the great naval battle of 1805, but also the long campaign leading up to it, with fleet movements ranging from the Mediterranean over to the Caribbean and back again, along with the French preparations to invade England and the British plans to defend the country.

Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini. During the early days of the French Revolution, the illegitimate son of a French nobleman finds adventure and romance as a swordsman in the service of the Third Estate. One of the best historical novels by the creator of Captain Blood.

War on the Border by Jeff Guinn. Pancho Villa raids Arizona in 1916—and finds an entire American army in hot pursuit as he flees back across the border. A very readable history of a very odd incident in our national history.

The Man Called Noon by Louis L’Amour. An amnesiac man in the Old West tries to discover his true identity—and find out why so many people seem to want to kill him.

Mary Queen of Scots by Marjorie Bowen. A history of the unfortunate queen. Bowen tries to be even-handed in her assessment of Mary, but the facts do not emerge in Mary’s favor. Not the overly-romanticized version of Mary you get in some popular accounts.

The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson. They’re out there—or rather, in HERE. Here—in your mind—influencing your thoughts—feeding off your depression and despair. Fortunately, through the modern miracle of Phenomenology, a small band of geniuses discovers the hidden threat and works to combat it. Not quite as good as I remembered it from previous readings (Wilson is prone to long discursive sections, while the plot stands still), but an interesting read overall.

War Beneath the Sea: Submarine Conflict During World War II by Peter Padfield. The author concentrates on the submarine fleets of Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States. Clay Blair provides more extensive information on the Germans and Americans in his books, but as a one-volume overview of the submarine campaigns in the war, this is quite good.

Himmler by Peter Padfield. A hard book to finish, not because of the writing, but because of the subject matter. It’s still hard for me to fathom how an insignificant entity like Himmler could rise to such power and carry out such ghastly crimes.

Sex and the Cthuhu Mythos by Bobby Derie. More blasphemous than the Necronomicon? More shocking that the Unaussprechlichen Kulten? Well, not really, but it’s still an interesting survey of sexual elements in Lovecraft’s life and fiction, in the writings of his followers, and even in Lovecraftian-themed movies and comics. Basically, kids, sex is bad, especially if you are mating with Deep Ones, White Ape queens, or Yog-Sothoth.

The Master of Stair by Majorie Bowen. Plot and counter-plot, as William III usurps the throne of England and seeks to extend his power north into Scotland. Tragedy awaits at Glencoe—the infamous Glen o’Weeping. The author, a Williamite apologist, asserts “There was no massacre in Glencoe”—but history suggests otherwise. A vivid and colorful historical romance nonetheless.

[tdenmark]

Warriors of Llarn has been in my to read pile for a while. I'm finally getting into it. Currently about halfway through.

It isn't just inspired by A Princess of Mars, it is practically a clone with different names and a few things shifted around. At least so far that is what it is. I'm hoping it gets more original in the last half.

I hear the one sequel isn't very good.

One of my favorite Frazetta covers too.

[plethon]

The Last Unicorn, I liked this and it only took a couple of days to read

Castle Perilous, John DeChancie - this is a pretty good humorous fantasy novel about a mysterious & labyrinthine castle which connects to thousands of worlds and has ever shifting corridors and chambers. The Guests are all people who have wandered in in one way or another; the main character stumbled in while curiously trying to see how deep a parking garage was. The castle is currently under siege as well and each guest seems to manifest some unique magical power of varying strength

I also read a small book on the history of stockings and suspenders going back to the most ancient days. There was a 13th century depiction of Caspar and Melchior in thigh length stockings with suspenders which I enjoyed.

Next on my list are a book about the heraldry of the royal families of Europe; also, the new Anthony Grafton book Magus which I preordered is coming out this week, on the methods, knowledges produced, and social milieus of the 'learned magi' including Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, Johannes Trithemius, and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa

[raymond]

I think if you like the Three Musketeers by Dumas, then you will probably like the sequels and the Man in the Iron Mask.

[stevemitchell]

The Legacy of 1952: Year of the UFO by Bruce Maccabee. A look at the wave of flying saucer sightings in 1952, including the infamous Washington Flyovers. Something sure was buzzing around up there, although who can really say what it was?

Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope. Even by the leisurely and digressive standards of Victorian novels, this is a notably leisurely and digressive tale. Trollope introduces a large cast of characters, and then keeps introducing even more—they’re still showing up by page 150! They all come together—eventually—in a plot about a Contested Will (a favorite theme of Victorian fiction). Justice, of a sort, is done, and naturally there are several marriage engagements to make or break. I usually like Trollope’s novels (exceptions being Castle Richmond and Marion Fay), and I liked this one, but I really felt that he could have pushed his story on a little faster than he did.

The Children of Gla’aki by Ramsey Campbell and His Hoodlum Pals. Glaaki (or Gla’aki, if you prefer, but I don’t) was first introduced to a shuddering world in Ramsey Campbell’s tale “The Inhabitant of the Lake,” which also gave the title to his first short story collection. That story is reprinted here, along with a dozen or so new tales by other writers that reveal the further malign depredations of this singularly noxious Great Old One. Some great (and twisted) tales of terror; SAN loss guaranteed!

Time and Again by Clifford D. Simak. In the year 7990, humans rule the galaxy—a galaxy in which aliens, androids, and robots are treated as second-class citizens. But a human explorer returns from a 20-year mission in space, and the secret he brings with him sets the whole house of cards to falling. The three-faction time war doesn’t help matters, either. One of Simak’s best SF novels.

The Velikovsky Heresies by Laird Scranton. How have Immanuel Velikovsky’s theories (primarily from Worlds in Collision) held up over time? Not too badly, if you believe Mr. Scranton.

The Chillingly Weird Art of Matt Fox by Roger Hill. Fox was an illustrator for the pulp magazines, primarily Weird Tales, and then a comic book penciller and inker, chiefly for Atlas/Marvel. This welcome volume provides some details about his little-known life, and generous samplings of his artwork. Very nicely done.

Working with Ditko by Jack C. Harris. Jack Harris was a writer and editor at DC Comics, where he first began working with the legendary Steve Ditko. This memoir covers his many collaborations with Ditko, and presents a welcome positive image of the artist (who is sometimes critiqued as difficult to work with, with peculiar political views). Well worth reading if you are a comics or Ditko fan.

Mythology of the British Isles by Geoffrey Ashe. Drawing mostly on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, Ashe posits the existence of a national mythology for the British Isles, then examines (and as necessary refutes) that mythology from a historical standpoint.

Desert of the d**ned by Nelson Nye, Coffin Ranch by Walt Coburn, The First Fast Draw by Louis L’Amour. A trio of fairly typical Westerns. The L’Amour book is probably the best of the bunch.

Final Events by Nick Redfern. Mr. Redfern examines a CIA-linked group called the Collins Elite that began investigating UFOs back in the 1950s, and eventually came to the conclusion that the UFOs were coming—not from outer space, not from the future, not from another dimension—but from Hell itself! Pleasant and reassuring reading for late at night.

[stevemitchell]

The NASA Conspiracies by Nick Redfern. Mr. Redfern examines NASA’s supposed interest—official or otherwise—in such matters as UFOs, alien abductions, and the Face on Mars.

The Abyss by Max Hastings. A detailed and balanced history of the Cuban Missile Crisis. An excellent work.

Long Memories and Other Writings by Peter Cannon. Includes a memoir of Cannon’s relationship with writer Frank Belknap Long (and his difficult wife), a short novel in which H. P. Lovecraft and Long help Sherlock Holmes in the 1920s when Holmes come to America, and several other stories and essays having to do with Long in some form or fashion.

A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos by Peter Haefele. Part of an ongoing literary debate between Haefele and S. T. Joshi regarding August Derleth’s contributions (pro or con) to the Cthulhu Mythos. Hafele pro, Joshi con. If you haven’t read the previous installments (the two earlier editions of this title, and the two editions of Joshi’s The Rise and Fall of the Cthulhu Mythos/The Rise and Fall and Rise of the Cthulhu Mythos, then you may feel like you’ve been thrown into the deep end of the pool.

Flying Saucers of the Illuminati by Jim Keith. Another book suggesting that the UFOs (or at least, some of them) may have a terrestrial as opposed to an interplanetary origin.

The Horror at Oakdeene and Others by Brian Lumley. Lumley’s second collection of tales, originally published by Arkham House. A mix of Mythos and non-Mythos items. Concludes with the oft-reprinted “Born of the Winds,” featuring my old pal Ithaqua, the Wind-Walker.

Witches in Dreamland by David Barker and W. H. Pugmire. Several oddly matched individuals from Arkham, Massachusetts, and Sequa Valley, Washington, undertake various quests into Lovecraft’s Dreamlands—and beyond that, into the previously unsuspected Dreamlands of Witchery. Interesting as a series of strange little sketches, but not really satisfying as a novel-length narrative.

The Universe Maker by A. E. Van Vogt. A typical Van Vogt protagonist—confused, and somehow transported several centuries into the future—does some deep pondering on the Meaning of It All and discovers that he is, actually and by golly, the creator of the entire sidereal universe. One of Van Vogt’s oddest novels, but still rather intriguing.

Top Secret Alien Abduction Files by Nick Redfern. Another survey of UFOlogical and abduction issues, with an emphasis on the alleged MILAB second abductions that follow the alleged original alien abductions.

Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos edited by August Derleth and James Turner. Includes most of the stories from the original (Derleth) edition along with material added by Turner in the revised second edition. A good one-volume survey of the Mythos.

[Parzival]

GK Chesterton’s Manalive, which is surprisingly funny and more applicable to today than one might expected for a tale written a few years before WWI. Im in the midst of the “trial” of the central character, and it’s a great send up of pompous intellectuals who can’t see the world around them for their own certainty of their own genius. Great stuff. I also recently finished a collection of his lesser known Horne Fisher mysteries, which was also enjoyable.

[plethon]

Hadrian the Seventh by Frederick Rolfe - A hack writer and rejected candidate for the priesthood (much like the author himself) is one day redeemed and taken to Rome due to his intricate knowledge of the process of a papal conclave, and regret on the part of one of the clerics who wronged him. With the conclave in utter deadlock, the protagonist is himself launched into the throne of St. Peter, and proceeds to remake Rome and ultimately redraw the lines of the great powers around the globe. An very unique and rare glimpse into the state of affairs at the beginning of the 20h century in the years leading up to the Great War, at least from the point of view of a English eccentric, or as DH Lawrence refers to him, a 'man-demon'.

A Princess of Mars - no need to introduce this book. It was about time I read it, and I was sucked in and finished it in a couple sittings. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[stevemitchell]

Kaor, Vad Plethon!

[plethon]

Finished:

The Gods of Mars

Started:

Imajica by Clive Barker

New additions to my Wishlist on Amazon, which is hopelessly long:

A Wodehouse Bestiary: Vintage Animal Tales from the World-Renowned Humorist, P.G. Wodehouse
A Book of Nonsense: The Centenary Edition, Mervyn Peake
Rogue Moon, Algys Budrys
The Last Hieroglyph (CAS volume V)
The Book of Atrus (Myst book 1) - Never actually played the game myself but I found the book at my used bookshop and it seems like it
could be inspiring for dungeons
The Dust of Rhll, JF Meskimen - Suggested to me from Amazon based on my reading of The Maze of Peril
Gloriana, Michael Moorcock - Supposed to be inspired by Gormenghast which I loved

[Otto Harkaman]

Listening to audio books of the History of the Runestaff

[terje]

I have finally got hold of a copy of The Shadow People by Margareth St Clair (I don't understand why this book has not been reprinted) so that's what I'll be reading now.

[stevemitchell]

Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Man, His Tales, and Romances by Edward Wagenknecht. An overview of Hawthorne’s life and assessment of his novels and his major stories. A very serviceable introduction to Hawthorne.

The Conquering Family by Thomas B. Costain. The first entry in a four-volume set on the history of medieval England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the death of Richard III in 1485. Costain was a novelist, and he writes with a novelist’s verve and color. This first volume carries the story from William the Conqueror down through William II, Henry I, the disputed succession between Matilda and Stephen, Henry II, Richard I, and, finally, Bad King John. Great history and great storytelling!

Sulla: A Dictator Reconsidered by Lynda Telford. Sulla was a Roman general and politician from the generation before Julius Caesar. He campaigned in North Africa, Gaul, and Greece, and engaged in a civil war with Marius and his followers. He achieved total power as dictator of Rome and then, having brought the Roman state to order (with several hundred executions), he retired and went off to write his memoirs.

Pyrrhus of Epirus by Jeff Champion. Another ancient warlord, this time from the generation following Alexander the Great. Pyrrhus holds the rare distinction of having fought both the Romans and the Carthaginians, along with many foes in Greece. He was an able general, but he usually failed to achieve his broader political aims.

D-Day Through German Eyes edited by Holger Eckhertz. A two-volume collection of oral histories showing the German side of D-Day.

The Last Outlaws by Tom Clavin. The Doolins and the Daltons ride again, bringing the Wild West to a close in blaze of glory. Or at least, in a hail of bullets. Includes accounts of the infamous Coffeyville, KS raid, and the lesser-known but quite interesting gunfight at Ingalls, OK. A very entertaining Western history.

If Chaos Reigns by Flint Whitlock. Back to Normandy, this time with a history of the Allied airborne forces on D-Day and during the subsequent week or so.

Electra by Henry Treece. A historical novel set during the Greek Bronze Age, purporting to show the true story behind the legend of Electra, daughter of Agamemnon. Dark and violent, but quite well done.

Oedipus by Henry Treece. And ditto, only the legend this time is that of Oedipus.

Rome and Attila by Nick Holmes. Rome in the mid-5th Century—sacked by the Goths, sacked by the Vandals, and threatened by the Huns. The western Roman Empire falls in 476 A.D., although the eastern Roman Empire (the Byzantines), will survive for nearly a thousand more years.

[tdenmark]

Jan 19, 2024 19:09:20 GMT -6 Parzival said:

GK Chesterton’s Manalive, which is surprisingly funny and more applicable to today than one might expected for a tale written a few years before WWI. Im in the midst of the “trial” of the central character, and it’s a great send up of pompous intellectuals who can’t see the world around them for their own certainty of their own genius. Great stuff. I also recently finished a collection of his lesser known Horne Fisher mysteries, which was also enjoyable.

You can never go wrong with GK Chesterton. One of the truly great writers of the early 20th century, and clearly had some influence on JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.

[tdenmark]

Well, found myself rereading The Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time. I thought I'd be rereading the Dune series with the movie coming out and all, instead Tolkien called to me as he does.

Everytime I read LOTR I marvel at how finely crafted the story and characters are, everything fits together so well. This time I found myself appreciating Faramir and Eomer a lot more.

[stevemitchell]

The Real Men in Black by Nick Redfern. Nick examines the usual suspects and offers some thoughts on the nature and identity of the MIB—assuming they are real.

Embattled Rebel by James P. McPherson. Not a full biography of Jefferson Davis, but an account of his role as the war leader of the Confederacy. He acknowledges Davis’s flaws and shortcoming in this capacity, but still rates him a little higher than many previous historians have.

Five Families by Selwyn Raab. A lengthy history of the Mafia in New York City, from the forming of the national crime syndicate in the 1920s down through the early 2000s. Lots of moments where you will say: “Hey, I saw that in The Godfather—or Donnie Brasco—or Law & Order—or the Sopranos.”

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. Somewhat reminiscent of Madame Bovary, without the tragedy—a young woman in the early 20th Century marries a doctor from a small town in the Minnesota prairie, and soon finds herself at odds with the limitations of provincial life. Main Street was initially chosen by the jury for the Pulitzer Prize for literature, but the board of trustees overturned the jury's decision. The prize instead went to Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence.

Escape Across the Cosmos by Gardner F. Fox. This was a paperback original novel from the 1960s, but written very much in the style of the 1940s SF pulp magazines—to which Fox was a contributor. Minor but entertaining.

The Magnificent Century by Thomas Costain. Medieval England again, concentrating on the long reign of Henry III, which spanned much of the 13th Century.

The Rising Sun by John Toland. A political and military history of the Japanese Empire, from 1936 to 1945. Ranges from the highest governmental levels to the lowest tactical level. There’s plenty on Hirohito, Tojo, and the other Japanese leaders, but Toland also follows a war correspondent on Guadalcanal, a nurse on Saipan, and an infantryman on Leyte, among many others. One of Toland’s best books (and winner of the Pulitzer Prize).

The Death Riders by Jackson Cole. Texas Ranger Jim Hatfield, aka the Lone Wolf, had a long history as a pulp magazine hero, from the 1930s to the 1950s. Here he’s tangling with a band of masked rustlers and robbers down near the Mexican border. I’ll borrow the “minor but entertaining” tag from upstream.

Depraved IV by Bryan Smith. It all started four books ago with a simple hillbilly cannibal massacre, but by now our heroine Jessica is fighting with two global conspiracies. Meanwhile, a deranged lunatic working for one of the conspiracies is operating a sex-and-torture dungeon in his basement. The usual clean, wholesome fun from Mr. Smith.

The March of the Barbarians by Harold Lamb. The rise and fall of the Mongol empire and its various successor states. A wide-ranging and highly interesting account.

[tdenmark]

I have tried multiple times to get into Brandon Sanderson's work. I read Mistborn, but it didn't really grab me. I tried a couple of his other books and just got bored.

So, I'm finally giving The Way of Kings a try. And you know what? So far so good. I'm a little ways in, but actually enjoying it. He's such a popular author, I'm sure for a reason, so I'm hoping I can get into his books.

[yesmar]

I'm reading Anderson's THE BROKEN SWORD again. I can't get enough of Tyrfing!

[stevemitchell]

In the Shadow of the Empress by Nancy Goldstone. Linked biographies of the Empress Maria-Theresa, who fought two wars against Frederick the Great, and three of her daughters: Maria Christina, Governor-General of the Austrian Netherlands; Maria Carolina; the Queen of Naples; and Marie-Antoinette, the Queen of France. Absolutely fascinating; Ms. Goldstone scores again!

Roxie Kills and Kill the Hunter by Bryan Smith. Two short novels by Smith. Roxie Kills features Roxie, the psychopathic murderess from the Killing Kind novels; she’s lured out of retirement when Lucifer offers to release her dead boyfriend’s soul from Hell if she’ll just do one small favor for the Prince of Darkness. And Kill the Hunter seems to be the start of a new series, as a teenage brother and sister discover that their parents are vampires. Quite a shock, but they’re still family, so the kids know what side to take when an army of vampire hunters comes to town.

Heart of Asia by Nicholas Roerich. Roerich was a rather amazing figure from a century past: a writer, painter, explorer, and mystic. This book contains two long essays, one on Roerich’s big Asian expedition in the 1920s (India, Sinkiang, Mongolia, the Gobi, China, Tibet—discussed in more detail in his book Altai-Himalaya); and one on the legendary realm of Shambhala (which, again, he has written about in another volume).

City of Iron by Chet Williamson. Three CIA agents are assigned to a special unit tasked with investigating occult and paranormal phenomena. There are several hidden agendas at play in the background, ranging from the activities of the Knights Templar to the identity of a secret prisoner who might—or might not—be Jesus of Nazareth. The first book in a trilogy.

Our First Civil War by W. H. Brands. This is supposedly about the clash between Patriots and Loyalists during the War of American Independence, but it really focuses on just a few figures from each side—Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and George Washington for the Patriots, and two colonial governors for the Loyalists (one of whom was Franklin’s illegitimate son). Plus Benedict Arnold, who switched sides. A good book, with lots of interesting information on the conflict, but I was expecting more of a battle history, particularly of the Loyalist units—where they served, where they fought, and what happened to them after the war ended.

The King’s Peace: 1637-1641 by C. V. Wedgwood. From 1637 to 1660, England fought two wars with Scotland, experienced three Civil Wars, invaded Ireland, fought a naval war with the Dutch, beheaded a king, and transitioned in stages from a constitutional monarchy to a military dictatorship. This book lays the groundwork for what was to come (and is followed by second book detailing the events of the First Civil War). Exceptionally well done.

Empire of Dust by Chet Williamson. The Searchers are back, and the Prisoner is on the loose! A good thriller mixing conspiratorial and occult themes.

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill. A re-examination of the Manson murders and trial. The author makes no attempt to whitewash Manson and the Family, but he does take a hard look at the “official” story as presented in Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter and concludes there was prosecutorial malfeasance in the way the trial was handled, and many side-issues were buried or ignored.

The Gnostic Jesus Christ & Yaldabaoth His Ignorant Unbegotten Brother by David Allen Neron. Have you ever been interested in Gnosticism? Well, this probably isn’t the best place to start. (I’d recommend The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels.) The author jumps right into the deep end of the Gnostic swimming pool and proceeds to race about in an almost stream-of-consciousness manner. Interesting but more than a tad murky.

The Byzantine World War by Nick Holmes. Well, not quite a world war, but a major regional war with long-term consequences. In the mid-to-late 11th Century, the Byzantines face a powerful new foe in the form of the Seljuk Turks. Eventually forces from Western Europe get drawn into the conflict, leading to the events of the First Crusade. Another brisk but informative read from Mr. Holmes.

[Parzival]

Long Past Dues by James J. Butcher (son of Jim Butcher, creator of The Dresden Files)

This is the second book in his contemporary, alternate world fantasy crime novel series The Unorthodox Chronicles. Yes, that’s a lot to combine, but it works. The novel ends with its story complete, but with a clear expectation that there is more to come, and that Something Is Building.
The Younger Butcher’s fantasy world and magic processes are really well thought out, and a bit different. The hero is a “witch” (generic term for all humans capable of working magic), who only knows three spells. But these spells are unique to him, and the implication is that this is true of all witches— they each craft unique spells, of varying types of effects and levels of effectiveness. (It would be easy to turn this concept into a game). Call this one “magepunk” in its mix of modern tech with magic.

[Punkrabbitt]

Fairy Tale by Stephen King. I'm not a huge King fan, but I am interested in his presentation of this subject. Faerie Tale by Feist was well-done, and I am hoping for something similar.