iago18335

“Blimey! I think I’m becoming an god.”

Reviewed: 05-11-25

Mary Beard earns her reputation as an excellent historian, able to make 2000 year old scraps of poems, government records, inscriptions and graffiti come alive in a coherent narrative, accessible to the layperson. In this book she takes a 360 degree look at the emperor from Augustus to the end of the Severans. How did they interact with the world (not just as ruler but also as a human being) on a day to day basis, and how did the world interact with them?

Nicely done and worth a look!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Comprehensive look at the war *before* the American Revolution.

Reviewed: 03-09-25

We don’t spend much time on the French & Indian War in school but understanding it gives so much deeper insight into the Revolutionary War and understanding about who we are today.

Fortunately, this story is amazing in its breadth between battling empires, colorful characters, and the highest of stakes. Fred Anderson brings all of these together in a way that’s both comprehensive and accessible. That being said, this isn’t a casual beach read. Juggling names, places, and agendas of all the European and native people can be a challenge but well worth it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Disappointing. Written version might be better.

Reviewed: 01-31-25

I was looking forward to this book but had to put it down 25% through for two reasons:

1) The Audible narrator was horrible. She was so monotone and clearly disinterested in the source material I had to check it wasn’t machine narrated.

2) The main character just didn’t make sense. She was supposed to be a person with years of diplomatic training and the top of all her classes yet time and again fell apart at every turn…only seconds later to engage in bizarrely counterproductive behavior. Literally in one scene, afraid for her life that a policeman was sent to execute her to *seconds later* deciding to make snarky comments to him just to see if she can annoy him…and then back to panic mode.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The world of Gutrid the Far Traveler

Reviewed: 01-27-25

Accessible history of Iceland and Greenland during the Viking era, held together narratively by the life and legacy of one woman mentioned in the Icelandic sagas.

There isn’t much direct information about Gudrig so the author fills in the blanks with an overview of current archeological and historical thinking about the physical and cultural life of the time.

Solid introduction to the topic that can serve as an entry to more challenging work or serve as a great standalone.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

High stakes plot with (cozy?) low stakes feel!

Reviewed: 01-22-25

Great story by Zelazny that brings together some classic characters (Jack the Ripper, Dracula, the Wolf Man, Sherlock Holmes) in a tale about a confrontation over bringing back the Old Gods and ushering in a new (good? Bad? Horrible?!?) era…all told from the perspective of a dog and focusing on the interactions of all the “main characters” animal familiars. Great read!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

*SLOW* burn cosmic horror.

Reviewed: 01-19-25

This is a book you need to settle into and let it take you along at its own pace. Under those terms, it’s a satisfying, atmospheric read about grief and horror across generations.

I found the audible narration an excellent companion to the story and my one quibble is the author’s seeming inability to find synonyms for “said”. Nobody whispers, exclaims, counters, yells, asks, etc. This becomes quite distracting at several parts of the story during conversations between characters.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Mediocre story well told

Reviewed: 01-12-25

Was a DNF for me (finished 25% of the book). Basically a cliched engineer’s fantasy. After Bob (a software engineer who’s unlucky at love and prefers not to interact with other people) sells his company for tons of money, he dies in an accident…only to wake up as a machine that will merge with a spaceship and journey to the stars.

There’s some basic snarky dialogue but not much that’s clever or funny.

That being said, the narrator does amazing work with the threadbare material.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

A classic not to be missed

Reviewed: 01-11-25

I revisited this book after 40 years and it holds up quite well. It is a product of its time (the early 70s) so while it would have probably been considered progressive in its day it’s more male-centered than most modern works.

BUT…the story is excellent. Every human who ever lived finds themselves resurrected along a million mile long river. How do people and cultures adapt and interact? Who was behind the resurrection and why? Farmer brings together a mix of historical and fictional characters together to tell the tale.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A slow fall, but definitely a fall…

Reviewed: 01-06-25

Goldsworthy argues that the Roman Empire did most definitely fall and not transform or evolve (mostly) peacefully into the Medieval period. A combination of internal conflicts, external enemies, and reduced resources all combined to make the empire less resilient and vulnerable to each successive shock.

The book avoids drawing any parallels with the modern world until the epilogue and that’s a don’t miss. Written in 2007, Goldsworthy’s observations are even more spot on in 2025.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Wow! I shouldn’t have waited 40 years!

Reviewed: 12-19-24

I picked up this book FORTY YEARS AGO (!) But it never made it to the top of my read pile. I finally got around to listening to the audio version (narrated by Paul Michael) and wow! This might be my favorite read of the year.

It has (unfortunately and erroneously IMHO) the YA label attached to it but I think that’s only because of the setting.

It’s a tale, perhaps a fable, in which humans don’t exist, animals talk, roosters rule and an evil threatens the world. You can tell the heavy influence the author drew from medieval literature and the audio version brings an amazing sense of the tradition of oral storytelling. The story could have been told around a campfire 1000 years ago or next weekend. Excellent!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!