79 years ago this month, Nazi troops faked an attack on a German Radio station. By the end of September 1939 the world was in the grips of a second world war.
Category: Books
Soldier, Citizen; a Review of Starship Troopers
I have my own YouTube channel now and have started adding reviews to the site. The first is a version of this review for Starship Troopers. Have a look below. I'd really appreciate it also if you took the time to like and subscribe if you enjoyed the video. https://youtu.be/-M8QKtO-iUo My rating: 4 of 5 …
Continue reading Soldier, Citizen; a Review of Starship Troopers
Review of Epitaph For a Spy
Epitaph For A Spy by Eric Ambler My rating: 4 of 5 stars I began my foray into the thriller genre back in the mid to late 1990’s. This trip began, like most people that began reading thrillers in the 90’s, with the venerable Tom Clancy and his seminal work Red Storm Rising. Oddly, one …
Review of Childhood’s End
This is one of Arthur C. Clarke's books I never read as a child. I suspect the teenage me would have felt differently about this book then the adult me now does.
Review of Anticipating Surprise
Anticipating Surprise: Analysis for Strategic Warning by Cynthia M. Grabo My rating: 3 of 5 stars Fair warning here, no pun intended, Anticipating Surprise: Analysis for Strategic Warning is a difficult book to get through. It is based on a previously classified book by Cynthia M. Grabo to teach CIA analysts how to conduct warning …
Check out this review of Hardwired
Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams My rating: 3 of 5 stars I've wanted to read this novel for years, being a big cyberpunk fan from the old days. I've read most of William Gibson and a smattering of others including the The Difference Engine written by Gibson and Williams. This was a nostalgic trip and …
Check out this review of America’s Great Game
America's Great Game: The CIA's Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East by Hugh Wilford My rating: 4 of 5 stars As I finish this book today, forces backed by the United States have announced they are heading toward the erstwhile capital of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. …
Continue reading Check out this review of America’s Great Game
Review of The Secret Civil War
The Secret Civil War by John Reynolds Sawyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Secret Civil War was an interesting read that helped fill in some of my gaps in the knowledge of the Civil War. It was, however, not without its flaws. It could have done with another once over by a proofreader …
Review: The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature
The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature by Jeff VanderMeer My rating: 0 of 5 stars This book has some wonderful qualities. The artwork is fantastic and eye catching and the early portion of the book moves along well. The author gives …
Review: The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was sent to me by a a very close family friend while I was mobilized to Iraq for the end of the Iraq War, or Operation New Dawn (OND) as it was called. I had brought along my kindle and …
Ramblings of a distracted mind. 