A romantic historical fiction from popular British military historian best known for his books on key Roman emperors. His facts are his strong points.A romantic historical fiction from popular British military historian best known for his books on key Roman emperors. His facts are his strong points. He knows the subject well. Narrative? KInda like Dumas, he can spin a good yarn without hardly writing a poetic sentence. But the story rolls forward and he has created good characters. I will finish the trilogy, but can't exactly place it on the shelf next to Robert Graves or Mary Beard. This is more at the same level as Robert Harris. But if you like historical fiction that reads like a military romance (The Three Muskateers) you might enjoy it. I'll give it four stars and hope there isn't a steep drop off with books 2 and 3....more
"Legend being strangled rather nourished by any abundance of original fact, it is unremarkable how rapidly our .2. best sources, John Smith and Willia"Legend being strangled rather nourished by any abundance of original fact, it is unremarkable how rapidly our .2. best sources, John Smith and William Strachey, pass over Pocahontas." - William the Blind, Argall: The True Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith.
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Argall is volume three in Vollmann's Seven Dream Cycle. Each book details (or will; 2 have yet to be published) an area of conflict between natives in America and the colonialists. So far I've conquered the three largest ones.
I'm constantly amazed at Vollmann's ability to just go for it with his Seven Dreams novels. He is experimental, jumps into muddy water head first, throws reams of information at the reader and fiction to fill the gaps. All while he stays within the boundaries he is exploring. The three major characters in this novel are easily illuminated by the title: Argall, John Smith, and Pocahontas. Each character of this New World Myth inhabits a territory of their shared history. They are the holy trinity of Jamestown. The Father (John Smith), the Prodigal Son (Samuel Argall), and the Holy Princess (Pocahontas). Vollmann takes these characters and travels back and forth between James Towne and London Towne. He is able to use the myth and the small history to work on the theme of settlement and to disrupt, if just a bit, the narrative. Argall takes centerplace, because ultimately, Argall: the devil of progress, of capitalism, of settlement, of unadulterated self-interest, moves the plot. He represents all of England, or most of it; the energy and the iniquity; the civilized barbarism; the inevitable motion of conquerer and despoiled.
Like with ALL of Vollmann's massive tomes, I've got lots more I can say. There are so many threads that I don't want to yet abandon. I guess I need to go back and pick up The Ice-Shirt and The Rifles and wait for Vollmann's sights to be set on his big cycle again....more
"All that remains is our bungled joy, the sensation of those moments we've forgotten that were important as they were passing..." - Lance Olsen, My Rea"All that remains is our bungled joy, the sensation of those moments we've forgotten that were important as they were passing..." - Lance Olsen, My Read Heaven
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"...there will always be rebels. And you know who they are: the mutinous poets, painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers, mystics, thinkers, journalists...and other outcasts willing to accept personal sacrifice in the name of principle. They live in the shadows. They're poor. The state has little toleration for them. Mass propaganda has conditioned society to belittle them as parasites and traitors. They live that way, not because it's exotic or adventurous, but because to collaborate with radical evil is to betray all that is beautiful and good." - Lance Olsen, My Read Heaven
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I'm still digesting all the pieces. The fragments. Some of them literally are stuck in my throat. Notes I've taken have literally fallen into my bath (the penciled notes fade, the ink notes blur). I love it. Way more than I expected and I expected a lot. Lance is genius. He captures a city: Berlin. He captures a time: 1927. He captures humanity in whispers, fragments, stolen moments, banal thoughts, death, disease, sex, sadness and hundreds of other moments united by butterflies, clouds and shadows. He weaves a tapestry of Germany between two wars and the web of beauty and life and death that unites them (and all of us). I thought I was getting into a contemporary, artistic novel that seemed a bit like Vollmann meets Jonathan Littell meets James Joyce. And yes. It was a bit of those. But the ghosts and ghost notes somehow blend the pieces of this wonderful novel into something new. Something more graceful than the sum of its parts, and more beautiful than the weight of Olsen's soul.
- One could say Berlin is a captive of the nineteenth century (75). - Berlin: the imperial hallucination (76). - Berlin: a doomed Pompeii (81). - If Berlin were a part of speech, he heard, it would be a transitive verb (116).
I can’t recommend it enough. No. Wait. I'm not done here. I need to go reread my notes, untangle my flags, untie my thoughts....more
"It is not enough to love Soviet power. Soviet power has to love you." - Robert Littell, Comrade Koba
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A wonderful novella by Robert Littell. Thin"It is not enough to love Soviet power. Soviet power has to love you." - Robert Littell, Comrade Koba
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A wonderful novella by Robert Littell. Think of a Russsian Holden Caulfield, age 10, interviews a old, cranky member of the Politburo in 1953 (three years after Catcher in the Rye is published in America) . I'll write more, review more, clarify (without clarifying TOO much) tomorrow. Goodnight comrades. I'm off to organize the disorder and disorder the organized....more
A series of sketches set in Sevastopol. I picked this up after reading Figes history of the Crimean War. These stories were the ones that propelled ToA series of sketches set in Sevastopol. I picked this up after reading Figes history of the Crimean War. These stories were the ones that propelled Tolstoy into fame in Russia. A great look at the time and the weight of war....more
I'm going to have to chew on this one a bit longer before I write a full review, but I loved how Coates brought in Magical Realism and seemed to blendI'm going to have to chew on this one a bit longer before I write a full review, but I loved how Coates brought in Magical Realism and seemed to blend a bit of Toni Morrison (high) with Colson Whitehead (low). It is funky to read two novels both playing around with the history of slavery and the Underground Railroad that seem both harmonious with each other and completely different. I loved Coates themes, especially the power of remembering and how we are all "tasked" to something. Beautiful. Magical. There were something that seemed to work REALLY well and other things that almost worked. This isn't Toni Morrison, but as Coates' first novel I enjoyed it....more
"I had rather been a meteor, than a star in a crowd." - Danielle Dutton, Margaret the First
"...the mind is without a sex!" - Danielle Dutton, Margaret t"I had rather been a meteor, than a star in a crowd." - Danielle Dutton, Margaret the First
"...the mind is without a sex!" - Danielle Dutton, Margaret the First
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A short, vibrant, nearly perfect novella. I'm not sure if I loved it more because of the prose, the protagonist, the setting, or because it was infused with life, energy, worlds. I'll steal an hour at lunch to finish my review tomorrow at work. Lovely.
The book is an ode to feminism, science, knowledge, prose, and marriage. My only disappointment is the novella had to finish. Somethings, like meteors burning up in the atmosphere, are gone too quickly....more
Volume 1: The Ice-Shirt (1990) Volume 2: Fathers and Crows (1992) ✔ Read Volume 3: Argall(2001) ✔ Read VolI wrote a review. I lost it. Feels appropriate
““We are all up to something” - Neal Stephenson, The Baroque Cycle, Vol 3, Book 3
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This is the end. Beautiful end. Assayed. The end. The eighth a““We are all up to something” - Neal Stephenson, The Baroque Cycle, Vol 3, Book 3
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This is the end. Beautiful end. Assayed. The end. The eighth and final book of this series, which also shares the same name as the final volume of this series: (The System of the World). This final book in an eight book series is driven largely by two large and parallel events (the corronation of King George is a mere distraction). First, the hanging of Jack Shaftoe. Second, the Trial of the Pyx (and by proxy, a trial of Sir Isaac Newton). There are other events: the spiriting away of Solomon's gold, the escape of Jack's sons and Dappa (the First mate of the Minerva who ends up caught in a funky antislavery campaign against Charles White (one of the many villians of the book), the death of Roger Comstock (and other deaths ane ressurrections).
are all essentially prequels to: Cryptonomicon. I enjoyed the dance. It might have been one volume too much. Reading Stephenson, some days, does feel a bit like Peine forte et dure. How about just one more volume? That said, I did read all of the diaries of Samuel Pepys, so I am a glutton for the English Restoration period. I found this a fantastic (often literally FANTASTIC) way of examining the period and systems of science and religion and politics during this period. Obviously, much of the specifics are fiction, but many of the things floating like mouches volantes are grounded in facts. Sometimes, the best way to learn history is not to read it, but to play with it a bit; bend it and examine it under unusual lights and in different heats....more
“For most of the day and night, time oppresses me. It is only when I am at work on the innards of a clock-or a lock-that time stops." - Neal Stephenson“For most of the day and night, time oppresses me. It is only when I am at work on the innards of a clock-or a lock-that time stops." - Neal Stephenson, The Currency
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Stephenson continues the last volume (The System of the World) of his Baroque trilogy with Book 7: "Currency". Like in Book 6, Solomon's Gold, "Currency" is primarily focused on Daniel Waterhouse trying to track down Jack Shaftoe (or Jack the Counterfeiter) who is making England's money financially dubious by messing with the Pyx (and hence putting ALL of England's currency at risk). Isaac Newton is helping Daniel Waterhouse track down Jack, both because as the Master of the Mint his reputation (and head) are at risk. But he is also motivated because as an alchemist he suspects that Jack Shaftoe has some of Solomon's gold. While all of this is going on Eliza is trying to help Princess Caroline survive the inevitable succession issues that will develop (including assassination attempts) once Queen Anne dies.
This has probably been the least "exciting" of the novels, but like any long work (eventually, the Baroque Cycle will clock in at about 2650 pages) there are bound to be parts of a work that float down the narrative current rather than quant down. Still, I did enjoy it....more
“On the contrary, my lord...there is nothing quite so civilized as to be recognized in public places as the author of books no one has read.” - Neal S“On the contrary, my lord...there is nothing quite so civilized as to be recognized in public places as the author of books no one has read.” - Neal Stephenson, The Baroque Cycle, Vol 3, Book 1
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I can feel the end of this series closing in. The sixth book of this series, nested, like a Russian doll inside of Volume 3 (The System of the World) centers primarily on Daniel Waterhouse. Daniel has been summoned back to England to act as a middle-man (or a narrative bridge?) between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz concerning the invention of Calculus. Someone tries to kill him with an infernal device (mechanical bomb). The book ends with Jack Shaftoe (aka Jack the Coiner) attempting a heist of the Tower of London where Netwon is the "Warden" and later "Master" of the Royal Mint. Newton has been using this role at the Royal Mint to standardize the guinea, but also to to search for Solomon's lost gold.
The book tends to bend easily between swashbuckling adventure and nerdy historical/light scifi fiction. It is dense in parts, but it is hard to not respect Stephenson's ability to weave the real with the almost supernatural and the outrageous. I'm constantly entertained by The Baroque Cycle but the charm is starting to tarnish a bit and I'm ready for this almost literary adventure/ride to end....more
Part 1 of Mary Renault's Alexander the Great trilogy. I'll write more tomorrow, but for now it reminded me of Robert Graves mixed with a bit of PatricPart 1 of Mary Renault's Alexander the Great trilogy. I'll write more tomorrow, but for now it reminded me of Robert Graves mixed with a bit of Patricia Highsmith's penchant for psychological tension. Renault isn't trying to give some accurate account of Alexander the Great, only use the template of Alexander to paint her ideas of Hubris upon. So many great characters in the books and the prose was fantastic. I'm giving it only 4 stars right now, because it is only my 2nd Mary Renault novel and I don't want to presume to know her peak....more
“I have put out my books and now my house has a soul.” ― Robert Harris, The Dictator
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Dictator is the best book in Harris' Cicero trilogy★★★1/2,“I have put out my books and now my house has a soul.” ― Robert Harris, The Dictator
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Dictator is the best book in Harris' Cicero trilogy★★★1/2, but that is largely due to how disappointed I was in Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome ★★★ and Conspirata ★★. Oh well. What did I like? I liked that Cicero's later life was narrated by Tiro, Cicero's slave, secretary, friend(?). Harris did a lot of work with Cicero's character. I'm a fan of Cicero, and Harris' trilogy does a good job of surveying Cicero's life, the late Republic and early Roman empire.
What did I not enjoy? I'm not a fan or Harris' prose. And, while it is obvious Harris loves Roman history, I am starting to see a patern. Harris writes better WWII era or political novels, than Roman historical novels. Sometimes, passion for a topic doesn't translate into brilliance....more
"All this while, I have been a weaver without wool, a ship without the sea. Yet now look where I sail." - Circe, Madeline Miller, Circe
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This mig"All this while, I have been a weaver without wool, a ship without the sea. Yet now look where I sail." - Circe, Madeline Miller, Circe
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This might be a 5-star book. I need to let it soak. I really enjoyed it. Feminist. Marxist almost. It looks at the gods and at Man from the perspective of a banished nymph, a witch, a daughter of Helios. The myths get brushed, twisted and woven in a way that is both familiar and new. Miller changes the myths by simply changing the narrator, removing the hero, and looking at the narrative from a different perspective. This has been done before, but Miller's approach and craft is hard to replicate. I'm not sure she is Robert Graves, but she is definitely on the same island as Mary Renault....more
“One must live as if it would be forever, and as if one might die each moment. Always both at once.” - Mary Renault, The Persian Boy
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Mary Renau“One must live as if it would be forever, and as if one might die each moment. Always both at once.” - Mary Renault, The Persian Boy
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Mary Renault's second volume of her The Alexander Trilogy is narrated by Bagoas a beautiful Perisan boy from an aristocratic family who at a young age sees his family killed and through a series of events ends up in Darius III's court as a favorite eunuch of Darius. Later, as Darius III falls, like the rest of Asia, into Alexander's hands, Bagoas become's a favorite of Alexander.
Renault uses the relationship between Bagoas and Darius, Bagoas and Alexander, Alexander and Hephaistion, Alexander and the Macedonians, and Alexander and his army to explore love in many aspects. It also shows how the hubris of love can affect people for the better and the worse. Love is a two edged sword indeed.
Another important piece of this book is the homosexual love between Bagoas and Darius, Bagoas and Alexander, and Alexander and Hephaistion. Renault is unflinching in her exploration of various aspects of homosexuality and in many ways this book can be considered gay fiction as much as it is considered historical fiction. I'd probably also need to call it historical fiction* with an asterix because I think Renault isn't seaching to tell the "truth" about Alexander, but rather use the myth of Alexander to paint a story on. Once you recognize that she isn't necessarily limited by history, the book flows a bit easier.
I enjoyed the book, but not as much as Book 1 in the series. There were definitely parts here that dragged a bit and other pieces that seemed to skip along without much effort. It was a book that was "rich" enough (like a hot bath, or incenced room) where I would need to step away occasionally to regain my footing....more
"Many-formed are the gods; and the end men look for is not the end they bring." - Mary Renault, The King Must Die
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A nice, detailed historical fi"Many-formed are the gods; and the end men look for is not the end they bring." - Mary Renault, The King Must Die
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A nice, detailed historical fiction (well, let's call it mytholigical fiction, yes?) about Theseus, the founding hero of Athens. Renault takes many of the Labors of Theseus and weaves them with the stories of Theseus, Aegeus, and Medea, and Theseus, King Minos, and the Minotaur.
Structurally, it reminded me a bit of Knausgaard's book 'A Time For Everything' where he takes the flood myths of genesis and humanizes them. Both Mnausgaard and Renaut share the same gift for seeing the men (and women) behind the myth; of deconstructing what the history might have looked like that created these origin myths. I love this approach. It, at once, is interesting, informative, and subversive....more
"Yet still he could not act. And if he couldn't do it, who would? In that moment, in a flash of clarity, he saw that nobody--not him, not the Army, no"Yet still he could not act. And if he couldn't do it, who would? In that moment, in a flash of clarity, he saw that nobody--not him, not the Army, not a lone assassin--that no German would disrupt their common destiny until it was fulfilled." - Robert Harris, Munich
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I'm a fan of Robert Harris. He writes smart historical ficiton (sometimes, as was the case with, Fatherlandalternative-historical fiction). His areas of interest primarily revolve around Nazi Germany and the Roman Empire. I've read several of his books. His prose is never quite at the John le Carré-level of fiction. But, if you like history and are OK with utilizing fictionalized minor characters to tour you around certain times, his books are certainly not a waste of time or money.
'Munich' focuses on Fall of 1938, specifically the time when Hitler and Chamberlain (and France and Italy) are meeting in Munich to appease Hitler by basically giving Germany the Sudetenland. The primary characters are two old friends from Oxford: Hugh Legat works at 10 Downing Street, Paul von Hartmann is a secretary in Germany's foreign ministry. The book ends up being a bit of a bureaucratic cat-and-mouse, while Chamberlain's "Peace at all Costs" basically gives the game away. The book doesn't lead one to walk away with a positive view of Chamberlain, but puts his actions in context (both politically and militarily). It fleshes out the man who will ever be associated with appeasement, political ineptness, timidity, and the phrase: “Peace for our time.”...more
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