• Westward Bound
  • About Aaron Brander

The Saulzar Codex

~ and other writing by Aaron Brander

The Saulzar Codex

Tag Archives: Historical Fiction

Summer Reading – 2010

22 Friday Oct 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars, Bernard Cornwell, Dresden Files, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Jim Butcher, R.A. Salvatore, Roman Empire, Romans, Wizards

It’s been a busy summer of devouring books as fast as I can; so fast that I couldn’t get a review written of each of them. So, instead, here’s a rapid fire list of what rocked and what was as dull as a rock.
Books that Rocked:

Outliers: The Story Of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell is always an interesting read. His ability to find connections in places where they aren’t expected is uncanny.  In Outliers, you will learn that where and when we are born have a large influence on our future.

 

 

 

 

Time to Hunt – Stephen Hunter
I’ve read a few of the Bob Lee Swagger novels, and this one is the best so far.  Go back in time to Bob’s harrowing escapades in Vietnam, and learn why they call him “The Hammer”.

 

 

 

 

The Dresden Files

  • Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6) – Jim Butcher
  • Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, book 7) – Jim Butcher
  • Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, Book 8 ) – Jim Butcher
  • White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9) – Jim Butcher
  • Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10) – Jim Butcher
  • Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) – Jim Butcher

Yup, it’s been a summer of Jim Butcher. I’m not surprised. Harry Dresden is a perfect lead character. He’s filled with doubt and weaknesses, but always has enough steely resolve and powerful magic to pull himself out of the tightest places.  Each book is better than the last, and I can only hope that Butcher keeps kicking them out.

 

The Night Angel Trilogy

  • The Way of Shadows (The Night Angel Trilogy) – Brent Weeks
  • Shadow’s Edge (Night Angel Trilogy) – Brent Weeks
  • Beyond the Shadows – Brent Weeks

The Night Angel Trilogy was an interesting fantasy series. It focused on a young boy who wants to escape his danger our and hopeless life as an orphan.  He gets himself apprenticed to the greatest assassin of the land and ends up having a drastic influence on the world while defeating a great evil.  Yup, that sounds like just about every fantasy series out there.  Great characters and interesting plot twists make this a worthwhile read.

 
The First Law

  • The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) – Joe Abercrombie
  • Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two) – Joe Abercrombie
  • Last Argument of Kings (First Law: Book Three) – Joe Abercrombie

Other than the Butcher books, this was my favorite series of the summer.  The story was full of intrigue and plotting, but what was interesting is that for all the machinations of man, there was a handful of demi-gods running around pulling the strings that no one really believed in.  Couple that with a half dozen morally gray heroes and heroines and you’ve got a formula for a great read.  Each chapter switches to a different hero’s perspective, and Abercrombie was able to make it so you instantly know which character you are with.

 
The State of the Union – Brad Thor
An interesting thriller that explores what would happen if Russia was playing possum and only pretended to lose the Cold War.  Think Tom Clancy crossed with Dan Brown.

 

 

 

 

As interesting as rocks

Daemons are Forever (Secret Histories, Book 2) – Simon R. Green
Loved the first book for its sheer volume of fantastical creatues.  The follow up fell flat for me.

The Orc King: Transitions, Book I – R.A. Salvatore
Salvatore has dozens of great books starring the dark elf, Drizzt Do’urden.  As he has progressed, the books have taken on a morally preachy timbre. I love the action, but could do without the sermons.

Agincourt: A Novel – Bernard Cornwell
A book about my favorite historical battle?  Count me in.  I can’t remember now why this was bad or good, and I guess that’s enough to say about it. However, Cornwell typically hits the mark and I would not hesitate to recommend him.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy – Robert V. S. Redick
The whole book takes place on a boat.  There’s some interesting characters, but I didn’t really get into it.

Sharpe’s Trafalgar: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805 (Richard Sharpe’s Adventure Series #4) – Bernard Cornwell
I really enjoy the Sharpe series, and I’m going to keep reading them. This book wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t that great either.

Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt: A Novel of the Twentieth Legion During the Rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus – James Mace
I really wanted to like this series, but it is entirely too dry for me.  I guess I’ll find a different Roman era series to read.

That’s 21 books read since March, not too shabby. Luckily, most of them have been good, including 3 series: The Night Angel Trilogy, The First Law, and The Dresden Files. Get some!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Review of Sharpe’s Fortress by Bernard Cornwell

30 Tuesday Mar 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3 stars, Bernard Cornwell, Historical Fiction, On Books

Sharpe’s Fortress is the third (historically) of the Richard Sharpe series, and last of the Sharpe India trilogy, by English author Bernard Cornwell. It tells the story of ensign Sharpe, during the battle of Argaum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argaum) and the following siege of the Fortress of Gawilghur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gawilghur) in 1803.

At the end of the previous Sharpe novel, Sharpe saved General Wellesley’s life, and was promoted up from the ranks to become an Ensign, a low ranking officer, in the army. Sharpe soon finds that his dream of being an officer is more like a nightmare. The officers don’t like him because he isn’t a noble, and Sharpe is set to demeaning tasks like making sure the men don’t run during a battle and escorting the supply train.

It isn’t Richard’s idea of fun, and he soon finds that he is being asked to sell his commission or move on somewhere else. He leaves the company he is attached to, only to find himself faced with his old enemy, Obadiah Hakeswill. The evil sergeant has it out for Sharpe, and his treachery leads Sharpe on a vengeful mission, and straight into a horrifying siege.

The third book in the Sharpe series is to the point, historically accurate, and a lot of fun to read. Lucky for me, there’s another 18 books or so. I’ll be reading the next one soon.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (What’s This?)

Buy it at Amazon!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Genghis: Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden

02 Tuesday Mar 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4 stars, Historical Fiction, On Books

Bones of the Hills is the third book in Iggulden’s sweeping epic of the rise of Genghis and the Mongols. In Birth of an Empire, Iggulden traces Genghis’ rise from an outlawed boy to the uniting of the Mongol tribes. It was a great book and a promising start to what should have been an excellent trilogy.

In the second book, Lords of the Bow, the story started to unravel for me. I read the book on the heels of finishing Birth of an Empire. Looking back, perhaps I wasn’t prepared for the change in tone from following Genghis very intimately, to viewing the entire Mongol nation from a distance. The scope of the story changed, and I wasn’t that impressed. In it, the Mongols invade China and destroy hundreds of cities.

I took my time getting to the third book. I wanted to finish the series, but I was concerned that it was going to be more like the second book than it was like the first. In that, I was correct. It didn’t follow just Genghis like it did in the first. It did follow his sons, brothers, and top generals, though. Perhaps it was the time away from the first book in the series that made it more enjoyable in the third than in the first. Or perhaps it was the invigorating battle scenes and intricate discussions of Mongol tactics and their ability to change the rules of war when presented with challenges.

Whatever it was, it worked. I was captivated by this book from the first page and had trouble setting it down at night. A few scenes stand out as memorable: A cavalry chase across hundreds of miles in the dead of night, a mano y tiger fight to the death, and a scene of loyalty and sadness involving a wayward son of Genghis that was surprising, merciless and heartbreaking all at the same time. This book truly showed why Genghis was feared throughout the world. His army was mobile, fast, and devoid of mercy.

If you like historical fiction, you will be a fan of the Genghis series that Iggulden has crafted. The first and third books are truly memorable. I wasn’t a big fan of the middle book, but I may have to go back and revisit it. Maybe I missed something.

Rating: 4 out of 5  (What’s This?)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Killing Rommel by Steven Pressfield

23 Tuesday Feb 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3 stars, Historical Fiction, On Books

Gates of Fire by this same author is one of my all time favorites. If I read it again soon, it will receive the coveted five star status. Killing Rommel will not get five stars, but it’s better than I thought it would be, and that’s a huge plus for Pressfield.

In this instance, I did Judge a Book by its cover. Or rather, by its cover price. I don’t know what’s going on in the world of publishing, but to expect me to be happy with paying $15 for an oversized paperback version of a short book is insane. I was upset by this that I purposely didn’t buy the book for a long time as my own little personal boycott. The only reason I ended up with it is because I forgot to take it off my Amazon wishlist and I received it for Christmas.

So, I began the book on a very sour note. The story started out a little slow for me, but picked up gear as the main character, “Chap” joins the Long Range Desert Group on a mission to kill the German General in North Africa, Erwin Rommel. The story takes many twists and turn. The description of the loneliness of the desert really rings through, especially interspersed with chaotic gunfights and repetitive manual labor, and a chronic shortage of supplies.

I was too often confused by the names of secondary characters and locations in the desert, but wasn’t too interested in keeping track of them. They all seemed ancillary to the story. As for the story itself, I wasn’t sold on it until the last twenty pages. The conclusion was top notch and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you can find this story at the library or borrow it from a friend, definitely do so. Otherwise, consider getting a Kindle so you can put an end to the ridiculous new paperback sizes and their oversized prices.

Rating: 3 out of 5  (What’s This?)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Alexander: The Ends of the Earth by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

09 Tuesday Feb 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3 stars, Historical Fiction, On Books

The final book in the praised series by Manfredi was not as bad as the second book in the series. I am sure this book suffers from loss in translation. There are things that should be joshing between friends or emotional scenes that should elicit a strong response from the reader, but for me, it fell flat.

I was happy to see the trilogy through to the end. The story of Alexander is one that demands as many retellings as we are willing to give it. Manfredi does an excellent job of showing us the locales, people, and battles that were involved in the campaigns, as well as the tension between Alexander and his army the farther they moved from home.

For me, Manfredi’s books are interesting, but not great. I will continue my search for the penultimate Alexander book.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (What’s This?)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead

12 Tuesday Jan 2010

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3 stars, Historical Fiction, On Books

I am very tardy with my book reviews. Between getting ready for a trip to China, the trip itself, and holiday preparations, I have neglected the blog. For this I apologize. I shall attempt to remedy the lack of literary synopsis with a few rapid fire reviews of the books I have read lately.

The first on the block is Byzantium by Stephan Lawhead. This book was once in the upper echelon of favored books. I first read it in college 10 years ago or more. It’s a rousing tale of adventure, loss, and finding one’s calling. I particularly enjoyed the simple way that the Danish Vikings viewed the world in contrast with the scheming and moral ambiguity of the Byzantium court and the righteousness and guilt of the Cele De monks.

The story follows Aidan, a monk from Ireland, as he attempts to make a pilgrimage to Byzantium. Along the way he is captured and made a slave a couple of times, loses his faith, and struggles to find it again.

If you have not read Byzantium before, and enjoy historical fiction with a hint of religious fervor, this book is for you.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. (What’s this?)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Shogun by James Clavell

31 Saturday Oct 2009

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

5 stars, Historical Fiction, James Clavell, On Books, Samurai

It has taken me a long time to write this blog. Not that I haven’t tried a few times. I have. I’ve tried just about every day over the last two weeks. I just don’t know how to do justice to this book. Should I give an overview of the story? To do it right would take me thirty pages.
Should I give an overview of the characters? There are many, and each is fully realized with their own ambitions, strengths, and weaknesses. I couldn’t possibly do it right.

I think it comes down to this. I can either write a fifty page book report detailing out the story and my love for it. Or I can just try and tell you what I love about it, without really telling you what it’s about. I think I’m going to go that way. Let me give it a try now.

I love watching the discovery that takes place as the main character sheds his English prejudices and discovers the subtleties of the Japanese culture.

I thoroughly enjoy the depth and magnitude of the plans and treachery set in motion by the Japanese lords.

For a book without a lot of action scenes, I always feel like I’m on the edge of my seat. The possibility of death exists on every page.

The action scenes that are in the book are excellent. They aren’t overly detailed, which I often prefer, but you can’t beat samurai swords. You just can’t. And when the book tosses in a large scale ninja attack, I’m hooked.

I love learning about Japanese culture. The book goes deep into the Japanese code of Bushido, their religious views, and why life and death are so lightly regarded. It’s fascinating. It certainly has the ring of truth. If there are any Japanese readers of this book, how do you feel about it? Does it capture the milieu correctly? Does it still apply in some ways?

The love that blossoms between two of the main characters is artfully presented.

I love that I feel like I can speak Japanese when I finished with this book.

I love that I get so completely lost in the story and the setting that I have a hard time leaving it and not bringing it with me back into my world.

If there’s anything I don’t like, it’s the ignorant Dutchmen in this book that refuse to accept that the Japanese way is the only way to behave when in Japan. I don’t like it because my heritage is Dutch, and also because they are really annoying! I’m pretty sure they are supposed to be, so that goal was accomplished.

This is a book about discovery, survival, death, shame, joy and ambition. It is a book about watching rocks grow, wakarimasu, seppuku, kinjiru, samurai, daimayos, and a thousand other intricate details.

I’d be hard pressed to say there is any book I enjoy more.

I would recommend the rest of James Clavell’s Asian Saga. They are all very good, although none reach the heights that Shogun rests upon.

Rating: 5 out of 5  (What’s this?)

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Sharpe’s Triumph by Bernard Cornwell

15 Friday May 2009

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3 stars, Bernard Cornwell, Historical Fiction, On Books, Richard Sharpe

I don’t know if this happens to you, but sometimes I know when I’m going to get in trouble with a series of books. As in, I’ll start it, find out I like it, and then have to keep reading all of the books in the series.  It happened with the Harry Potter series. I told myself I was too old for it. I told myself that it was just a kids book. I told myself that it couldn’t be that great anyway. And then one afternoon I “accidently” read  the first book of the series. And that was the end of my resistance.

I’ve read a lot of Cornwell in the past, but I didn’t want to start the Sharpe series. It was going to be a mammoth undertaking if I started it.  There’s got to be twenty books in the series.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, I’m still not sure which), I read Sharpe’s Tiger last year and really enjoyed it. So, it means I have to start tackling the entire series.

Book two is called Sharpe’s Triumph. It takes place in 1803 and the British, along with soldiers from the East India Company, are fighting against some Indian princes from the north.  Sharpe is a sergeant with an a socially irresponsible wish to become a gentleman and an officer. Or is that officer and a gentleman.

If you like history, this is a good book for you. If you like the history of British battles in India, this is a great book for you. If you like to learn history while reading a pretty exciting story, this is an excellent book.

I won’t call it a great book overall, though. It had a decent plot, one really cool battle, and Cronwell’s historical footnotes at the end of the book are always interesting to read. However, I think it’s enough to keep me reading the Sharpe stories.  At one a year, I should be ready to retire when I finish the last one.

Oh, and if you want to learn more about this particular battle, read this.  It’s almost like cliffnotes for Sharpe’s Triumph.

3 out of 5 – read about the ratings

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Last of the Mohicans – James Fenimore Cooper

08 Friday May 2009

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

4 stars, Historical Fiction, On Books

I hated the first chapter of this book. I was ready to toss it aside almost immediately.  I didn’t like the author’s tone, the way he talked directly to me, the way he described his characters, and the old style English it was written in. It took me three days to get through that first chapter.   A good friend of mine promised that the book got better, so I kept going.

And I am very glad that I did.  Chapter two immediately improved. Cooper stopped talking to me, and started telling the story.  The main protagonists were introduced; Hawkeye, the white scout living among Indians, Chingachgook, a lone Mohican chief and friend of Hawkeye, and Uncas, the son of Chingachgook, and the last of the Mohicans.  These three, along with three other white characters, spend the novel trying to recover two young ladies captured by the Hurons.

The action starts immediately in chapter two and doesn’t let up through the rest of the book.  There are many skirmishes between the heroes and the wily Hurons, a massacre at an English fort, a night raid, disguises, and a full scale battle to round out the story.  

It isn’t an easy read, but if you can persevere and begin to find the ebb and flow of Scott’s prose, you’ll be rewarded with a great tale.  I was truly moved at the end of the book. Either that or someone was chopping onions as I the last chapter ended.  I was attached to the characters and stunned with the way things concluded.

I don’t know that I’ll be picking up the book any time soon, but I am definitely going to be watching the movie.

4 out of 5.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Dark Prince by David Gemmell

10 Friday Apr 2009

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

3 stars, David Gemmell, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, On Books

 

 (buy at Amazon)

Another Gemmell book, another solid outing.  The Dark Prince follows up on the Lion of Macedon.  In Lion of Macedon, we follow Parmenion as he rises from a mix-blood outcast in Spartan society to become the Death of Nations.  As an unbeatable mercenary general, he eventually comes into the employ of Philip of Macedon.  Teaming with Philip, Macedon soon becomes the power in Greece. At the end of the first book, an unlikely string of events conspire to have Parmenion sire Alexander unbeknownst to Philip.  However, in doing so Parmenion introduces the chaos spirit into the world, with Alexander as the host.

That’s where the Dark Prince picks up. Alexander is a lonely boy fighting the demon within.  People are afraid to touch him because he causes pain and death to those he does touch.  If that sounds strange, don’t worry, because it’s about to get stranger.  Philip from an alternate Greek reality summons Alexander into his world in order to eat his heart and gain immortality.   Strange indeed.  Aristotle, an immortal mage – who knew – helps Parmenion reach that alternate Greece in order to save Alexander.

In bizzaro Greece, the creatures of myth are real.  Minotaurs, centaurs, and nymphs are commonplace.  Parmenion and Alexander reunite and try and save the creatures of the enchantment while fighting off the evil Philip.

You’d think that storyline would be enough for one book, but it’s not. After Alexander and Parmenion make it back, the last quarter of the book follows Alexander’s meteoric rise and fall.  Gemmell basically condenses the entire Alexander story into 150 pages. 

I enjoyed the book, I guess. It stands in stark contrast to his Troy series. In the Troy books, he takes myth and turns it into historical fiction. In the Dark Prince, he takes history and turns it into myth.  It’s an interesting idea, but I think it ultimately falls flat.  The short portion of the book that chronicles Alexander’s conquest of Asia is really a cliff notes version of the Alexander story, with Alexander’s sometimes strange behavior explained by the chaos spirit that lives within him.

I’m not sure why Gemmell rushed through the end of the book instead of making this into the trilogy it seemed to want to become.  Either way, I found it entertaining if a trifle odd.

3 stars

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

Categories

  • On Books
  • On Miscellany
  • On Technology
  • On Travel
  • On Writing

Get Social


My Links

  • Brander Photography
  • Libzig.com
  • Mike July.com
  • Mindscape @ Hanon McKendry
  • Picture Perfect
  • Westward Bound

.NET 1 star 2 stars 3 stars 4 stars 5 stars 90 day challenge African Mythology Alexander the Great Basketball Bernard Cornwell Bob Lee Swagger China Coming Soon Dan Brown Danes David Gemmell diet Dresden Files Fantasy Fencing Fiction Final Four fitness Gladiators golf books golf practice Google Halo Hiking Historical Fiction History HTML James Clavell Japan Jim Butcher Kindle King Alfred Last of the Mohicans Lord of the Rings Magic Michigan State Spartans Microsoft Mindscape Neil Gaiman Non-Fiction Norse Mythology On Books programming Project Management Putting R.A. Salvatore ratings Richard Sharpe Roman Empire Roman History Romans Rome Samurai Saulzar Saulzar Codex Saxons Science Fiction Shattered Sports Books Stalin Stephen King technology Tolkien Travel Washington D.C. Wizards work Work in Progress Writing

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Saulzar Codex
    • Join 33 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Saulzar Codex
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: