History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Sharpe's Battle (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #12)

Average customer rating:

Sharpe is the best
Another good Sharpe book
Not my favorite Sharpe novel, but still has battlefield thrills
A Great Series
Slightly different Sharpe adventure plot

Sharpe's Battle (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #12)
Bernard Cornwell
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060932287
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Book Description

As Napoleon threatens to crush Britain on the battlefield, Lt. Col. Richard Sharpe leads a ragtag army to exact personal revenge against a French general known for his acts of terror.

Sharpe's Battle takes Richard Sharpe and his company back to the spring of 1811 and one of the most bitter battles of the Peninsular War, a battle on which all British hopes of victory in Spain will depend. Sharpe is given responsibility to lead an Irish battalion of the king of Spain's household guard, ceremonial troops untrained and unequipped for battle. While quartered in the crumbling fort of San Isidro, they are attacked by murderous Brigadier General Guy Luop's elite French brigade. Sharpe has witnessed General Loup's despicable was crimes before; to put an end to them, and to settle another more personal score, Sharpe must lead his company into the blood-gutted streets of Fuentes de Oñoro, where thousands of French troops have amassed, in a battle to the death.

Customer Reviews:

Sharpe is the best.......2007-05-14

Any book by Cornwell is a well-written and enjoyable adventure. The Sharpe series is highly recommended.

Another good Sharpe book.......2007-01-31

I think this book is the 12th one in the Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. In this book, Captain Richard Sharpe and his company take part in the battle of Fuentes de Onoro in May 1811. Sharpe is given responsibility to help train the Real Compania Irlandesa in musketry and skirmishing. He shot two French prisoners and their commander, Brigadier Loup, has sworn that he will have his revenge. Sharpe and his men were attacked at the San Isidro Fort by the Loup's brigade. And the raid is reported as a proof of Captain Sharpe's irresponsibility. Sharpe finds himself used as a scapegoat in a political game. His only hope to save his honour and his career is to lead his men to glory on the blood-gutted battlefield of Fuentes de Onoro.

This book, like other ones in the series, is excellent. However, I think that it is not at the author's best.

Not my favorite Sharpe novel, but still has battlefield thrills.......2006-11-28

"Sharpe's Battle," Bernard Cornwell's take on a near-fatal error in judgment by Lord Wellington, has many of the classic hallmarks of the Richard Sharpe series. In this novel you'll find Richard Sharpe, ambitious soldier, using his gutter-born ruthlessness and bravery to defeat the hated French, fighting alongside noble Irish sergeant Patrick Harper. You'll also find some uninspiring British officers and a dastardly French villain. And plenty of blood and carnage as two mighty armies clash.

That's all to the good. But as has been pointed out by other reviewers, "Sharpe's Battle" feels more in line with the TV series than Cornwell's other books, and I'd have to agree. For one thing, Sharpe in the novels always has a trusted ally in Major Hogan, Wellington's intelligence officer. Hogan is a subtle, brilliant operator in the books, and is always on the lookout for his adopted guttertrash Sharpe. And yet, in "Sharpe's Battle," Hogan is a much more caustic character who seems to care not a whit for Sharpe. This is a jarring change, and only one example of how characters in "Sharpe's Battle" feel as if they are being played in a slightly different key than we usually find in the books.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh with a three-star review. Cornwell once again writes some amazing battle scenes, and the blood and terror come through as ever. Cornwell has also created a worthy foe for Sharpe in the French Brigadier Loup (the Wolf). However, Loup spends quite a bit of time off-stage prior to the climactic battle, if you will, and the book would have benefitted from Loup being a larger presence throughout.

Still, this is a Sharpe novel, and they are jolly good fun. For fans of the series, you can't miss it. If you haven't yet started the Sharpe series, don't start with "Sharpe's Battle," but instead go find "Sharpe's Tiger" and read them in chronological order.

A Great Series.......2006-08-15

This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.

Many people insist in compare this series with Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. I don't think this is fair for any of the series, they are different entities. What they have in common is that once you start you may get hooked and devour one book after another...

And in the literary world today that is a rare and marvelous thing

Slightly different Sharpe adventure plot.......2006-02-23

A little different from the standard "Sharpe" series template. For one thing, "Sharpe's Battle" has no concocted romantic subplot for the hero (his Spanish guerrilla girlfriend Teresa is mentioned in this book but she remains completely off-stage throughout), which is quite a relief compared with how awkwardly shoehorned-in a few of the love interests have been in some Sharpe novels ("Sharpe's Fortress" springs to mind). Also, slightly atypical for the series is the fact that Sharpe basically just gets out of a jam, partly of his own making, rather than emerging absolutely triumphant -- but, that being said, the ending certainly isn't a downbeat bummer like that of "Sharpe's Prey." Finally, this book seems just a hair slow-paced compared with most in the Sharpe series, but battle scenes, when they do arrive, are very detailed, quite graphic and pretty compelling. I can't quite give the book a 4-star rating, but it probably deserves, at least for Sharpe fans, more than 3; if Amazon allowed individual reviewers to allocate half-stars, I'd give this one 3 and a half stars.

King's Captain: An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures)

Average customer rating:

Now for some historical perspective....
Raise the Red Flag!
Closer to Patrick O'Brian's High Literary Standards
Mutiny at the Nore
Lewrie Grows Up?

King's Captain: An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures)
Dewey Lambdin
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312268858

Book Description

In the bestselling tradition of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series comes Dewey Lambdin's latest naval adventure featuring Commander Alan Lewrie.This highly entertaining adventure, the ninth in the series, has Lewrie being promoted for his role in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent and awarded command of a new frigate.His future seems assured, but before he's even had a chance to settle into his new role, mutiny blazes through the fleet, and Lewrie finds himself battling an old enemy for control of his ship.The problems that await him on his own ship, however, make him wish he was back under the Spanish guns, and the sudden reappearance of an old enemy has Lewrie fighting not just for his command, but for his life.Gritty, real, action-packed, and loaded with fun, King's Captain will take you on a great adventure in the high seas.AUTHORBIO: DEWEY LAMBDIN is the author of eight previous Alan Lewrie novels and an omnibus volume, For King and Country. A member of the U.S. Naval Institute and a Friend of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, he spends his free time working and sailing on a rather tatty old sloop, Wind Dancer.He makes his home in Nashville, Tennessee, but would much prefer Margaritaville or Murrell's Inlet.EXCERPT: Off Jester's lee bow, down to the Sou'east, there were about eight or nine Spanish ships of the line, with accompanying frigates, and coming up slowly to merge with another pack.And that pack, Good God!Seventeen, at the last, tall-sided, ugly brutes there were; two-decker 68's, 74's and 80-gunners; some of them 3-deckers, and one monstrous 4-decker flying more admiral's flags than sail-canvas, it seemed.And so stuffed with guns that every time she lit off a broadside, it looked like a mountain blowing up!"I can make out, sir...." Lt. Ralph Knolles attempted to say, as he took off his hat and swiped both forearms of his coat at his hair and brows. A bad sign, that; usually, one nervous hand over his blonde locks was sufficient sign of nervousness."Aye, Mister Knolles?"Commander Alan Lewrie replied, sounding almost calm in comparison."Beyond, sir."Knolles pointed towards the Spanish fleet."It may not be a convoy.About eight or nine more rather large ships over yonder....to the West-Nor'west.Do they all assemble, sir....Well!""Two-deckers, d'ye think, sir?Lewrie frowned, stepping to the starboard side of his quarterdeck, leaning on the bulwarks, and raising his telescope for a look-see."Cah-rrisstt!" Was Lewrie's sudden, un-captainly comment.And a rather loud comment it was, too.In his telescope's ocular, he'd just discovered the fore-end of a ship of the line which wasn't crossing right-to-left, sailing obediently in the battle-line.He was looking at the beak-head and figure-head, the cutwater and frothing bow-wave below an out-thrust bowsprit and jib-boom of a warship - pointing right at him!

Customer Reviews:

Now for some historical perspective...........2007-10-08

I have most of the Dewey Lambdin books and like all of them and love several of them. I'd write more reviews but Michael K. Smith usually puts it better than I could.
That said, King's Captain demonstrates a good author doing a first-rate job of illuminating the history of the industrial revolution, the enclosures, the displacement of vast numbers of British citizens (Okay, subjects) in the early 1800s. Lambdin's naval officer Alan Lewrie does not depart from his character, and yet he cannot help but observe the inequities that prompt the mutiny at the Nore.
The reader is in effect seeing a remarkable period of history through the eyes of a consistently realized character.
Note that Lambdin was once a producer of TV news. Occasionally I find his writing captures a scene like a video camera.
It is a delightful find even among the many rigorous researchers who write military fiction from this Napoleonic era.

Raise the Red Flag!.......2004-06-30

It's Valentine's Day, 1797, and the JESTER sloop under Commander Alan Lewrie is prowling behind the line-of-battle ships as Admiral Jervis seeks to close with the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent. And when Captain Horatio Nelson goes against orders in breaking out to pursue his own instincts against an enemy division, Lewrie gets sucked into the action against his much better judgment. But Nelson's success gets him promoted Rear Admiral and Lewrie, from pure dumb luck combined with a willingness to take a chance when necessary, ends up being made post and is given PROTEUS, a spanking-new frigate -- with a perhaps mystical personality. And that's just about all the naval action you'll find in this ninth in the series, but that's because history has once again caught Lewrie up, in the form of the widespread mutinies at Spithead and the Nore. Lambdin does an excellent job of placing these close-to-revolutionary events in the context of the times: High taxation, soaring prices for consumer goods, industrial revolution and continued low wages for those not involved in it, and an increasingly repressive Tory government. Denied by circumstances the usual privilege of taking a core of favored crewmen from his last command to his new one, he must learn his way around not only a new ship and new responsibilities but an entirely new group of subordinates. And cope with the mutiny when it comes to him. And deal with his wife and family. And cope with the notion of his rapscallion father living next door. Not to mention all those women in his past! I suspect this installment may disappoint those who merely want blood and action and don't care about "real" history, but I enjoyed it a great deal.

Closer to Patrick O'Brian's High Literary Standards.......2001-06-21

While "Kings Captain" won't replace O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series for literary quality, it does rise towards the latter with its political intrigue. Lambdin has given the reader a fascinating look at what living conditions were like in England in 1797, and how they set the stage for the Royal Navy mutinies at Spithead and Nore. Newly promoted Captain Lewrie comes across as a younger, more earnest Jack Aubrey in this fine Napoleonic era yarn. Those who mourn O'Brian's passing and seek new naval adventures may not be disappointed at all in the latest installment in the Alan Lewrie naval adventure series.

Mutiny at the Nore.......2001-01-08

Alan Lewrie, at the end of the last novel (Jester's Fortune), was withdrawing from the Adriatic as part of the British withdrawal from the Mediterranean in late 1796. This story skips forward and begins with the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in early 1797. Admiral Jervis is depicted out of character, praising Lewrie without promoting him. Jervis had the authority to promote officers he approved of and would have immediately done so if he approved of Lewrie. The real life Peter Puget received such a promotion from Jervis, even though he arrived after the battle (Puget was known from earlier accomplishments).

After a return to England to put the Jester into the dockyard, and a reconciliation between Lewrie and his father, the main part of this novel deals with the mutiny at the Nore after Lewrie is promoted and takes command of a frigate. He is confronted by an old enemy he cannot identify, and a crew split between mutineers and loyal men. The story contains little action at sea - when Lewrie is not on land, he is mainly aboard ship at anchor dealing with the mutineers. A side issue arises when someone writes a poison pen letter revealing Lewrie's past indiscretions. Overall, the novel is more about personalities than about naval action. It covers a relatively short period of time in 1797.

For novels more action-filled, covering the same time period (including the mutiny), the reader is referred to Richard Woodman's, "A King's Cutter," and C. Northcote Parkinson's, "The Fireship."

Lewrie Grows Up?.......2000-12-16

As a huge fan of this series, I was a bit disappointed in the last installment (Jester's Fortune) as I felt there was just not enough of the action or womanizing that made the first few novels so much fun. King's Captain also suffers a bit from this, but in place of the action we get to see Lewrie mature some. Rather than one novel after another in which the character stays the same but just rises in rank (which, considering how good the first books were, wouldn't be all that bad) Lambdin is showing Lewrie turning from his rakish former self into a family man, even if Alan does chafe a bit in the presence of his own children. I could wish for a bit more of the old ramcat in the future, but King's Captain did keep my interest, and I enjoyed seeing how Lewrie dealt with mutineers, and how he reacted to a bit of his past coming back to haunt him. Now that he's been made post, and has a new frigate to command, perhaps we will get to see Lewrie in a few more adventures that bring him the prize money he always seems to need.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Average customer rating:

Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

The Inshore Squadron (The Bolitho Novels)

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Leave the Romance to others
The Inshore Squadron
The continuing adventures of Richard Bolitho
Deja vú
Admiral he's not!

The Inshore Squadron (The Bolitho Novels)
Alexander Kent
Manufacturer: McBooks Press
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ASIN: 0935526684

Book Description

Copenhagen, 1800. After seven years of cruel war against France, Britain's long-standing ally, Denmark, suddenly poses a threat. The scene of battle shifts to the Baltic where the British navy encounters the bitter hardship of blockade duty.

Customer Reviews:

Leave the Romance to others.......2007-04-12

Alexander Kent¡¦s Richard Bolitho series has always been strongest in its depiction of naval battles during the age of sail and weakest when it comes to matter of the heart between the two sexes. Therefore, you can imagine my disappointment to find that The Inshore Squadron is focused squarely on Richard Bolitho¡¦s love and family life.

In this volume, Bolitho has already been promoted to Rear-Admiral. This seems to be astonishingly fast as we only had one story of him as a Commodore while we had many of him as a Captain. But let¡¦s leave that aside. As usual, Bolitho manages to have a squadron of his compatriots around him and all the usual characters are either on his ship or elsewhere in the fleet. Herrick is newly married and commanding the flagship while Inch is now a full Captain in charge of a 64 gun ship (Inch moved from a bomb Ketch as a Commander to a flag Captain awfully fast too!). Allday is the Admiral¡¦s Coxswain and Adam Pascoe is on board as the third Lieutenant. Also present from the past is Captain Charles Keverne who previously appeared in the series as a midshipman. Is it simply my imagination or has the world of the British Navy gotten awfully chummy? Well, that was a rhetorical question as every Admiral and senior office that we meet is always for the first time, while the gang that comes up in the Bolitho stories are maturing and being promoted along with him. Maybe it was simply that a lot of new ships are being commissioned at this time? º

Anyway, Bolitho¡¦s squadron¡¦s first mission is to relieve one of the squadrons that is blockading the Baltic. As part of this mission, Bolitho takes a Frigate to Copenhagen to present his credentials and thereby enters the world of diplomacy for the first time. As it happens, a French Frigate is also at Copenhagen. Bolitho is introduced to the crown prince of Denmark in a surreptitious manner which makes me think that there will be more to this in future volumes. While sleeping in Copenhagen, Bolitho is alerted that six British merchant ships have been captured and are in the Baltic. At the same time, the French Frigate leaves the harbor. Bolitho ignores the rules of neutrality and rushes to find the French ship and the captured British ones and immediately attacks the larger ship and releases the merchantmen.

Back on station a French squadron appears. It is escorting a transport ship bringing crack French soldiers to help train the Russian army (One of many incongruities here is why the French insist on transporting many of their mail or important things via ships when the overland routes are safer, more direct, and more convenient ¡V but I suppose then there would be no stories to tell?). Bolitho¡¦s smaller squadron attacks and manages to turn the French squadron around. Unfortunately, Bolitho is wounded by a musket ball in the thigh during the engagement. All of this happens in the first few chapters.

Now, comes the best part of this book as we learn what it is like to be subject to the medical care of that time and how easy it is for people to die while under it. Compared to the care available today, this part of the book makes one shiver and quail as the rough medical care is provided as the best there is. No fear though ¡V Bolitho survives! Of course, it is apparent that the surgeon would have amputated the leg of anyone else, but because this was the admiral, well¡K

As Bolitho is healing we switch over to the romantic part of the story. This is where Kent¡¦s weaknesses come to light. First he creates an unbelievable recreation of the scene in which Bolitho loses his wife Cheney. Then, to compound the problem, the damsel being rescued is a carbon copy of Cheney in looks and is even loosely related to her. Finally, and not surprisingly, Belinda is unbearably beautiful and recently widowed. Now, isn¡¦t that convenient? As usual in these stories, Belinda and Bolitho spend one or two hours together and are in immediate and passionate love with each other. Oh, Kent throws a couple of curveballs at us and has them separate here and there with no assurance of the love being returned or consummated but those are clearly ruses. These parts of the story occupy most of the book.

To help in making it seem like a real Bolitho story, we are also entertained with another two rounds of Bolitho needing to guard his nephew¡¦s reputation from his brother Hugh¡¦s misdeeds. This time it goes as far as a duel with a proxy for a senior office involved. And, we are given to understand that Bolitho and his squadron also took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in a role that is auxiliary to Nelson¡¦s. This is the second straight book in which Bolitho plays on the same stage as Nelson as we head toward Trafalgar.

As you can tell from my writing, I think that Kent writes and excellent adventure series as long as he maintains his focus on sailing ships, handling them, and the action between the British and French navies. He clearly loses his touch when he attempts to add romantic elements to the story. I wish he would stop trying to add the romantic elements and focus on his best side ¡V the adventure aspects.

The Inshore Squadron.......2007-01-19

Calling all Richard Bolitho fans. Be sure to continue the series with The Inshore Squadron. Written with the flare and excitement as all of the previous books in the series. Alexander Kent is untiring in his ability to keep your interest up throughout the story.

The continuing adventures of Richard Bolitho.......2004-02-11

Bolitho is promoted to Rear Admiral and given command of a squadron assigned to the Baltic, where the Tsar of Russia is trying to create an alliance with the scandinavians, and simultaneously make an alliance with Napoleon. Bolitho meets a relative of his late wife, who bears a close resembland to her, and loses his heart to her.

This is another great Kent novel, set in 1800 from the viewpoint of the British Navy. This is the 13th book out of 26 in the Bolitho series, and they are all exciting depictions of life aboard ships of His Brittanic Majesty's fleet. Like the rest of them, one gets the feeling that the period is accurately depicted, with sufficient detail and character development to make you feel that you are a witness to history.

I must admit that I am a fan of Alexander Kent (a pseudonym) and his naval fiction. He seems very knowledgeable about square riggers, their armament, and the problems inherent in naval warfare with only the wind to provide propulsion.

Do I recommend these books? Absolutely!

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Deja vú.......2002-02-07

Ever humble in his sterling achievements, a popular hero cheered by his men, Richard Bolitho has been made rear-admiral. Bolitho has moved away from his more happy-go-lucky (but never sky-larking!) enthusiam of youth and turned towards introspection and the burdens of ever broader commands of, necessarily, ever more anonymous people (now grown to 3000). Kent seems increasingly interested in writing of the psychology and pressures of supreme command. We see the thinking of The Admiralty vying with the jealousies of admirals, or the uncertainties of information and of diplomatic choices. In the climactic battle for Copenhagen we see Bolitho make his first cold-blooded command decision to throw away a ship in favor of the survival of his fleet as a whole.

This is an often grim story that jumps between English ports and the entry to the Baltic Sea, plots and battles, health and death, and points of view. As with the novels of Hornblower and Drinkwater, Bolitho's Baltic mission is intimately tied to Tsar Paul's potential (mes-)alliance with Napoleon in 1801, and the British attempts to prevent it. Britain was fighting the greatest threat to its existence in 800 years, struggling to keep any allies at all on the continent to face the totalitarian French juggernaut (Hitler's model). The secondary story is about Adam Pascoe, Bolitho's orphaned nephew, and his growth as an officer in the squadron through trying personal relationships and, finally, knowledge of his birth. Extraordinary coincidences threaten to repeat some of the dark episodes of earlier stories: a wound that again drives Bolitho out of his mind, Pascoe's involvement in another duel like his traitorous father's, a carriage wreck like that which killed his beloved wife, and someone providentially like her....

As a writer Kent doesn't include informative period asides so much as go for the jugular of battle or command tensions. In idle moments Bolitho indulges in reminiscence of people from earlier stories, of most meaning if you've already read them. As always, pay really close atttention to any sailing instructions (e.g., difference between wind veering and backing) if you want to visualize what's going on; at one critical point I thought two squadrons were approaching battle bow-on, when they weren't! I really missed a map of the intricate waterways at the mouth of the Baltic.

Admiral he's not!.......2001-12-10

In Number 13, Bolitho becomes a rear admiral; Herrick is his flag captain, Pascoe is on board. Bolitho was an average midshipman, a good lieutenant and and excellent captain, although most of his more daring feats were ashore. Kent can't let go of this, and Bolitho improbably hangs his flag on a small frigate, to get that frigate action that Aubrey could never let go of. The best thing about this book in the series is the almost soap-opera relationship with Allday, Pascoe and Herrick.
Bolitho finds a new woman, a carbon copy of Cheney, in a most unbelievable way. We still do not get enough of either the wardroom or the lower decks, except from Dick's ever more removed view. I do not like Admiral Bolitho much, not as much as I liked him before he became an admiral; but he is still more likable than the irascible Nathaniel Drinkwater (Woodman). We lack the incompetent, malevolent superior, as Bolitho becomes the superior. A good enough read, however, to lead me into #14.

Ramage at Trafalgar (The Lord Ramage Novels)

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Ramage at Trafalgar
Total yawn
Fascinating

Ramage at Trafalgar (The Lord Ramage Novels)
Dudley Pope
Manufacturer: McBooks Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590130227

Book Description

Ramage, finally reunited with his beloved Sarah, hopes to spend at least a few quiet weeks with her. Instead, he is summoned by Admiral Nelson himself. His orders: Ramage is to join Nelson's fleet blockading the combined French and Spanish navies in the port of Cadiz. But Nelson's plan is not merely to blockade the enemy's fleet. He intends to confront it head-on in the biggest naval battle the world has ever seen.

Customer Reviews:

Ramage at Trafalgar.......2006-07-02

Not only entertaining reading but much detail of how living ws in that century.
Also really detailed info on how ships and their cews lived and died.
The description of the gunpwder room is particularly detailed, something missing from other eloquent writers of this genre.

Total yawn.......2004-07-06

Dudley Pope might be thorough on the nautical detail, but when it comes to general historical detail of the period, this book is seriously flawed. Ramage apparently has one servant who does everything around the house (butler, groom, coachman - and poacher and smuggler); his wife, the daughter of a marquis, travels without a maid; and don't even get me started on the scene where Ramage gives his own wife a sponge bath in the London town house of Ramage's parents' . . . These people are wealthy aristocrats, for pete's sake! And they never act like it! Pope needed a serious dose of Georgette Heyer to do the on-shore scenes better.
The rest of the tale? A yawn-fest about the Battle of Trafalgar, as Ramage and his familiar crew race to the scene in the Calypso, carry out an all-too-easy espionage mission, wreck one ship and then capture another during the battle itself. This story should have been flowing and exciting; instead, it is as top-heavy with incidental detail as the Santissima Trinidad. Ramage disobeys orders and gets away with it yet again, naturally.
I appreciate the difficulty of grafting a fictional character into historical events. But "Ramage at Trafalgar" is seriously unbalanced, the large chunk of the book taken up by Ramage's family having nothing to do with later events and introducing a feel that does not match the second half of the book. Why not just limit it to a nautical tale focused solely on the battle? There's more than enough material there, after all. And why have Ramage and Nelson apparently forgotten the events in "Ramage and the Guillotine"? Other Ramage books are much better. This one is perfunctory and boring in its execution.

Fascinating.......2002-12-14

After a good deal of interesting matters on shore, Ramage and his faithful crew (already rich with prize money but faultlessly loyal to their captain) race off to join Admiral Lord Nelson before Cadiz in Spain, and the great naval battle of Trafalgar in 1805. More than any other nautical novel I've read, this one makes clear just how revolutionary were Nelson's killer tactics. It is worth reading just for the views of Nelson at home and at war. The reasons why Nelson is Britain's greatest hero are made clear. The story is constructed with a long narrative line building to a thrilling climax, and a wonderfully sad ending as Ramage appears headed for another court-martial due to his valiant actions taken without orders.

Book Description

Douglas Bader was a legend in his lifetime. After losing both legs in an air crash in 1931 and being dismissed as a cripple by the Royal Air Force, he fought his way back into the cockpit of a Spitfire to become one of the great heroes of the Battle of Britain. This inspiring biography of the famous World War II fighter pilot, first published in 1954, has a following of faithful readers who come back to the book time and again to re-read, share with their children and pass along to friends. Not many books have made such an impact on people's lives. Bader's story is so extraordinary that no one would dare invent it, and Brickhill succeeds in matching the excitement of Bader's war deeds with the triumph of his greater battle over a severe handicap. Told he would never walk without a cane, Bader learned to dance, swim, golf, and play tennis. Told he would never fly again, he became not only one of the RAF's top combat pilots but a squadron leader and innovator of fighter tactics that helped win the Battle of Britain. Among the thrilling incidents chronicled in the book are Bader's first successful encounter with an enemy plane, his own shoot down, and his succession of escapes from German prisons.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Great!.......2007-08-23

I read this book in middle school YEARS ago, well, ok, I wore this book out in middle school. When I saw it on Amazon I had to get it! What an amazing, inspirational story. Anyone with an interest in flying or history will find this a fantastic read!

Reach for the Sky: The Story of Douglas Bader.......2007-06-11

An excellent and accurate story of a historical figure, Douglas Bader. It was interesting to read and thoroughly enjoyable.

Reach For The Sky.......2007-05-29

I read this book when I was 9 yrs. old and now that I read it again I think that this is one of those books that I will keep and read over and over.
This is a riveting story that makes you feel like you are there experiencing the events yourself.

A greate read.......2007-05-20

This was one of the first war ace biographies I've ever read, back when I was fourteen.

It's a pleasure to see it published again, to replace my old copy.

Of course, Mr. Brickhill seems to be a huge fan of Bader, but who in England is not, even those who realize that Bader had a difficult temper, but a difficult temper that was responsibels for getting back in a warplane in war tiem RAF without both legs!

Good read, a classic.

Awesome service.......2007-04-11

My dad had been trying to find this out of print book for a while. I bought this for him and he was thrilled. Not only did they have it available, it was in hard cover as they do the binding. This is a book that was only published in paperback. Awesome service. Fast shipping. Thanks!

Form Line of Battle! (The Bolitho Novels)

Average customer rating:

Captain Bolitho
Unbelievable action and intrigue
What I've Come to Expect from Kent...
War With France
Haul Open Gun Ports! Avast! Loosen T'gallants! Huzzah!

Form Line of Battle! (The Bolitho Novels)
Alexander Kent
Manufacturer: McBooks Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0935526595

Book Description

The year is 1793, and England is once again at war. For Richard Bolitho, the renewal of hostilities with France means a fresh command and the chance for action after months of inactivity.

Customer Reviews:

Captain Bolitho.......2007-10-11

I purchased many of these novels by Kent in Australia in 1986 but didn't have them all, so I ordered this one to help complete my set. As usual with Alexander Kent and this series it was a delight. Will want to order other novels to complete my set.

Unbelievable action and intrigue.......2006-07-20

The French Revolution is tearing France apart, the British are trying to influence the battle and therefore Bolitho gets command of a new ship and is asked to go fight for his country again. By now, Bolitho is a full Captain and he has been promoted to the command of a Ship of the Line - a 74 gun double decked behemoth. Unfortunately for him, this advanced status also means that he must serve under much closer scrutiny of higher ups in the ranks rather than enjoying his relative independence as a Frigate Captain.

Early in the book he gets to almost meet another captain by the name of Nelson. He is also sent to act as the flag ship of a small flotilla that is supposed to take over a Spanish island in adjacent to France in concert with a couple of Spanish ships. The interesting kicker is that an Admiral is appointed to command the whole mission and that Admiral happens to be a career officer with precious little real command experience. When it turns out that the French already occupy the island and lay a trap for the British flotilla things turn ugly and the Admiral is killed.

Bolitho, of course, manages to take over and heroically conquers the island with the help of a few handfuls of his own shipmates. Then, he hunkers down to wait for reinforcements. When they fail to come and he is in desperate need of water, he arranges a local truce with the French ... only to be usurped by another Admiral who arrives then to take command.

If this is not fantastic enough, we are now treated to an even more bizarre turn of events: it turns out that this new admiral was actually the commander from which Boliho took over command of the Pharalope and its ensuing mutiny was due to this particualr officer. Since Bolitho rectified the situation, the now-Admiral resents him immensely and treats him as a servant and sends him to pick up his bride. In the course of the passage - punctuated by a naval battle against superior odds, Bolitho falls in love with the Admiral's bride even though he only speaks to her for one evening ... and she, of course, fall in love with him.

One thing leads to another and after many bloody battles fought by cartoon characters, Bolitho ends up winning the girl, the Admiral is killed, Bolithos uses his ship like a frigate, and actually takes over command of the whole battle fleet even though he is not the most senior officer, and he even unknowingly escorts his brother (thought dead) to a prison ship.

The descriptions of shipboard life and battles are the heart and soul of these types of novels and Alexander Kent does an excellent job of generating all kinds of excitement around them. In this novel he goes a little deeper into the ways that Richard Bolitho commands his men and wins their loyalty and support although it is very very sketchy. We also get a better taste of what naval medicine was like with Bolitho's first visit to the surgeon's station.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book is not as well executed. The romance between Bolitho and the Admiral's betrothed is absolutely unbelievable. The dialog is stilted and it is very hard to believe that she fell in love with a ship Captain and decides to marry him over her familial obligations after only spending one evening speaking with the man.

Of equal preposterousness is Bolitho's actions. He obeys the first Admiral who is killed at his side - then he saves the day by taking action on his own initiative which the French do not anticipate and the Spanish gladly join in. Then he manages to convince a whole French town to express their monarchist loyalties and help him out. Then, he fights a battle against vastly superior odds and wins it by pulling a Frigate manuever in a ship of the line that has been in the water so long that its barnacles and "beard" can be seen from above. If this was not enough, he then attacks a French town and destroys its French revolutionary force, and finally, he saves the lives of many soldiers by taking decisive action and command over a force that was essentially abandond by his own Admiral and whic had more senior officers who readily acquiesce to serve under Bolitho.

The final absurdities involve the reunion of Bolitho with his old time friend and underling Herrick who is somehow miraculously promoted to full Captain from Lieutenant at the end of the book while Bolitho himself is left in simple command of the Hyperion. Huh?

So, while the story is patently ridiculous, the passages detailing the ship's life and battles and the completely secondary characters and their fates are of enough interest to keep me reading this book and the series.

What I've Come to Expect from Kent..........2004-08-20

I started reading Alexander Kent's Bolitho novels because I had exhausted Forester's and O'Brian's respective series, and in doing so I had developed a strong appetite for age of sail fiction. Kent's series, by comparison to the former two, is sadly lacking.

The Bolitho series is a serial in the literal sense. This is the ninth novel I have read, and so far they have all followed the same general boilerplate plot. In some of these novels, even the sub-plots repeat themselves: the romance in this novel is a straight carbon copy from "Passage to Mutiny." In this respect, the Bolitho series is very similar to Cornwell's Sharpe series.

This would be acceptible, for a good story can be repeated dozens of times if you develop the characters and keep it fresh with new twists. New twists he does offer on occassion, but Kent fails miserably in character development. There are few continuing characters in the series, and none of them are better than two dimensional. This is a sin he shares with Forester: the only continuing character in the Hornblower novels is William Bush, who is not much more than Hornblower's shadow throughout the series. Stockdale, Herrick and Allday are all mere ciphers. After nine novels, even the tertiary characters in O'Brian's series have received more attention.

Kent also stretches credulity at times, and makes a number of historical errors. This book shows Bolitho in command of a 74 gun ship of the line, supposedly armed with 18 and 24 lbs cannon. The two deckers of the late 18th Century, however, usually carried 18 and 32 pounders as their primary armament, a fact that Kent is well aware of because he says so in his own newsletters. It is reminicent of a similar blunder in "Sloop of War," where Kent mounts 32lbs cannon as chasers on an 18 gun sloop, HMS Sparrow. I doubt very much that any sloop ever commissioned ever carried armament even remotely as heavy as the Sparrow. In this novel, the connectionless Herrick is promoted from lieutenant to full captain, skipping commander entirely. While not outright impossible, given that Herrick is utterly lacking in political influence such a promotion streches credulity to the breaking point. Kent's clumsy historical blunders wound the well-informed and alert among his readers.

Where Kent is strong is in his depiction of battle aboard an age of sail warship. The cannons roar, the timbers shudder, the splinters fly, and a fierce boarding action is never far in the offing. However, after several novels, his strongest point loses its luster because of his repetative style and lack of invention.

Overall, I am deeply disappointed in what I now perceive as Kent's systemic problems. I have read nine of these novels, and I feel like I have wasted enough time on them. I'll now be looking for another author to satisfy my age of sail appetite.

War With France.......2004-01-16

Bolitho is ordered to take his command, the 74-gun ship-of-the-line Hyperion to join Admiral Hood in his attempt to take Toulon. He is seconded, however, to another admiral who has orders to take a small island in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, it is already occupied by the French. In the ensuing battle, the admiral is killed and eventually he is placed under the command of yet another, in Gibraltar; an old acquaintance--one whom he had once replaced as commander of a frigate--and, unfortunately for his present situation, outshone.

This is an intricate story, but easy to follow, with lots of action and excellent character development. After reading a few of these Bolitho books the characters seem to live and breathe.

Alexander Kent is surely, as they say on the cover, "One of our foremost writers of naval fiction."

I hope you enjoy his stroies as much as I do.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Haul Open Gun Ports! Avast! Loosen T'gallants! Huzzah!.......2001-12-25

Another slendidly written masterpiece from Mr. Kent. Bolitho again sets his sails into thundering actions, a bit of romance, some nefarious villains, crisply-written battle scenes that almost deafen the reader. The age of sail is clearly defined in this ninth Bolitho adventure that is one of the best in the series. Plenty of historical flavor, the workings of a British warship (HMS Hyperion) at sea are marvelous to read. Wonderful character development and splintering decks and freezing sea spray for the nautical buffs. An outstanding addition to the series.

The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade

Average customer rating:

Not what I wanted...
Into the valley of death rode the six hundred
The reason why
The Cardigan Sweater
Arrogance and stupidity...

The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade
Cecil Woodham-Smith
Manufacturer: Penguin Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140012788

Customer Reviews:

Not what I wanted..........2007-08-20

The actual events of the fatal day are covered in a chapter. The first few hundred pages set the scene. She spends a lot of time discussing personalities and the lives of 2 of the principle characters...but neglects other important characters and disregards any discussion of other interpretations. If you want to read a lot about why Lord Cardigan was disliked, read this book. If you want to know what happened, red 'Hell Riders'.

Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.......2006-11-14

At the battle of Balaclava during the Crimean war, two incompetent, megalomaniacal aristocrats led a brigade of cavalry into a deadly gauntlet of Russian artillery. The charge of the Light Brigade has been immortalized by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Cecil Woodham-Smith seeks to explain how such a tragedy occured.

Lord Lucan and Lord Cardigan were brothers-in-law who detested each other. Each possessed deep character flaws. To make matters worse, neither had led as much as a single soldier in battle and were completely unfit for command. Yet, British army command was based on social rank, not experience, thus these two supercilious fools were to attain positions of power that inevitably led to slaughter.

Lucan was appointed divisional command of calvary while Cardigan, his brother-in-law and enemy, received command of the light brigade. Two people completely incapable of working together would comprise a superior/subordinate relationship. Woodham-Smith provides interwoven biographies of both which culminate on that fateful day of 1854.

The Reason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade is an excellent book. Swiftly-paced, well-written, and suspenseful, Woodham-Smith's effort contains that quintessential British literary charm found in historical works of mid-20th century and earlier. It's a charm which lends itself to extended and pleasurable reading. As a history buff, I can't get enough of it and appreciate the abundance I found here. 5+ stars.

The reason why.......2006-03-14

Outstanding. An in depth look at the actual people involved. Everybody knows what happened, here's how, or why if you will.

The Cardigan Sweater.......2005-09-10

Theirs not to reason why
Theirs but to do an die.
Into the valley of death
Rode the 600.
------------- Alfred Lord Tennyson

So went Tennyson's heroic poem "Charge of the Light Brigade". Every School boy used to know it. But few know who ordered and led the light brigade of cavalry to slaughter in the Crimea in 1854.

It was in fact a British aristocrat named James Thomas Brudenell, the duke of Cardigan (yes, the sweater's named after him). The story goes he fell off his horse as a child and injured his brain but not his birthright nor bank account with which he bought command of the light brigade.

The charge into the Russian cannon was a mistake. His sail to the crimea was so ill-prepared that his horses arrived half starved and his men sick and hungry. Of the 600 who rode out, Cardigan included, only 200 returned, all wounded except for Cardigan who strode his horse in lordly style up the defile and back to return unscathed to his yacht in the harbor.

Real history here? Likely mostly. Brudenell was a stupid martinet, much despised, bitterly ridiculed in the press. He was relieved of his command and the British policy of buying commands changed. Other versions of the event can be had, too. Read both sides with skepticism

Arrogance and stupidity..........2004-06-17

Cecil Woodham-Smith's story of the Charge of the Light Brigade is the biography of two men: Lords Lucan and Cardigan; brothers-in-law whose hatred for each other was surpassed only by arrogance and ineptitude as officers. Woodham-Smith's book is the story of two men cradled by an absurd system of rank and class, who came together as two of the highest-ranking officers in one of the worst-run campaigns in British military history, which resulted in one of the most legendary blunders in all of military history.

In the lifetimes of Lucan and Cardigan (the late eighteenth and early nineteeth century), the best way to get ahead in the British Army was to purchase your rank. The purchase system, as it was called, was basically a way for England's wealthy classes to keep the most powerful positions in the army for themselves, and exclude those individuals who were not of the same social stratum. This system was supported by Britain's greatest military mind, the Duke of Wellington, who, it is explained, somehow managed to hide the deficiencies of the system behind his military brilliance. However, by the time Lucan and Cardigan came into a position of authority, Wellington had long since passed away, none of the high officers involved in the Crimean campaign had heard a shot fired in anger, and the only combat-experienced officers in the British Army (those who had served in India) were unwanted.

The biography portion of the book gets a little bit cumbersome at times, especially for those of us who aren't entirely familiar with the British nobility system, but it provides an interesting backstory to the disaster in the Crimea. How two men so completely arrogant and inept came to a position of power in the British Army is shocking, especially when one considers that it was widely known that neither man was fit to command cavalry squadrons, let alone brigades and divisions.

Ultimately, Woodham-Smith's argument is effective: the purchase system, coupled with the British class system, was ripe for a disaster. By allowing incompetency to buy its way up the ranks while more competent solders were bypassed and more experienced soldiers were shunned, it was only a matter of time until the British experienced a debacle such as Balaclava and the entire Crimean Campaign. Unfortunately for the British, it took two spectaculary arrogant and stupid men to breed such a disaster, and when it finally happened, it happened in spectacular fashion.

Average customer rating:

Thoroughly researched, poorly written

Why the silly title?

very realistic

Churchill's Folly: Leros and the Aegean (Cassell Military Paperbacks)
Anthony Rogers
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0304366552

Book Description

Today many of the Greek islands of the Dodecanese are popular tourist resorts. However in 1943 they were the scene of the last successful German invasion of the Second World War. The islands had been occupied by the Italians since 1912 but, Italian Armistice of September with the downfall of Benito Mussolini, Winston Churchill seized the opportunity to open a new front in the eastern Mediterranean. Rejected by the Americans, it was a proposal fraught with difficulties and, ultimately, one that was doomed to failure. British garrison troops occupied territory with the assistance of naval forces, but with little or no air cover. They were opposed by some of Germany's finest, including units of the esteemed Division Brandenburg, with ample air and sea support. Three months of operations ended in a British defeat and with the Aegean under German occupation until the end of the war. The author has drawn on British, German and Italian sources and uses graphic eyewitness accounts to provide a detailed retelling of the struggle for possession of the Dodecanese, and the battles for Kos and Leros in particular.

Customer Reviews:

Thoroughly researched, poorly written.......2007-08-02

Although this book is well researched and the author is passionate in what he is doing the end result is too cluttered with pointless details and suffers from incoherent storytelling. A shame, because this could have been a very good book.

A good reference for details though.

Why the silly title?.......2006-07-21

A superbly researched account of the Leros campaign. The author spent some time tramping the hills and paths of Leros. As someone who has just tried to do the same (albeit on a smaller scale), I can certainly appreciate his effort! The definitive historical account, as distinct from the military one, has yet to be written. One small point: 'A Very British Defeat' is not the title of the book, not even in the USA. So why change it?

very realistic.......2005-08-29

The author does a very thorough job of checking and re-checking his sources. He avoids the all too common practice of repeating official reports (i.e. one side claims three aircreft were shot down) by delving into the reports from the other side (i.e. the other side reports losing only one aircraft). This, plus his use of survivors' recollections from both sides, presents one of the most balanced books, especially at the tactical level, that I have ever read. I would have enjoyed reading more on how the failure of the operation played out in the various governments at the time.

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