I figured I would learn something about Nero’s Rome, which I suppose I did – I learned that it was remarkably vulgar and fixated on physical pleasures. Rarely have I found a book as discomfiting as I did Satyricon.
Fictional (Un)Just War Theory
A fantasy story I was reading recently which featured an alternative world setting and so forth, happened to mention war crimes. It presented this as natural and expected, except that the world-building did not support it.
Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire Review
From a scientific sense, though, there are far better means by which to learn about thermodynamics and the theory of heat engines.
Luther the Reformer Review
After purporting to tell the story of “the man and his career,” Kittelson instead provides a dry, biased history that barely even scratches the surface of the complexity of Luther and his times.
Grant Review
Grant lived up to my exospheric expectations for a Chernow biography in spectacular fashion, and my biggest challenge reading it was not inhaling it in three-hundred-page binges.
War: How Conflict Shaped Us Review
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.
IGC Publishing 