What are you currently reading ?

[kipt]

Finished "Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg" by Douglas Lee Gibboney.  Jackson survives his wounding at Chancellorsville and the two Corps (Longstreet and Jackson - no three Corps now) head north. The premise for this book is an "unpublished memoir" by a young lad who becomes an additional ADC to Jackson.

The first day is similar to history, but Jackson pushes for the heights at Cemetery Hill, causing the Union to retreat to the Pipe Creek position.  After seeing the Yankees dispositions, Longstreet holds the line and Jackson moves to outflank.  All does not go well and ultimately the Union prevails.

Jackson is shot by Union soldiers in April 1865, just prior to the surrender and this time does not survive.

Interesting but light.

[Hwiccee]

The Army of Maria Theresa (1st edition) by Duffy. An excellent read and a lot of useful stuff regarding the polyglot nature of the army, the language issues and their impact on C&C as well as losses incured whilst on campaign. So far plenty to take away for use on the wargames table or to explain those blunders etc.

Yes an excellent book but now a little dated. I would recommend reading his modern updates of this work - 'Instrument of War' and 'By Force of Arms'.

[fsn]

At last!


Received today! Seems to be comprehensive at nearly 400 pages in four parts:

• The Sick Man of Europe (overview)
• Armies of the Sultan
• Ottoman Warfare (campaign history)
• Dress Equipment & Standards (the best bit)

No proper OOBs I can see, but a good meaty read about a corner of the Napoleonic war I know so little about.

So now I just need to finish the Napoleonic Danes, Imperial Romans and that impulsive foray into the Cold War; and I'm waiting for the promised Israeli half tracks ... and the Ancient Indians - then I can crack on with some Janissaries.   



Looking forward to the Danes taking on the Ottomans.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

 

[kipt]

Finished "Valley Of The Shadow" by Ralph Peters. another in his ACW genre.  This is Early and Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley in 1864.  Well developed characters (the generals and staff were actual figures) and has voices from the enlisted ranks and company grade officers for continuity and color.  No breaks in the flow of his writing

After reading "Cain At Gettysburg" I bought 4 more of his ACW novels at a used bookstore when on vacation last week.  I am very impressed by his writings.

The group I am in, the Gentleman's Wargaming Society, will be playing the battle of Cedar Run (1862 with Stonewall Jackson) and I plan on giving the players a copy of "Cain at Gettysburg", it has impressed me so much.

the board will be set up next weekend and then I will post pictures.  We will be using Brigade Fire and Fury rules.

[paulr]

Looking forward to the pictures Kipt, I hope all enjoy the game

[Big Insect]

Just finished Adrian Tchaikovsky's 'Shards of Earth' sci-fi book - Book One in a trilogy.
Published by TOR - ISBN: 978-15290-5190-2.
I've not come across Tchaikovsky before as a lot of his earlier works appear to be (what I would call) 'Alternative Fantasy' - the 'Shadows of the Apt' series- and a few other linked/associated sets of Sci-fi books. He's also written a GW 40k novel as well. He seems very prolific and also very varied in his output.

Initially, I was  bit 'sniffy' about 'Shards of Earth' as it had all the hallmarks (& technology traits) of a number of other current sci-fi books by the likes of Banks, Asher and Reynolds (all favorite sci-fi reads of mine) but slowly the book has grown on me and in the end it became a 'binge-read'.

Interesting plot line (I wont give anything away) - around the arrival of a massive alien entity (called The Architect - there appear to be more than one) that uses gravity as a weapon to dismantle planets - by brute force. With an apparent total disregard for the life on that target world.

Any similarities to an early Star Trek episode - the one where the 'Emissary' arrives over earth and in an attempt to communicate with the (by then extinct) whales in Earths sea, starts to destroy the planet by accident - is probably purely coincidental. As is the brooding presence of the 'sense of evil' that stalks the 'un-space' in the film Event Horizon. Or the use of human 'psychics' - a bit like in Babylon 5. 
But I found it a galloping ride of a space opera - some interesting 'new' weapon/technology types and new alien races.

I shall be off investigating the next book in the trilogy and might also take a look at some of his other sci-fi offerings. The Fantasy books don't look likely to be something I'd go for however.

It will be interesting to see if the rest of the Architect trilogy is as good.

Mark

[FierceKitty]

The more up-to-date Duffy books really need an attentive editor.

[Steve J]

Sadly Helion don't pay to have their books edited or proof read, or at least that used to be the case. Hence the rather hit or miss output from them which is a shame, as they really do have some interesting stuff. I have a few of the late Mike Embree books and the first I read was a real slog, with the odd repeated paragraph here and there, lack of clarity in places. A good editor and proof reader would have made a huge difference.

[Chris Pringle]

Sadly Helion don't pay to have their books edited or proof read, or at least that used to be the case.

Actually Helion definitely do pay to have at least some of their books copy-edited - I happen to know one of their freelance copy-editors - but I suppose not all freelance copy-editors work to the same standards, or perhaps not every book can justify the cost of copy-editing. (For instance, understandably, they don't copy-edit the works I've translated for them.) If a particular book doesn't look as though it's been edited properly, maybe Helion just got a duff freelancer, and hopefully won't use that person again.

[Leon]

They definitely have editors for some of their books as I was having a drink with one of them on Friday night!  He said that different people take the lead on the different book series' though, so some may get more oversight than others.

[Steve J]

Well I'm glad to hear they are currently using editors and stand corrected. Let's hope it improves the overall standard of their books compared to some of their earlier offerings.

[kipt]

Finished "The Damned Of Petersburg" by Ralph Peters, another of his ACW novels.  The subject is in the title.

I really like how he develops the characters (fleshing out real people) and narrates his story.  If yu are interested in the ACW, read his books.

[kipt]

Also finished "The Irish General; Thomas Francis Meagher" by Paul R. Wylie.  this is a very complete biography of Meagher's life, only about 100 pages out of 331 concerning the ACW and the Irish Brigade.

While it was good I was really looking for more of the Irish Brigades exploits (and I do have another book on the brigade).  So, full of information but not satisfying to me.

[hammurabi70]

Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon
Lagos & Karyanos
ISBN9781526758064

A most intriguing rewrite of the battle that would overturn much received wisdom.  Recommended.

[FierceKitty]

I've just finished Rushdie's latest, "Don Quichotte". Learn from my error, and skip it. It's a sad time to say it, but he's lost his touch. I found myself stopping every couple of pages and muttering "You did that better in ... twenty years ago". Characters, images, fantasy devices, cultural references - they're all bad imitations or even cut-and-paste of far better novels he wrote before this. I feel a traitor, but much as I've enjoyed several of his better books, I shall not be buying his next.

[flamingpig0]

Who Really Won the Battle of Marathon
Lagos & Karyanos
ISBN9781526758064

A most intriguing rewrite of the battle that would overturn much received wisdom.  Recommended.

The Persians? 

Just bought it on your recommendation

[hammurabi70]

The Persians? 

Just bought it on your recommendation

Hint: how many light troops did the Athenians field and what did they do?

[Westmarcher]

Well I'm glad to hear they are currently using editors and stand corrected. Let's hope it improves the overall standard of their books compared to some of their earlier offerings.

I'm not sure when serious proof reading is (or was) intended to start but so far, not encouraging, if recent offerings such as "Like A Brazen Wall" are anything to go by. Published last year, this is about the Battle of Minden and is my first and only Helion purchase to date. Thankfully, I did enjoy it but I must say, for such a pricey product, I was very disappointed with the level (or lack?) of proof reading. For example, "line of site" (give me strength), frequent sentences where it looks as if the author was swithering over which one of two words to use (so both words included) and others which I no longer recall. 

[flamingpig0]

Hint: how many light troops did the Athenians field and what did they do?

Hint: how many light troops did the Athenians field and what did they do?

iirc The Osprey book on Platea  kind of makes a similar point