A Shau Valor

 Thomas R. Yarborough's A Shau Valor takes you to the action that brought individuals recognition with wards of Congressional Medals of Honor and other distinctions for courage, bravery, and service. A lot of those recipients received the awards posthumously. Although there is discussion about the war overall, the actions are restricted to the A Shau Valley and areas close by. I knew one of the Medal of Honor recipients and was glad to see his story retold in this volume. It was because of him that I was familiar with at least the name of the valley. 

The book takes the reader from one mission to another, often explaining how the particular mission related to the larger plan. The action is intense and bloody. Outstanding stories of courage and valor leap from the pages. There are just so many of them that a sort of fatigue comes over the reader--at least that's how it was for me. The missions, the weapons, the helicopters, the establishing and defending of bases, the taking and retaking of hilltops, and the rescues in terrible conditions all becomes overwhelming. As I often do in such cases, I took a break and read a different book or two before heading back into the A Shau. After that, I continued through to the end.

One can't read the experiences without feeling admiration for the courage and sacrifices of the soldiers and other personnel involved in the fighting. The American ground troops exhibited tremendous bravery and always seemed to be outnumbered, usually attacking/defending or scouting in small units. The chopper crews defied the odds, flying in where angels would fear to tread in order to insert or rescue ground forces or the crews of other downed choppers. I couldn't believe how many choppers were shot down. It may be more precise to say I'm surprised that more weren't shot down.

The book reveals an utter failure of leadership and strategic planning in the A Shau. While there may not have been a winning possibility, given all the circumstances at the time, the decision to wage a war of attrition, simply withdrawing from ground taken at tremendous costs only to go back and retake it again after giving the enemy an opportunity to reoccupy and strengthen the position seems like the peak of foolishness, guaranteeing reduced morale and high casualties. It's hard to look at that approach and imagine it could ever be successful against a determined and dedicated enemy.

Read the book. The accounts of these heroes should be read and their valor recognized.

________________

I spent the week going over book two of my boys' adventure books for Raconteur Press for structural edits. The story pulled me in again and I enjoyed the wild, wild ride on the high road to adventure. I believe the plan is still for publication in September. Meanwhile, I'll get back to work on book three, which is over half complete.

 

 

 

 

 

Djinn and Tonic

  Before I get to my review of Tim Powers' Declare, I must report on the weekend doings.

Comedienne got baptized on Saturday and asked me to do the honors while her other grandpa performed the confirmation. I got to reacquaint myself with some old friends at the baptismal venue and served at the later celebration by daubing burger dough onto the grill so Lawtwister could pressure, interrogate, and flip  them until they were ready to spill their deliciousness to hungry consumers. I found it a complete success.

The lone fly in the ointment of the outstanding weekend was the gray plague that affected Les Freres Corses et Mere. As a result of the quarantine, we didn't get to visit, haul off couch and bed, or assist in the hanging of the wall poster from the cover of Accidental Pirates. 

We did, however, get to attend the dance extravaganza in which Former President participated. Hers was the best group, I must say. For reward we had ice cream.

Now - to the review:

"Ankh if you heart history, horror, and supernatural mystery." I guess that's a little long for bumper sticker, but that would be my blurb for the book. 

Declare combines spy craft from WWII through the Cold War with fantasy. Specifically, it's a case of djinn and tonic--along with vodka and other spirits--wherein espionage and supernatural elements mesh in a tale that keeps the reader wondering. I think my least favorite thing about the story is the fact that it's told in a nonlinear, non-chronological fashion. We're dumped into 1963 and flipped back to 1944, and bounced through years in between in England, Paris, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other places. I think I understand why the author chose to tell the story that way: It keeps the reader guessing and the adhesive tension taut as the reader struggles to connect the different elements.

In a nutshell, Andrew Hale gets indentured into the spy game as a very young boy. His mother was a nun in Lebanon or somewhere in the Levant who was saved by British Intelligence--I forget whether that was the SIS or SOE; probably the latter. Eventually, he is sent to Paris as a communist where he meets Elena, who is a communist from Spain. The two of them work as a team, sending information about the Nazis to Moscow. When they get recalled to Moscow, a sure death sentence, Hale retreats to England instead. Elena survives her Moscow ordeal, having her eyes opened to the realities of the communism and Mother Russia's unique gift.

A pivotal event takes place on Mount Ararat in 1948 where Hale loses everyone in the contingent he leads in a special mission. The details of this mission are dribbled out here and there with a full picture of what happened only coming into focus two-thirds of the way or more through the book. Even then, it's not entirely clear. The opening of the book begins the mission for what will be a second attempt at the Ararat mission. Most of the book is from Hale's point of view, but I think we get a chapter or portion of a chapter from Elena, and another from a character named Kim Philby who plays an important roll. In fact, Hale, Elena, and Philby and the key characters in the drama.

I'm not going to give away any details or the ending. It does become apparent early on in the story that there are supernatural elements at play. We learn that the djinn have particular powers and Hale has some connection with them. After the second Ararat mission, the story isn't over. I'll leave it at that.

Can I say that it's a great story but that it didn't thrill me? I enjoyed the bare bones of the story along with much of the descriptions, twists, and intrigue. The spy craft details were of particular interest and Power's ability to weave real live events with the story and supernatural explanations may be unmatched. Nevertheless, I felt like the tale required greater effort than the promise delivered. I loved the core of the story, but the bouncing timeline and drawn out fashion of the telling obfuscated the tale instead of piquing my interest. 

I give it 4 ankhs out of 5. Check it out for yourself.

Killing Napoleon

 It's a fun fact with a book review:

 December 24, 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of France and victor of the Battle of Marengo, had decided not to go to the theater to hear Haydn's The Creation oratorio. He changed his mind under pressure from Josephine and her daughter Horsense. After all, it was expected that the Bonaparte's would attend the premiere. In addition to Napoleon's aide-de-camp, Jean Rapp, Ann-Charles Lebrun, General Jean Lannes, Caroline Murat, and General Bessieres accompanied the Bonaparte family. Napoleon left first with Lannes and Bessieres. Rapp attended to the ladies in a second coach, delaying it as he spent time adjusting Josephine's beautiful shawl from Constantinople for best effect. 

Napoleon's coach had already sped away for the theater before Rapp had completed the arranging of the shawl. A detachment of 12 mounted grenadiers of the Consular Guard preceded his coach. In the Rue Saint-Nicaise, one of the grenadiers noted a cart blocking half the street as well as a carriage coming through the gap. The grenadier pushed his horse between the cart and carriage. The mare on the cart was startled and recoiled, unbalancing a conspirator who was lighting the fuse of the infernal machine contained in the cart. The fuse did get lit, but the act was delayed by the unbalancing as well as the fact that another conspirator had failed to give a timely signal. 

The First Consul's coach, which had slowed, sped up to rush by the cart. The coach turned off to Rue Marceau at the moment the bomb blew. The explosion shattered windows, lifted the grenadiers from their seats, toppled chimneys, and damaged walls and roofs, wreaking havoc and carnage on the Paris street. The poor girl who had been paid a few coins to hold the mare may have been the first victim of the blast. Even the horse was utterly destroyed, leaving only a shod hindquarter near the scene.

Napoleon's coach tipped on two wheels and a window broke. Lannes tried to kick open the door, believing someone had fired a cannon at them.

The ladies' coach was approaching when the blast rocked the street. The coach was lifted from the ground and windows broke, wounding Hortense's hand.  The horses reared amid the cloud of noxious dust and ran back toward the Tuileries. After learning that Napoleon had escaped unharmed, they went to the opera by an alternative route.

The above is summarized from the accounts in a chapter of Jonathan North's Killing Napoleon: The Plot to Blow Up Bonaparte. The nonfiction book tells the tale of the conspirators, the plot, the method and means by which the explosive-laden cart came to the Rue Saint-Nicaise, the aftermath and damage from the blast, which killed many and injured many more on the busy street, as well as the measures taken to find and punish those responsible (including those who weren't). 

The book is highly readable--being well researched and well written--providing an understanding of events and the individuals involved. I enjoyed discovering the workings and the rivalries of the Paris Police agencies and the detective work required to track down and try at least some of those responsible. Although the confessions weren't entirely voluntary, they did seem to be supported by the facts uncovered in the investigation. The devastation of the terror event receives decent treatment as well, including notes about the injuries and charitable restitution provided for the unfortunate survivors.

I give it 5 out of 5 blasts.

We have to imagine that had the plot been successful, not only would 15 years of history have been dramatically changed, the target most certainly would have become forever associated with the manner of his death, often being referred to as: Napoleon Blownaparte. 

 

 

 

Ardneh's Sword

I finished reading Fred Saberhagen's Ardneh's Sword a few days ago. As with the earlier work in the series, Empire of the East, I stopped about 75 percent of the way through to read another book. I needed the palate cleansed before I could go on, because the pacing was off for me. The slow build to the conclusion was a steady diet of the same bland questions. I did give it 4 stars because it began and ended well--sort of. The story takes place a thousand years after the events of EotE. Chance, Rolf's heir is off with an expedition to find the titular item. Under the direction of a scholar, he cares for an owl that may have the capacity for speech, but the speech is a dialect of gibberish. The owl is wounded mysteriously while bringing Chance Ardneh's Key; this item comes and goes from around Chance's neck at will. Chance meets a young, redheaded boy and as well as a girl, the boy's twin, and a grandmotherly figure. Turns out that these three are the same entity, a djinn named Zalmoxis, or is it the mighty demon Avenarius? That question persists until near the end of the book.

Meanwhile, the scholarly wagon train is threatened by bandits and attempts to take refuge at a sanctuary of healers--although what they're doing way out there in the blasted lands, or whatever the desolation is call, I never quite understood. There, Chance meets Abigail, who has some magic sense and takes the items left by the dead sorceress who was part of the scholarly wagon train to the treasure. The healers do take them to a cave. The bandits attack; there's some magic; Draffut returns to route the bandits for a time.The Beast Lord then goes off on some other errand--like Reverend Tim Tom--taking part of the caravan with him while Chance, Abigail, Zalmoxis, and others take another way looking for Ardneh's workshop.

As you might expect, the bandits follow with an eye toward the prize. The prize at last becomes revealed. Ardneh's sword isn't one item, but many--spandex suits that turn the wearers into pagan gods with no recollection of their former life. One of these dispatches Avenarius. The many gods go their ways. Abigail and Chance elect not to don this armor of the gods and go make marriage plans. The end.

I was most disappointed by the fact that the big battle at the end of EoftE promised a better and different world. However, a thousand years later, the world appeared to be pretty much the same as before, albeit with fewer demons. The owl's role never amounted to much. Avenarius as an antagonist turned out to be a dud; his demise wasn't attributable to any heroics by Chance. The matter of who was spying for the bandits, and the suspicious activity of one of the minor characters was never resolved, as near as I can remember. I'm not a fan of the resolution, but donning the armor of the gods was a completely unexpected twist that was intriguing. One must wonder whether the humans were worse off with the demons or the new gods that were Ardneh's cure for that affliction. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been shorter. Again, I gave it 4 stars, so my criticisms should be considered in that light.

The sequel to Accidental Pirates has been written and received a round of editing. I'll make one more complete read/edit pass and send it in for consideration for publication. I'll be the first to admit that Accidental Pirates has a slower start than I prefer. The sequel, on the other hand, hits the afterburners at the end of the first short chapter. Although it does gear down for the curves, it never hits the brakes. The last several chapters are a white hot burn to the finish with no shortage of casualties along the way as the boys face danger from the blood pack, turncoats, magical beasts, treachery, and the Dragon Queen herself. It's a glorious charge into peril to help good prevail against evil.

 

 

 

 

Carthage Conspiracy

 

Check it out. Accidental Pirates is number 1 in Teen and Young Adult Pirate Action & Adventure

 Now that I've got that out of my system, I could ramble about the sequel, which is nearing completion with Chis struggling as a mage-in-training without a trainer, and Kenny, as a youthful knight with the help of some additional enchantment, on a quest that will determine the fate of two kingdoms - and they still have to get back home. These boys know how to press the adventure pedal to the metal.

This is going in the newsletter, but I can't resist adding it here because it goes so well with Accidental Pirates. It's the pirate hymn. You'll have to see the newsletter for the complete story. Here's the pirate version of a hymn that's popular in some congregations with which I've attended:

 I'll never be able to hear the hymn without thinking of pirates now.

 

 

I recently finished reading Carthage Conspiracy by Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill. A few years ago, my son, my dad, and I went to Carthage to view the scene and hear the tale of the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at the hands of an armed mob bent on murder. The murders only took a few minutes - it makes it easier when the foxes guarding the chicken coop stand aside to let their comrades in to do the deeds.

The title tells it, and the sources support it. The murders were premeditated and had been no brief time in the arranging. The book goes into the trial, including excerpts from opening statements, trial testimony, and closing arguments. It's a solid read from the perspective of a lawyer and judge. The prosecution suffered many handicaps, and even if the case had been flawlessly presented, a hung jury was the most likely outcome - or would've been had the jury been a true cross-section of the community. There was an incredible amount of animosity by many against the Smiths. A newspaper editor amassed the fuel and pointed the way to create the conflagration. Militia leaders and members became the willing torches for the funeral pyre. If I remember correctly, one of the attorneys for the five defendants even argued that the perpetrators hadn't done anything much of the community hadn't wanted done, so that it would be unjust to find them guilty of a crime.

It's good read. I recommend it, giving it 5 out of 5 smashed pocket watches. If you know, you know.

 

 

 

 

Empire of the East

 Empire of the East, by Fred Saberhagen, contains the first three books in the four-book series - which explains why the book is so long. It really did feel like reading three books. In fact, I read two other books, or at least one and a half books, before I finally finished this one. A post-apocalyptic feudal society is the setting where the West struggles against the demon forces of the East. In Book One, The Broken Lands, Rolf loses his family and, while looking for his sister, finds a tank, among other things. Other players include Chup who sets up Rolf to slay another rebel in the arena--who happens to be the boyfriend of the rebel girl he wants to be sweet on; and Charmian, who is a a beauty with a frightening ability to manipulate men. She's Chup's wife, and the daughter of the local headman for the East. Rolf and his allies, with the help of the tank, liberate the fortress. The battle costs Chup the use of his legs and Charmian flees. Against the sorcerers and demons of the East, the forces of the West also have wizards who control demons. More importantly, they have Ardneh. 

I can't quite remember where Books Two and Three, The Black Mountains and Ardneh's World, begin and end. These tell the further adventures of Rolf, Chup, and Charmian. Chup recovers from his injuries through demoniacal magic and is re-recruited to the East, where he finds Charmian and is about to feed her to a demon, but further complications arise, and Chup escapes to the West, while Charmian escapes to manipulate another Eastern leader to serve her own purposes. The story pours out more information about the demons and many are destroyed along the way. There's a massive healing pool in the mountains and a monstrously huge figure, Draffut who was once a dog. Draffut runs the healing pool and fixes up the warriors of the East to continue in battle against the West until Rolf converts him to the cause of the West and he helps defeat the big bad demon du jour for the East. That must be the end of The Black Mountains.

 In Ardneh's World, the story continues on as East and West strive for supremacy. Catherine enters the story in this book. She was one of Charmian's attendants, and the vile beauty has placed a curse on her. She and Rolf race against the armies and flying lizards of the East to get to Ardneh's stronghold. Chup manages to get captured by the East again and his torture and death is the mechanism by which the most powerful of Eastern sorcerers means to release Orcus, the most baddest, dire, and vengeful of all the demons to work the final defeat of the West. All does not go according to plan. The demon escapes; Chup and Charmian survive; the sorcerer does not. Ultimately, the army of the East surrounds Ardneh's stronghold. Rolf and Catherine are commanded to flee with the remains of the army of the West, and Ardneh succumbs to the forces of the East, taking them out with him.

I can't judge the entire series, because I haven't yet read the final book, Ardneh's Sword. Others have praised Saberhagen's seamless meshing of science-fiction and fantasy in this series. I guess I'm not a fan of that particular blend. I think I would've preferred one or the other. I enjoyed the first book more than the other two. It seems that although Ardneh's demise changed the world, magic will remain and technology will also become available. I don't know. I'm speculating, or maybe I read that in a blurb or it was at the end of the third book. Charmian, Rolf, and Chup were the only characters that were at all memorable. The flying reptiles and the intelligent birds provided good allies for the opposing sides. Frankly, I was put off by the entire demon thing; not an itch I ever need scratched. The showdown at the end of book three might be seen as the ultimate confrontation of magic and technology in which they both lose - but also both win? I don't know. We'll see what happens in the final book.

_________________________

 Here's a review of Accidental Pirates - the first I've seen.

Writing on the sequel to Accidental Pirates continues. I've started chapter 22 and mapped out in my head the events of the remaining chapters. Naturally, there are some details that won't become clear until the ink meets the page - but that's usually where the awesome tends to happen.

 

 

 

 

 

Merlin's Bones

 

 I picked up Fred Saberhagen's Merlin's Bones to read another take on the Arthur legend. This story was certainly unlike any other. I first encountered King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as kid. My parents had a series of flip over books--two books in one with each upside down to the other, with two covers--I'm not sure, but I believe the King Arthur book was opposite Howard Pyle's Robin Hood. I loved both of those books. In King Arthur, the knights were always fighting and at some point one of them would smash through the other's helmet to bury his sword in the brain pan of the other. In Robin Hood, the hero was always sending a clothyard shaft to its mark. Later, my high school librarian got me a copy of Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur. She found it at a yard sale and thought of me--which, of course, was fabulous. I still have that one and read it again only a few years ago. Other retellings of the tale I've read include Bernard Cornwell's version (books 1 and 3 only because I never found book 2 on sale) which I've discussed here previously. I can't remember the others I've read, but I'm sure there have been others. 

As for Saberhagen's tale, it captured my interest from the start. We have the young Amby and a troupe of performers taking refuge in a mysterious and unfinished castle near a network of caves in which Merlin's bones are hidden. Meanwhile, a woman at some high tech company in the 20th century is left alone at the establishment. A guy named Fisher finds her, and other characters from the legend get involved. She eventually drives an ambulance to Camelot. Amby and the other performers take on roles from the legend while the actual mythical characters get involved as well. 

Although the story grabbed my attention, the longer it went on, the less fascinating it became. Perhaps I should've expected it from the start, but ultimately it became much ado about which I grew weary. I recommend the first three-quarters of the book. Of course, one won't be able to stop at that point and one will then continue to the point that disappoints. Don't say you weren't warned. 

I love Saberhagen's work, at least the portion I've read. My first Saberhagen experience came through a book my mom got me for Christmas: Brother Assassin. Later I read at least the first book of Empire of the East (in fact, I'm re-reading that now and I have acquired the second book as well). I've also read most, but not all of the Swords books. As far as I can remember, I haven't read any of his vampire books. So, I like his style and his stories. This particular one just didn't live up to the high expectations the early part of the story created for me. I give it 3.5 femurs out of 5, calculated as 5 for the promise but subtracting 1.5 for failure to deliver in a satisfying manner.

_____________

Why was I reading Merlin's Bones, even pausing 80% of the way through Empire of the East to digest the bones? Therein lies a tale, or two tales. First, you must be aware that my adventure book for boys, Accidental Pirates, has now become available in paperback as well as ebook--that's the first tale. (While I'm mentioning that, here's an Excerpt from Accidental Pirates). I've been working on the sequel to that exciting tale. In the sequel, the boys go to a land, inspired by the Arthur myth in some respects, with kings and knights and wizards--that's the second tale. I read for inspiration, and got some. I knew reading that would cause me to think of things I did or didn't want to do for my adventure book, which was already half complete, but a twist was coming. I was wrestling with some ideas and reading MB helped me make some decisions. In reading the early part, I favored one angle, but upon completion of MB, I revised my opinion in favor of the original idea I had before reading the book. If that doesn't make much sense, don't worry. It doesn't have to. It's the sausage itself and not the process that is the product.

 

 

One Crowded Hour: The Little Bighorn

 David Larson's One Crowded Hour: The Little Bighorn weighs in at over 400 and 60 some pages, so it's not a light read. For those of you new to U.S. History who have never heard of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Gall, Reno, Benteen, or Custer, I can't imagine how you've remained ignorant of one of the most exciting and controversial episodes of the Old West and The Indian Wars. Here are the facts, not all of which are without dispute: In June of 1876, the U.S. Army sent three columns into Montana Territory after Sioux and Cheyenne who had left the reservation. 

(Note, the autographed book giveaway is down to the last two days. Enter now to win). 

Custer led the Seventh Cavalry in one of these columns and his scouts found a large Indian village camped along the Little Bighorn River. The natives were not only restless, finding that no casino plans had been formalized, they were expecting blue-coated guests. Thousands of Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho had gathered for the dance. Custer's scouts, including Crow and Arikara, warned him that the number of hostiles in the valley exceeded the recommended daily allowance by several thousand calories. While Custer may not have said, "Nothing in this world is more surprising that the attack without mercy," he nevertheless persisted in ordering an attack. While Benteen was tasked with accompanying the slow train of mules with packs, Custer ordered Reno to charge from the south, while he took a larger force to attack from the north, apparently planning to capture the women and children as hostages to persuade the warriors to surrender. 

Reno's diversionary attack was successful in that more Indians than he had ever seen before counterattacked him. His force dismounted and were driven into the trees. Realizing they had situated themselves perfectly for an opportunity to die in place, Reno led a retreat back across the river and up a coulee. The native attack eventually relented and Benteen joined Reno, but the pack mules with the ammunition and supplies were slow moving.

Custer had been making his way north and had previously sent Benteen a message that a big village had been located. He called for Benteen to come quickly and to bring the packs--two seemingly contradictory directives.

While Reno and Benteen dawdled, with Reno's exhausted men and horses trying to recover from the devastating counterattack, Custer and his force rolled on the search tables. Instead of defenseless hostages, the dice revealed all the warriors that had been attacking Reno, and probably even more, all dressed up and looking to fill their dance cards. The music started and the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho utterly exhausted their dance partners, surrounding and overwhelming Custer's 210 men with their own variant of the attack without mercy--Custer was surprised to death, but the arrows and bullets contributed.

Reno and Benteen didn't bug out during the night, with many wounded who would have been left behind, and spent another day under Indian attack with little cover. The arrival of the relief force finally persuaded any remaining hostiles to seek a new venue. The Seventh Cavalry had lost 270 men with many more wounded. The survivors posted reviews indicating, "No stars given. Not what we expected. Would not recommend."

David Larson, of course, relates the story much better and with a heavier word count. His book is a work of fiction heavily blended with, and I believe, consistent with at least some versions of the facts. I initially enjoyed the tale as it revolved around Custer and the major army players, their plans and interactions. Once the story turned to the two young men who wanted to join the cavalry, Will and Jake, I thought it became overwrought and forced. The descriptions and dialog were off putting. However, I merely skimmed most of that. I wanted a fast-paced tale steeped in historical fact rather than speculation or pure fiction.

My mixed feelings took a turn for the better once we got into the approach of the battle and the actual clash of arms. Larson successfully conveys the savagery and horror of the battle from the perspective of the outnumbered troopers. He charges in with Reno and the action never falters, following companies and individuals through the bloody conflict. The story becomes a gripping and compelling read.

Following the last stand and its aftermath, Larson recounts the subsequent lives of several of the survivors from the Little Bighorn until their deaths. If I remember correctly, the last survivor died in 1950.

The thrilling tale of the exciting fight on the banks of the Greasy Grass substantially outweighs the overwrought aspects of the account. I give it five sabers out of five. 

This may be your final chance to get in on the autographed giveaway. 

 

 

 

Knights of Spain

 

I finally did it. I submitted a manuscript for a contest. If all goes well, I'll still be ecstatic about the publication in November of my adventure book for boys, Accidental Pirates, and may forget to be too disappointed if my manuscript isn't well received. On the other hand, because there's always another hand, I remain cautiously optimistic about the manuscript. It's a great story with gobs of action/adventure (which is really the thing I do best, well, except for witty banter--of which there's also a plethora), with a timely subject. I consider it a love note to America and to literature.

Speaking of the boy's adventure book, it's still in editing. My structural edits were well received, so it has moved on to the next phase.

Let's get to the book reviews. I've got two here.

Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun by Charles Hudson provides a fascinating look into Hernando de Soto's exploration of the American south in the mid 1500s. Tremendously well researched, the story follows De Soto and his hundreds in La Florida in the quest for treasure. The journey took the Spaniards from one tribulation to another, from one encounter to another--that's the gist of it--rinse, repeat, rearrange, and repeat again. The pattern with the encounters usually included capturing the chief and getting food and slaves for good treatment of the hostage chief. On more than one occasion the natives recruited the Spaniards into hostile actions against their neighbors. De Soto never did find significant treasure and didn't survive the adventure, surrendering his hit point total gradually before he was twice buried and then dumped into the Mississippi River. All things considered, a good time was not had by all and the survivors gave the new world native B&Bs very low ratings and could not recommend them to friends.

The book, however, is well worth the read. The Spaniards were no soft slouches and the natives they fought often proved to be valiant and skilled warriors. Had the adventures not had the horses, they might've all been slain or forced to depart much earlier. None of the horses made it out. I was impressed with the sheer size of the expeditionary force and especially with the number of hogs they took.

I give it five conquistador helmets out of five. It's full of good information and detail, including archeological evidence about the expedition and the native settlements.

 

In stark contrast to the above review, my thoughts about Joan of Arc's Champion to Sorcerer: The Dark Fall of Gilles de Rais by Thaddeus Shade never rose above disappointment. It's a short work of 65 pages. While Knights was extensively noted, I don't recall a single footnote or end note in Champion. Each chapter begins with an overview of what the chapter will cover, then provides the information promised, recounts what was reported, and finally tells what the next chapter will reveal. As you might guess, it's incredibly repetitive.  I could forgive the wearisome repetition if there had been any substance to the material. It really felt like a summary of wikipedia articles or a term paper without reference notes. You may note Joan of Arc in the title. She was finally discussed near the end. The gist of the information is that Giles de Rais met Joan of Arc and was completely taken by her. He accompanied her in combat and was devoted to her. After she was captured and burned, he sought so deeply for divine power that he pursued alchemy, astrology, and necromancy and eventually died under mysterious circumstances. There's no story and very little fact. Rumor and myth are summarized and repeated. If this book were a meal, it would be a styrofoam plate that had been passed near the aroma of food.

________________________________________

 

Three Hearts and Three Lions

 

I finished reading this book, Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. I can't think of another book by the late Anderson that I've read, and my expectations weren't high. They sagged even lower when the story began with the hero finding a splendid charger with armor, lance, and sword awaiting him as he regained consciousness in a strange new world after blacking out at a WWII skirmish against the Nazis. Fortunately, I didn't abandon the book.

Our hero, Holger Carlsen, comes across as a little John Carter-esque. Actually, he's got advantages Carter didn't because he seems to intuitively know how to ride and sword fight and doesn't have to deal with gravitational issues. He does have to get to know the strange place, but he has advantages there too. All these unearned advantages at the start of the story put me off. Nevertheless, I continued and eventually found myself caught up in the adventure with Holger, Alianora, and Hugi in this Middle World where the chaotic forces of the Faerie East strive to defeat order as represented by humans and the Empire in the West in this medieval fantasy tale.

Holger doesn't realize it, but he is an impressive dude in this realm. His troika of trouble is drawn by discovering who he is supposed to be in Middle World, dealing with romantic and relationships, and battling the forces of chaos. He first encounters an old witch-woman who recommends Duke Alfric of Faerie as to connect him with someone who could send him back to his own world. Along the way, Holger finds an ally in the dwarf Hugi, who leads him to Alianora, the swan-maiden. These two escort him to Alfric, where he meets Morgan Le Fay. 

Alianora warns Holger before Alfric traps him in Elf Hill.The forces of chaos and Morgan Le Fay pursue him through the rest of the story with help from Morgan's allies. Holger and his friends manage to defeat, outwit, or contain a dragon, a giant, and a werewolf. After Holger solves the werewolf problem, a Saracen knight joins the team. He's looking for Holger, but the hero's magical disguise keeps him from being recognized. Then they're off to find the sword Cortana.

The quest for the sword takes them through the territory of the hillmen, where a good time was not had by all, and finally into a troll hole where they fight a vicious creature to escape at great cost. They find the sword's hiding place as the Wild Hunt catches up to them. We don't get to see how Holger deals with chaos once he has Cortana. He eventually gets back to WWII, and after the war seeks to return to the Middle World and Alianora. Naturally, I've left out a lot details because you might want to read this book. I don't want to ruin it entirely for you.

Do I recommend it? Sure. It's a fun tale. Although some aspects are completely predictable, the journey is an exciting romp. It did feel like the forces of chaos and Morgan Le Fay never devoted their complete power and efforts to defeating Holger--of course, that whole super allergy to iron does hinder the Faeries and Morgan has personal reasons for not trying to crush him like a bug.

I say take the tale for a spin. It was a flavor I hadn't had in sometime, and I enjoyed it.

I do have The Broken Sword by the same author. I'll have to try it now. 

 

The Haunted Mesa

This week I finished reading Louis L'Amour's The Haunted Mesa for the first time. It's a tale set in the Navajo Mountain area--San Juan County, Utah. I have some passing familiarity with the region and a bit of the history, particularly regarding Moab, Blanding, and Bluff. None of these places figure prominently in the story as the the canyons and mesas provide the larger-than-life setting. 

Legend, myth, and reality clash in this novel. Louis L'Amour channels Tony Hillerman and Edgar Rice Burroughs in this sci-fi/fantasy mystery thriller. The protagonist, Mike Raglan, is a world traveler who investigates and mostly debunks claims of mysterious and supernatural. He's been summoned to the area by an acquaintance, Erik Hokart. By the time Raglan arrives, Hokart has gone missing from the place he's building on one of the mesas. However, he left a journal of his activities, including the strange experiences he has had involving a kiva on the mesa. It becomes apparent that Hokart went through a portal from this world to the old world from which the Anasazi came. That world is apparently a pretty terrible place.

The journal gets dropped off to Raglan and some bad guys try to get it from him. The story wanders from there. Raglan occupies lots of time doing things other than immediately studying the journal in minute detail. He spends too much time wondering--and I can tell that Raglan's wondering is Louis L'Amour wondering where he's going with the story and not getting immediate or satisfactory answers. L'Amour didn't know the answers, so Raglan can't find the answers. The story stalls. 

We meet some interesting characters like Gallagher, a local law enforcement officer; Kawasi, a girl from the other side; Eden, a mysterious woman who may or may not be from the other side. Most of the other characters lack the depth and texture that would make them memorable. A couple interesting bad guys show up late--too late to make them serious players in the drama. 

L'Amour and Raglan grope their way along. There's a sense of urgency to rescue Hokart from the other side before he's killed or tortured or something that could be worse but nobody knows because the author didn't know either. Raglan engages in so much wondering that it becomes painful to read. I know from experience that getting a character to ask questions, to speculate, or to engage in conversations that raise issues the author hasn't yet explored can be good ways to get to those answers. Unfortunately, each dip of the wonder-scoop only dredged up another heaping helping of questions.

In channeling Hillerman and Burroughs, Louis loses L'Amour. The author never successfully weaves the three influences into the tight narrative of action and drama we've come to expect and love. By the time we get to the other side, the book is almost over. The rescue of Hokart stumbles along, rushed and unfulfilling. The whole course of events on the other side reminds me of Trelane's feast and fire for Kirk and company, having form but devoid of flavor and warmth. 

L'Amour gathers components with promise for a fabulous story, but ultimately the tale as assembled becomes less than the sum of the parts. I give it three out of five flutes.

The bonus material at the end indicates that L'Amour researched and discussed this book for a long time, perhaps too long, and may have lost interest in it, but had become obligated to write it. Apparently, L'Amour's usual method was discovery writing where the tale emerges in the telling; the writer experiences it much like the reader. That's also my preferred method. As discussed above, the discovery experience didn't unfold in the usual manner for him with this book--hence the all too frequent wondering sessions by the protagonist. 

If I were to rewrite the book (or perhaps write a similar story) it could be improved by: 1) Cutting down on the wondering and 2) giving the protagonist some clear obstacles to overcome on this side, and 3) thereby discovering a way or two to get to the other side; 4) by the midpoint in the book, the protagonist should be crossing over; 5) the other side should be more interesting with more people and supernatural elements (the enemies were not difficult to defeat), requiring more than bullets to dispatch. (Burroughs would've had his hero stripped of firearms at some early point so that the fights were up close and fraught with personal danger). As it was, the villains of the other side did have a special weapon that worked only at short range, but the hero was never in serious danger from it that I can recall. Also, 6) the journal should be examined more seriously or not used at all; Kawasi could provide the pertinent information and her coming and going or language difficulties could be used to thus delay or misconstrue some revelations.

Maybe I could develop a short story featuring my Whip and Truth characters in a similar setting. 

I do have another short story coming out soon in Raconteur Press' Sultry Murder Jazz anthology. I've also submitted a story for the Wyrd Warfare anthology and am writing on a third to submit for the Magic Malfunction anthology.

 

 

 

Little Omnibus battle

 Let's return to the Omnibus bill of 1850. Stephen Douglas succeeded where Daniel Webster had failed and brought the provisions through the Senate in small bites instead of at a single gulp. Getting the provisions through the House would be another battle.

The laconic and handsome Linn Boyd would spearhead the effort in the House. Howell Cobb of Georgia was Speaker of the House, which contained members who were often hot-headed and undisciplined. Cobb picked Boyd from those clamoring for attention on August 29. Boyd moved to add creation of the New Mexico and Utah Territories as an amendment to the Texas border bill. He soon dropped the Utah amendment, and argued, so that none would doubt where he stood, that he was for union and the Constitution. He proclaimed that he was for union not only as protection against foreign aggression, but "for the more important reason that it protects us from on another."

Joseph Root of Ohio wanted to add the Wilmot Proviso to the bill. McClernand rose to oppose the motion. Cobb repeatedly ruled the Southern members out of order on their attempts to delay the bill. Boyd, with Douglas' constant help, battled against the chaos that reigned in the chamber. Votes swayed back and forth. The bill's fate teetered on the edge between success and failure. 

On September 5, Boyd refused to allow any more amendments to be offered for his bill for fear that they would cause the bill's demise. He moved previous question to call for a vote on the bill, but the question failed. "Long John" Wentworth of Illinois wanted to send the bill back to committee to add selected amendments. Cobb ruled that his proposed amendments could be considered separately. After an amendment calling for the Wilmot Proviso to be implemented in the new territories was voted down, Cobb ruled against a second division of Wentworth's motion, reversing his ruling on the basis that it had applied to a new motion, which Wentworth's motion had then been, but with a number of votes having taken place since, the motion was no longer new and could no longer be divided. Thus the only vote left on the motion was whether it should go back to committee. Cobb's ruling was upheld by a vote, and Wentworth's motion and amendments were defeated. 

Robert Toombs then proposed an amendment which, although hidden in innocuous terms, would establish slavery in the New Mexico Territory, but the trickery was detected and nullified by slashing some of the language from Toombs' proposal. 

September 6, Cobb recognized Volney Howard of Texas, who moved for reconsideration of a third reading of the compromise bill, which had been voted down the day before. The vote carried. Finally, the bill itself could be voted on. The little omnibus bill passed by 108 to 97.

The next day the California Statehood bill passed. After heated debate, the Utah Territory bill also passed. The fugitive slave bill passed on September 12. 

Washington celebrated. Stephen Douglas gave an impromptu speech, declaring the nation united from shore to shore with the mighty west as the connecting link. Millard Fillmore proclaimed, "The long agony is over."

The above is summarized from Chapter 26 of Fergus Bordewich's America's Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas and the Compromise that Preserved the Union.  

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I finished a short story yesterday. By "finished" I mean the first draft is complete. I'll do a read through and send it to my Skirmish Team for comments and criticism before I submit it. It's tentatively titled "A Stardust Memory."

 I also finished Jed the Dead by Alan Dean Foster. I had heard good things about it, and it was on sale for a buck or two. The story is about Ross Ed who finds a dead alien in a desert cave on his way from Texas to California. He continues his journey and encounters people along the way who help or hinder him. The government definitely falls into the hindering category. He ends up on the run from the military, people who want to use the alien to attract other aliens, and those looking to make big bucks from the intergalactic corpse. I have to admit that I couldn't get attached to Ross Ed or any of the other characters, and the story, although intriguing at times, couldn't consistently hold my interest. The text of the ebook had errors on almost every page, as if the book had been scanned with faulty OCR technology. I'm a fan of Foster, but this one didn't reach me. I give it 3 out of 5 road kill rabbits.

Don't forget, the first trilogy in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series is on sale, as is Smoke. See the links at the top of the page.

Cursed Ruins - beginning

 It's a tragic tale of youthful exuberance and avarice tainted by overconfidence unburdened with the requisite competence. It was the beginning of the quest for the Mysterious Cauldron within the Cursed Ruins. Our two young heroes were to find the cauldron and fill a flask from its contents. A substantial reward awaited them at the completion of the task. They won't be collecting that reward any time soon. Les Freres Corses may have learned something from the adventure. We'll see what happens next time.

Charo Lefevre or Le Favor, or something similar to that--I never got to see the spelling--teamed up with Gratell the budding wizard. Outfitted with swords, a shield, rope, and other supplies, along with 3 magic spells, the adventures passed from the village through the dark forest to the cursed ruins without incident. In order to avoid being swallowed by the treacherous mud and quicksand-like dangers of the pale green marsh, they used their rope to lasso and draw down the ladder/bridge and crossed safely into the mist-obscured ruins. They passed through room 2 into room 3 where a potion and goblin waited for them. Gratell took the potion while Charo engaged the goblin. 

Charo and goblin traded blows against one another's shields and baptized their blades in blood as well. Meanwhile, Gratell, not keen on assisting Charo in his tete-a-tete with the goblin, dashed into room 5 (below room 2) to loot the chest that was visible from the doorway. Instead of opening the treasure, the wizard found himself attacked by another goblin. In his surprise, he lopped off the goblin's head at the first pass. Charo found holes in his goblin's guard, wounding him again while Gratell discovered nothing but old rags and a dead rodent in the chest. 

Crestfallen at the results of his treasure dash, Gratell doubled down by running to room 3, passing through it into room 6 (below room 4). During this time, Charo continued his scrimmage with the first goblin. He wounded the little fiend, causing minor wounds without ever being able to dispatch his antagonist.

Gratell soon realized that he had made a grave error in racing away from his comrade to grasp at treasure and magic items. The guardian of room 6 leaped from a dark corner to engage Gratell while his cohort from room 3 rushed the wizard from behind. Set upon by two formidable opponents, one of whom wielded two deadly blades, Gratell revealed the color of his blood to both antagonists. He did manage to knock down the double-weaponed foe and put him hors de combat, but he couldn't squeeze by the enemy with the the shield who blocked the doorway. He lost more blood before finally dashing past to run back to room 2 toward his comrade in room 3.

Unfortunately for Gratell, although Charo was besting his enemy, when the goblin fled from the warrior to room 5, Charo followed, bent on ascertaining the depth of the goblin's chest with the measure of his blade. The goblin continued to forestall the deathblow, and Gratell's remaining opponent soon caught him and delivered a serious wound to the already weakened wizard that left him unconscious on the sod of the Cursed Ruins.

Charo continued his attacks on the wounded goblin, only to have Gratell's enemy charge into him with shield and sword. Although he defended himself as best he could, avoiding death by turning the fatal cuts with his own shield, cuts and gashes opened where the foe penetrated his defenses.

With the wizard down and unable to fight, cast a spell, or quaff his potion, and Charo suffering from multiple wounds and caught between two foes, Les Freres Corses hit the reset button. We closed it down and reviewed the imprudent choices they had made. Charo's player pointed out that Gratell had left Charo engaged with an enemy to race madly from room to room, bringing more monsters into the fight. Gratell's player suggested with some vehemence that Charo should've come to help Gratell rather than attempting to chase down and execute a goblin who was trying to escape. I agreed with both of them. It was a win-win--they were both right--or a lose-lose; they had both made poor decisions. Never leave your wing man, and always march to the sound of the guns or clash of swords, as the case may be.

Did they learn something? I think so. Will they implement those lessons when they next play? I'm skeptical. A couple years ago while playing Hero Quest, these same choices led to the same results. There's still hope. Some lessons must be learned multiple times before they're remembered and a change of behavior results. I should know. I'm always getting the same lessons.

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Book Reviews: Lord Byron's The Corsair and Frederic Brown's The Fabulous Clipjoint.

 The Corsair is a tale in verse about the pirate Conrad. While it has many memorable lines, the tale is predictable and the lengthy poem goes on too long. Reading it was like one of those conversations with a friend that begins with energy and laughter but ends in weary fatigue because it continued well beyond its best-by date. That concludes what I have to say on that topic.

The Fabulous Clipjoint was recommended as a great example of pulp fiction. A young man's father is murdered after a night out drinking. The wife, young man's step mom, is a heavy drinker and a something of a scold. Her daughter also resembles bad medicine in a pretty bottle. Young man finds his uncle, a carnival worker, and they set out to catch the murderer. I picked the killer early and was not deceived. However, the whole motive and method weren't revealed until the end.

Clipjoint reads like a noir without the personality and conventions that make noir detective stories so fun to read. This pulp novel is like fried chicken and mashed potatoes without anything to go with them. It's tasty and filling but needs another side and a dessert. All the components are impressive: a murder mystery, young man with some competence but lacking experience with a mentor to guide him, a few suspects, some mob connections, the wife with a motive and her potentially poisonous daughter, an attractive woman to strike the young man's fancy, a bank robbery, a police detective with malleable scruples, seedy bars, and a string of clues that direct and misdirect. Nevertheless, there remains a lacuna I cannot place. It earned the four stars I gave it, but I had hoped to be able to give it 5.

 

 

A Timely Rescue

 

 Les Freres Corses finally completed the level--I forget the number, but it was the one with the dragons and glitches. Unfortunately, the time traveling DeLorean was killed in combat with a dragon or some other mean beastie and our heroes had to be rescued. Darth Vader was hors de combat with a plethora of wounds.

Even though the transportation was too kaput to travel, there remained enough power to send a signal to another ship for rescue. The dice rolls proved favorable and the signal was sent; there was a ship in the area; and it was able to respond in time. I suggested that we roll for the possibility that the responding ship could be an enemy or slaver ship, but the objections prevented checking on that possibility. As seen in the picture above, they all piled into the rescue ship (some had to be carried) and blasted off to the next level where the DeLorean undergoes repairs while they gather some valuable metal necessary to complete the resurrection of the time traveling transport.

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The bugmageddon novel is complete--the first complete draft, that is. At 50K I guess it's a longer novella--and about 10K more words than I was targeting. I'm also locked and loaded for my presentation at the upcoming Writers Cantina. 

I did finish The Escape from Elba: The Fall and Flight of Napoleon 1814-1815 by Norman Mackenzie. It's the only book I've read about the Emperor's sojourn on and escape from Elba. Although there was a fair amount of seemingly insignificant detail, overall it was excellent. I enjoyed the account of Napoleon's time there and the fantastic escape and march to Paris. I've read other accounts of the return to Paris, but they lacked the specifics included by Mackenzie. The escape from Elba might easily have been thwarted by better surveillance on the part of the British, and Louis XVIII made all the best decisions for hastening Bonaparte's return. The status of Napoleon as "King of Elba" versus "prisoner of the allies" and the failure of the allies to honor the Treaty of Fontainbleau complicated by the Congress of Vienna and various secret treaties is a fascinating subject. Many years ago I read an excellent book (probably no longer in print) about the Congress of Vienna. I wish I knew the name of it. Anyway, there are great story possibilities in all this.
 

 

 

Having finished Truth in Flames, book 5 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series, I'm doing research for book 6 in the series. This book:

Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton by Mark Maloy

came along at exactly the right time. In fact, I had planned to work on a stand alone novel before moving on to book 6. However, the exciting story of the battles of Trenton and Princeton, along with the other key events I have planned for book 6, have got me itching to do the next book in the series before I do the unrelated stand alone.

Maloy's book is an excellent telling of the circumstances and events. I highly recommend it. The book also includes a tour of the modern sites, which wasn't very useful for me. The rest of the information was presented in a mean and lean fashion that kept me reading and highlighting. I'm sure that there are more complete accounts with greater detail, but Maloy's book perfectly suited my purposes.

As for Truth in Flames -- look for it in December. I must say that it is fabulous. I loved the ending, and so did the skirmish team. I've made the edits recommended by my skirmishers. I will make another deep dive into it to check for lingering typos, repetitive word use, and continuity issues. A cover is the next order of business. Someone I know is working on one, but if they are delayed, I may take matters into my own hands again.

I'm also working on a short story which is set in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire universe.

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In other news, I finished Heinlein's Time for the Stars, and Leiber's Swords Against Deviltry. I gave my opinions of those in my newsletter. You can sign up for the newsletter here.

The first book in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series, Threading the Rude Eye, is only 99 cents. Get started on the series here.

 

It wasn't 1814, but I took a little trip along with my wife down the mighty freeway.

We didn't take bacon and we didn't take beans, and we caught our daughter in a town that wasn't New Orleans.

We had a delightful time with the daughter as she made an important life-step with the assistance of some awesome folks. On the way home, we almost witnessed a freeway crash. A short distance ahead of our car was a big white truck--like a furniture truck. We were slowly gaining on the truck. A lone male driving an older white car came roaring up on our tail and passed us. Our car was a few seconds away from the point when I would move over to start my own maneuver. 

The old white car, instead of continuing on to pass the truck, jerked back toward the right lane. With two wheels, and half the car over the dotted line, and the odometer on his life expectancy rapidly clicking toward termination, the driver must have looked up or otherwise realized that he was about to adopt the rear end of the truck as his headstone. He swerved back to the left, hit the brakes, and dropped in behind the truck.

I passed both vehicles. The old car took the next exit. I suspect the driver had some clean up to take care of.

Of course we had more nice experiences--like planting peppers and tomatoes with the mighty fisherman of a previous epic entry, moving "organ toppers" with fisherman's spawn, hiking among the red rock, and eating at a variety of places with daughter--but I don't have the inclination to tell about that. So here's a picture of some ornamentation from a park.

On the writing front: I'm still looking for recruits for my Skirmishers. Sign-up by clicking on the Newsletter tab at the top of the page and responding to the call in my newsletter. In Death Bedrenched is about to go out to the Skirmishers, my advance readers, so don't delay. 

I''m pleased to have a couple more book ideas on which I'm anxious to start. One, will be a weekly project about a warrior-king. The other involves the moon, and will have to wait until book 5 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series is finished later this year. The moon idea will continue to incubate until then--or I'll forget about it. The idea came to me while reading this:

As for the book itself, I think it's standard Heinlein. The heroes are competent (or trying to become so), driven men who will not be dissuaded from their goal. They overcome long odds and the voices of dissent. I was struck by the lack of descriptive detail in both tales. I try to run my descriptions on the lean side so that the movie in the reader's head can color the unimportant and supporting details according to their whim, but in these novels description was almost non-existent. Powerful story-telling eschews descriptions of every blade of grass, every cloud, every dish on the table, every speck on the wall, and, most importantly, every thread of women's clothing. Although I might have preferred more description in these tales, I would rather a piece of fiction suffer from too little rather than too much description. I feel the same way about commas--unless, I've, chosen, to make, a foray, into Shatner land.

Lastly, I've completed my vidangel watch of Outer Range. I started with high hopes. By the end, I was pretty "meh." The main problem with the show is that everyone is insane. There are no normal people in this show. Everyone makes stupid decisions, and compounds the problems with more stupid decisions and rash actions. I don't know if I'll even care by the time another season comes out, if it ever does.

 

I spent part of yesterday extinguishing holiday cheer. The prevailing mood was frigid. With the landscape cloaked in icy white, and the temperature restrained to the single digits, I soon discovered that my worn, leather work gloves were woefully insufficient protection. After going back inside to warm my hands, and putting my cheap stretchy gloves inside the leather ones, I leaped into the action once more. 

It was lonely work all by myself, but I shrank not from the fray. I threw the scaling ladder next to the chateau walls and ascended to sack and pillage according to my whim. I spared not a single string of Christmas cheer, dragging them from the stronghold and binding them deftly (or with the meanest of skill as the case may be). The lights in the trees, like guerrilla bands in their mountain haunts, resisted in a most determined fashion, but my superior strength, mental acuity, and tactical brilliance eventually prevailed. There are very few inanimate objects that can defeat me in a straight-up battle of wits.

Earlier in the week, while shoveling snow, I formed a rudimentary fort around the fire pit. It stands forlorn and unused as everyone else maintains that the weather is too cold to loiter about a fire outside.

Last night, there were a hundred or so elk in a field that is off to the left in the snow fort picture. I didn't get a picture of that. 

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Before I share a book review, I must report the surprise that I got today. My biggest fan caught me to tell me that he read my latest book, The Shrinking Zone, and he loved it. He then proceeded to tell me how he would slay red-eyes. Of course, I told him at the time I was writing it that he would like it. I'm not surprised that he read and loved it. I'm surprised that he had obtained a paperback already -- he received it for Christmas. I'm still waiting for my author copy paperbacks to arrive.

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As for the book review:

I finished the last of these (except for a half-hour remaining) while taking down the lights yesterday. These two books are actually one book that has been divided into to 2 audio books on Chirpbooks from Dumas' sequel to The Three Musketeers. Twenty Years After is over 13 hours long, and Blood Royal is nearly fifteen hours long. I acquired them for $2.99 or maybe $4.99 each, although I believe they are both back up to their regular price of $20 or more. The books are read by John Lee who does an absolutely fabulous job. 

As the more perceptive may glean from the title, the story begins 20 years after the conclusion of The Three Musketeers. D'Artagnan is still a lieutenant of musketeers. Athos is a retired country gentleman, Aramis is an abbot. Porthos is also a retired country gentleman. The four friends find themselves on opposite sides in a political dispute that threatens to break out into civil war. They cannot prevail against one another. Only when they combine their talents do they find success--and even that has limits. Milady's son Mordaunt is the major antagonist in the story. Mazarin, the Prime Minister of France, is the secondary villain. The heroes travel from Paris and about France to England, Scotland, London, and back to France again. The story drags in places where the political intrigue among the secondary characters takes center stage. However, as a whole, the story demonstrates Dumas' expertise in weaving a compelling tale of fiction with historical events. D'Artagnan and Porthos continue to be highly satisfying and likeable characters in my opinion. I found Athos and Aramis, particularly Athos, to be less satisfying. Athos grows less mysterious, and Aramis continues to become more mysterious. If I remember correctly from my reading of the final book, Le Vicomte de Bragelonne, Aramis is the only one of the four heroes whose death is not finally revealed. 

In summary--This was a fantastic translation and reading of Dumas' work.

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In my own writing, I'm still wrestling with a short story that I need to submit before the month is over. That's all I've got to say about that.