by envisionmg | Jun 6, 2016 | History, Jim Reviews
When most people think of Sicily they think of the Mafia; the more literary minded may get more specific and think Mario Puzo, but that’s as far as it probably goes. What makes Norwich’s Sicily such a great book is he delves into the fascinating and...
by envisionmg | May 18, 2016 | History, Jim Reviews
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the the Easter Rising, the event commonly seen as the kick off of the Irish Revolution. The revolution, lasting from 1916 to 1923, included the failed rising, the Anglo-Irish war and the Irish Civil War, and along the way...
by envisionmg | May 6, 2016 | History, Jim Reviews
What do you think when you think of American’s who remain loyal to England during the American Revolution – aka Tories or Loyalists? If you are like me some common images come to mind: white, wealthy, church of England, maybe arrogant.That is the image we...
by envisionmg | Apr 29, 2016 | Historical Fiction, Horror, Jim Reviews
Richardson’s The Damned, first book in the Darkest Hour Trilogy, (it sometimes appears as the Darkest Hand Trilogy) is a fascinating combination of alternate history, church murder mystery, and horror thriller all wrapped up in a nice dark fiction package. The...
by envisionmg | Apr 25, 2016 | History, Jim Reviews
A couple weeks ago a historian friend of mine recommended Mary Beard’s SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome saying “she tells a great story while also showing how hard it is to know anything about Roman history.” I have a pile of books by my bed that...
by envisionmg | Apr 15, 2016 | Fiction, Jim Reviews
If you read enough history sooner or later someone asks you: “What would happen if a Roman army were to go up against [insert anachronistic warrior culture here]?” I’ve gotten Romans vs Vikings, Romans vs Samurais, and Romans vs Incas. I always hate...
