I was interested to see what insights I might glean from MacMillan’s War: How Conflict Shaped Us, but the answer, sadly, was ‘not many.’
Two Treatises of Government Review
After spending the first treatise lambasting a proponent of absolute, unlimited monarchy, Locke turns in the second treatise to what I would consider the more productive exercise of defining, deriving, and justifying for himself the source of political power in any commonwealth.
Volsunga Saga Review
If I were feeling lazy, I could probably summarize this review by saying that reading the Volsunga Saga was a little like reading a cross between Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology and The Story of Burnt Njal.
Niccolò Rising Review
The elements that I enjoyed about the Lymond Chronicles are all present: a brilliant protagonist, beautiful writing, fascinating historical context, and evocative descriptions. Despite all of that, I found it difficult to engage with the story.
The Lion Review
The Lion captures one of the most significant time periods in the history of the western world, the pact that helped forge the Hellenic peoples into a single culture.
Reality-Proximal Storytelling
If we take the complete, whole-cloth invention of a new world as one extreme, and reality-proximal stories set firmly in our world as the other, then what I'm interested in talking about today is the middle ground.
Shadows of Self Review
Shadows of Self picks up a little after the events of Alloy of Law and builds on the threads leftover at the end of the first novel.
The Clan of the Cave Bear Review
Auel does it more than justice: she provides a piece of soft science fiction that is a compelling story, evocative of its time and place and unique circumstances while simultaneously embracing themes of universal humanity.
Stalin Review
We can learn the history of a time, place, or person without reading a biography. Biographies are fundamentally personal, and why should we desire to spend time in the company of someone considered one of history's villains? In most cases, I think that the answer is a desire to understand.
Mysteries of the Middle Ages Review
After the study of people, of humanity, the field of history might be of the greatest importance for the study of the aspiring fantasy author, and especially of the period referred to as the ‘Middle Ages.’
IGC Publishing 