Review: Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe

Last month I read Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates, reviewed here, and since then I have been looking forward to reading a biography of Marilyn Monroe. To that end, I just finished Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers. It cleared up a lot of questions I had following Blonde, but (of course) left many mysteries unanswered.

Marilyn Monroe is a tragic, almost heart breaking figure in a lot of ways - this is definitely not a feel good, heart warming biography. It will also leave you frustrated at the number of ways things might have happened differently. However, it is a really fascinating look at not only Marilyn's life, but also bits of history about the people who knew her. I want to read a biography of Frank Sinatra now, for instance.

I wish there had been more about Marilyn's childhood in the book, but the details of her adult life are quit thorough, and his analysis of what happened that fateful night is well done and thoroughly explained.

Overall my biggest comment - a positive one - on this book is that Summers did it "right" in my estimation. He made it very clear what we know and what we don't know, and he managed to compile evidence into a compelling argument for what he thinks happened that night, without (for the most part) giving into scandal-mongering or sensationalism. And he makes it very clear what evidence he has and what he doesn't have; he doesn't given in to the temptation to claim he has all the answers.

In addition to that, I think he managed to capture the real tragedy of Monroe and to really humanize her to the reader and make her feel like a real person. Overall, I was quite satisfied with this biography of Monroe - I think Summers answered the questions as much as anyone can; I doubt we'll ever really have all the answers.

Review: Dead Man's Walk

I have read some of the Lonesome Dove books by Larry McMurtry, although my memory is a tad fuzzy on which ones, and I've seen the Lonesome Dove mini-series several times (and highly recommend!). I decided to embark on a re-read/read for the first time of the series, and this time I decided to go in chronological order rather than publication order.

If you are not familiar with the series, traditional/publication order is:

• Lonesome Dove
• Streets of Laredo
• Dead Man's Walk
• Comanche Moon

Chronological order is:

• Dead Man's Walk
• Comanche Moon
• Lonesome Dove
• Streets of Laredo

If you're only going to read one, Lonesome Dove is THE read. Dead Man's Walk and Comanche Moon tell you the back story of the main characters of Lonesome Dove, Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae. Streets of Laredo is (roughly) a sequel to Lonesome Dove. 

This was my first read of Dead Man's Walk, and I will say that for me it does not live up to Lonesome Dove. (Which, I suppose, argues for reading it in publication order if you're not sure where to start). The principle charm of the book, for me, required already knowing Gus and Call - recognizing their personalities in a younger version of them was fun, and seeing the set up for some their later adventures was also fun. Call, I think, got the best character development as you can see the seeds of him growing to the boss he later will be. I do not think they are nearly as memorable if you do not already know them. This is perhaps not surprising, as those two characters in Lonesome Dove are hard to live up to. 

McMurtry has a reputation as being one of THE readers to read if you enjoy westerns, and he certainly brings out that rough and tumble Western style that most readers are looking for. You can tell it is a bit older; the portrayal of the Native Americans (called Indians by the soldiers, of course), is not as nuanced as one might wish today. 

Overall, it's not as good as Lonesome Dove, but it is a good set up to the later story. And, if you've already read Lonesome Dove, it's a fun look at some of their earlier adventures. It's also a quick read, so if it doesn't live up to expectations it isn't a huge time sink. Overall, for McMurtry fans or Lonesome Dove fans, I think it's worth the read. 

Review: Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy

My interest in Genghis Khan and his world started when I read Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton, and only increased after reading Conn Iggulden's Conqueror series. I have had a few non-fiction books about Genghis on my Kindle for a while, and decided to kick off with Frank McLynn's biography of Genghis, Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy.

I think this was a good place to start with a non-fiction exploration of Genghis, as it was largely a stick-to-the-facts biography. However, I will warn potential readers that it is fairly dry in places. While parts of it were (at least to me) very interesting, other sections were long lists and explanations of battles that got difficult to wade through at times, although this is sort of to be expected in a biography of Genghis.

I will say it got better as it went; the first section, which talks about the unification of the tribes, was the hardest going for me as there were a lot of tribe names and players to keep track of. Later in the book, where the Mongols are conquering specific areas (even if multiple cities), it was easier to keep track of what was going on.

And it is not all war all the time; there were some interesting discussions of family dynamics, politics and culture that I really enjoyed.

Overall, I got enough out of this book to make it worth the read, and I am looking forward to continuing my exploration of Genghi's life with Jack Weatherford's books.

Review: The Countess

The Countess by Rebecca Johns was interesting, if not exactly what I was expecting. The novel tells the fictionalized story of the legendary Elizabeth (or Erszebet), allegedly history's most prolific serial killer.

I am not sure exactly what I was expecting out of a fictionalized account of a historic serial killer, but I do think I was expecting more...detail about her crimes. The book was surprisingly light on detail, and I really wish it had an author's note at the end both addressing where she took liberties and giving some more explanation as to what we now know about her crimes. I intend to read a biography at some point to fill in those details. On the flip side, the lack of detail means that it isn't super gory for a book about a serial killer - which could be a positive or a negative, depending on what you're looking for. If you want lots of gore, this book will probably disappoint you.

I found her approach to the book interesting; the book is basically written as a sort of autobiography, intended for the countess's son, explaining and justifying her crimes. I thought this was a really interesting way to tackle the story and the character, so I really appreciated that part. Of course, that also means that there is, I would imagine, some white-washing of her crimes. For instance, the book leaves the number of victims pretty vague, and only mentions a handful in detail - which may in part be an effort to avoid accusations of inaccuracy given that (from what I understand) we don't actually know how many people she killed. This is another thing I think could have been discussed in an author's note at the end to satisfy the reader's curiosity.

Copy of a portrait of Bathory,
probably from the 16th century

Also a positive (at least for me), was that the book the reader a look at the daily life she would have led in that period as a Hungarian noble women. I thought the book might focus heavily on her crimes and neglect the "historical" bit of the historical fiction. That was not the case, which I appreciated.

The book starts with her early years with her family, then her betrothal to Ferenc Nadasdy and the move into his mother's household, followed by their marriage and her later love affairs. There was a lot more detail regarding her overall life than I might have expected; I think I was expecting it to be more focused on scandal.

That means I can also see it appealing to someone who isn't interested in the criminal aspect of her history; that actually takes up a surprisingly small portion of the book, so I can recommend it to someone interested in that time period, even if they don't care about her criminal history.

Overall, this book was a pleasant surprise and I would read another by this author, and I can recommend to anyone interested in Bathory or this period in Hungarian history.

Review: The Kingmaker's Daughter

I've been slowing reading my way through Philippa Gregory's Plantegnet and Tudor books. I was going to wait and review the whole series, but for whatever reason I decided to write a post now.

I have been following Goodreads' reading order for the series, which makes this the fourth book. The first book, The Lady of the Rivers, follows the story of Jacquetta Woodville, a lady in waiting to Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI (aka the "sleeping" king). The second, The White Queen, follows Jacquetta's daughter, Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV. The third, The Red Queen, follows the story of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. This book then follows Anne Neville, wife of Richard III. Oof, good luck keeping track!

I had waited a long time to tackle Philippa's books as I knew they were a very mixed bag, and are sometimes controversial. They're exactly what I had heard - good on story, a little rocky on accuracy.

Gregory definitely tells a great story, and makes interesting characters. Another thing I like about these books is that they largely follow the same set of events. That might sound boring, but it's actually really interesting (to me) in that it gives you the different perspectives on the conflict. For example, the tension between the various players - Elizabeth and Anne in particular - takes on a new dimension when you read about it from both perspectives.

Personally, I think this could have been done more strongly by alternating chapters and breaking up the books by time period, rather than having each book by a different character. I think the conflict between the Neville's and Elizabeth Woodville would have been even more powerful if we were going back and forth between them, rather than reading an entire book from one perspective and switching to the other. But, I also love books that alternate characters in general, so maybe I am biased.

So, she tells a great story about a really interesting period of history from various perspectives, with a heavy focus on the perspectives of the women involved - so far it's ticking all the boxes for me. I had read that she doesn't stick particularly closely to historical fact (see The Other Boleyn Girl, which is based on one of her books). For example, she goes with the angle that the Woodville women are witches, which is based on rumor and allegations made at the time. But she doesn't just touch on it as rumor, she uses it as an actual plot in the book. If you're looking for a close following of history, obviously that isn't it, although it certainly makes for a good story.

On the flip side, that does make it pretty obvious she is taking liberties with the facts - I try to think of it as almost a fantasy retelling of history. My biggest complaint isn't that she takes liberties with the facts per se, most historical fiction does, although I think she goes farther than most and farther than I personally would prefer. My biggest complaint is that she doesn't do a good job of telling the reader where she took liberties; she does have an afterward sort of section, but it doesn't really address this with the depth other authors do (Alison Weir and Conn Iggulden are two I can think of off the top of my head). I think where you fictionalize enough that you're changing history, you need to be transparent about it. She does clarify some things, but largely leaves it to the reader to investigate themselves.

For those reasons, she will never be one of my favorite authors, and I am reluctant to recommend her to others without those qualifiers... but damn, she does tell a good story.

Review: The Midnight Watch

I (along with a lot of people) have a sort of morbid interest in the Titanic, so when I saw The Midnight Watch, which looks at the disaster from a different angle, I was sold. 

The Midnight Watch is told primarily through the lens of the Californian, the ship that allegedly watched Titanic sink without going to her aid. Dyer apparently has a history as both a lawyer and as a sailor - in fact, he worked as an attorney for one of the firms that represented Titanic's owners in 1912, so he had access to all sorts of archival documents. I think this really helped him dig into the issue from a place of knowledge, which really helped him address a new side of the story. 

Dyer examines the issue of what may have happened on the Californian that night and why (possibly) the men in charge did not go to Titanic's aid. It's a poignant reminder of how easily the disaster might have been avoided, without being a rehash of the same sort of Titanic plot we've seen before. 

The other reason I enjoyed this story is that it's told from a split perspective; from the second officer of the Californian's perspective, but also from the perspective of a newspaper reporter who is determined to figure out what happened and why. 

The Californian

I think it serves as a good (and timely) reminder as to why the media is important and the role they can serve for our society. It also helps add to the feel of tension - we see both sides grappling with the same issue. On the other hand, Dyer does a good job of not making this feel like a good verses evil story. It would be easy to paint the Californian officers as terrible people, and Dyer avoids that, which I think helps add depth to the story. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It had all the elements for me - a topic I am interested in, a bit of a legal aspect to the story, and an in-depth look at another angle of historical event. Definitely recommend. 

Review: River God

I recently finished River God by Wilbur Smith, which is the first in a series about Ancient Egypt, and I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series and, assuming they're just as good, I am adding Smith to my list of favorite authors. (I even grabbed the first in his Africa Courtney family series.)

I have had this one on my Kindle waiting for a while; I really love historical fiction, and I am totally fascinated by Ancient Egypt, so I was really afraid this one would be a big disappointment because my hopes for it were so high, even though Smith has a great reputation. I'm glad I finally picked it up.

The book tells the story of a (as far as I can tell) fictional Pharaoh and his family during the invasion of the Hyksos. It has some great battle scenes, almost as good as those of Bernard Cornwell. It also tells the story of the Hyksos invasion, which turns out to be a pretty interesting period in Egyptian history, and it also tells the story of some pretty important developments in Egyptian civilization. It also contains a fair amount about the culture of Egypt, which is something I really look for in historical fiction.

Egyptian War Chariot

The narrator is an Egyptian slave, and the story for how Smith came up with the idea for his story is amazing - in the afterward of the book he explains that he was on archaeological dig of an anonymous queen's tomb and several scrolls were found. The scrolls were written by a man who seemed to be quite confident of his own abilities, but in an endearing way - according to Smith. This made Smith want to write a book with him as the main character, and the Egyptian series was born.

This is definitely going on my list of favorites, and I look forward to the rest of the series. I can definitely recommend to anyone interested in ancient Egypt.

Review: Blonde

I've got very mixed feelings about Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates. It was a really interesting look at Marilyn Monroe, and it really made her a hugely sympathetic figure (and made you not really like a lot of the people around her). On the other hand, I wasn't crazy about the writing style, which made it hard for me to love the story in the way that I wanted to. It was almost but not quite there for me.

This is a fictionalized telling of Monroe's life, although it seems to hew pretty closely, at least in the broad strokes. Names are changed for many of the characters, but it's pretty obvious who they are. I have a biography on my to read very soon list to help me sort out what is fact and what is rumor in this book, which I think will help.

The thing that is either a strong pro or con of this book, depending on whether you like it, (for me it was a mix) is that parts of the book seem to be an internal monologue of Monroe's, or at last form her perspective, which makes for a jumbled (not to mention unreliable) narration. The pro is that this really adds to the atmosphere of the book and the sympathy you feel for Monroe - this version of her, at least, is clearly ill. On the other hand, though, at least for me it made for an at times unpleasant reading experience. It also made it hard to tell at times what was "real" and what was in Monroe's head or imagination or dreams.

The real strength of this book is the emotional reaction of the reader - you really feel for Monroe and are disgusted at what can only be called exploitation by many of the people around her. You definitely end up feeling like she really never had a chance, and understanding how she ended as she did.

I'll be really curious to see how this squares with a biography of her. While it really wasn't to my taste from a writing style perspective, it was a powerful book and I can see why it was a National Book Award finalist. While it was not my favorite, it's something I could easily recommend to others, which is not something you can say every day.

Review: Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

I was lucky enough to hear media literacy guru Julie Nilsson Smith speak at a recent conference, and she recommended Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, which sounded really interesting and relevant to a project I am working on, so I had to run out and buy it. I am glad I did!

This book didn't tell me much I didn't already know in an abstract way, but it did give some really concrete and eye opening examples. And some of the data was just plain fascinating. And, he didn't stick only to internet data. For example, he discusses how data sets were used in the decision to purchase race horse American Pharoah.

Stephens-Davidowitz, a former Google data scientist, spends a lot of time talking about internet data, particularly from Google, but also from Facebook and other providers like PornHub (yup, he talks a lot about sex). 

Overall this book was very fascinating, but it's purpose really goes beyond that. We all need to understand how our data is collected and used, and what it tells the world about us - both in good and bad ways. We all share an awful lot of data about ourselves without even realizing it; it's hard not to these days. But we should at least be aware of it and be thoughtful about when and how we do it. 

Stephens-Davidowitz does have a short chapter at the end that deals with the ethical implications of this information, but I think this issue really could have used a more in-depth discussion and been a more prominent part of his book. 

Despite that, I still think this book can be a great educational tool (which is part of why I read it). First, it helps educators be more aware of what is going on. But more importantly, I think it can be used as an educational tool with students directly. For older students, it could be assigned as a course reading, or parts of it could. Even with younger students, using some of his examples in a discussion or presentation adds interest and helps reinforce the point that we are sharing a lot of our personal data. 

It's also just plain interesting to think about how much data scientists and social scientists can learn about us as a species from these new forms of data, and you can see Stephens-Davidowitz's enthusiasm for this throughout the book. It certainly opens up a whole new world for researchers. 

Review: Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet

I've been interested in Tibet for a while, so I grabbed Red Poppies, which discusses the period before the Tibetan incorporation into China. 

Ultimately, this book disappointed and frustrated me a little bit - I felt there were so many missed opportunities! It was overall lacking in detail and needed to be fleshed out and expanded on in many ways. I am not sure how much is due to losses in translation, but at almost every turn I felt like the plot and setting could have been so much more developed. 

For example, the Goodreads description for the book says "When the chieftain agrees to grow opium poppies with seeds supplied by the Chinese Nationalists in exchange for modern weapons, he draws Tibet into the opium trade -- and unwittingly plants the seeds for a downfall." This is true, to some extent. It does discuss the planting of the poppies and some of the negative effects that followed, but I wanted to know so much more. Did it lead to any problems with abuse or addiction in Tibet, as it did in China itself? Did the Tibetans understand exactly what it was they were growing? Exactly how manipulative was the relationship involved in bringing the poppies to Tibet? This could have been so interesting with just a little more detail, but it basically left me looking to see if there was another book I could read that would delve into this a little more. Ditto for the political situation.... I really would have liked the book to develop a better understanding of what was going on in Tibet at this time, the existing relationship with China, and why China ended up taking over Tibet. This is largely glossed over and/or left for the reader to sort of infer. 

Part of the issue, I think, was the narrator. He self identifies - and is identified by everyone else - as an "idiot," yet he has strange insights that lead the people around him (and the reader) to wonder if he really is an idiot. However, this "idiot" guise of the narrator also hampers the ability of that narrator to understand - and therefore explain to us - what is going on around him in any depth, and I think that really contributes to the shallowness of the overall discussion of the political situation. This may not bother other readers as much as it bothered me, as that is why I read historical fiction, and why I wanted to read a book about Tibet in particular. For similar reasons, I felt most of the characters were shallow and underdeveloped, probably in part because the narrator doesn't really understand the motivations of other people. 

However, it did reinforce the fact that Tibet is pretty interesting and worth reading about, and gave me some ideas for particular things about Tibet that I want to learn more about, particularly the role of the opium trade and the growth of trade between Tibet and China, and at times it was an interesting story. It's also a quick read, so it isn't a huge investment to get through. 

I think the book also has the virtue of being written by someone (an ethnic Tibetan, according to Amazon) who has a different perspective on events than an outsider might, so that is a strong mark in favor of giving it a read.

Review: Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic

Spillover,  which I have been meaning to read for a long time, was one of those books where I was on the fence about starting it - will it be really interesting? Or really dry? I am happy to say this book was utterly fascinating. It may be the best non-fiction I read all year; I had a hard time putting it down at times, and I was always looking forward to picking it back up again. 

The book is a combination medical history of zoonotic diseases (diseases that spread from animals to people) and warning, as well as some musings on what the next big epidemic might be. (You can see why I thought it might be dry.)

The book tackles the history of diseases from Ebola, SARS, Hendra, AIDS, to influenza, with side tracks on other diseases like rabies, and it was utterly fascinating. I had no idea how much we actually know about the emergence of some of these diseases, particularly AIDS - right down to what animal it came from, where, and when. And Quammen's description how we figured this out was so interesting, at least for me. 

Quammen also manages to keep the book interesting without resorting to sensationalism (indeed, he takes a few swipes at Richard Preston's The Hot Zone {which I admit I enjoyed} for this reason along the way). He also doesn't forget the animals; the discussion of the impact Ebola has had on gorilla populations was something I had never heard of that was really interesting. 

This was narrative non-fiction done really well, and if you have any interest in medical history or the history of disease (AIDS and Ebola particularly) it's hard for me to recommend this book highly enough. 

If you're interested in updates with my new reviews, subscribe to "follow by email" in the upper right corner of my page. 

Stay tuned for reviews of:

• Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet by Alai
• River God by Wilbur Smith
• Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates 
• Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
• Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy by Frank McLynn

Review: The Perfect Horse: The Daring US Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis

I actually finished The Perfect Horse a while ago and forgot to review it - ooops!

I will admit, this one took a while for me to get into, and it never became un-put-downable for me. I usually read multiple books at a time, and this one was never the first one I'd pick up when I sat down.

However, I definitely wouldn't say it was boring. The book has a lot of interesting history about the Lipizzaner and Arabian breeds and horse breeding in general. If you're not already familiar with the Lipizzaners, there are a lot of good YouTube videos of them in action that you may want to check out to help give you an appreciation of these horses.

As an animal lover, and someone who spent time around horses growing up, it was certainly heart wrenching to read about what the horses went through during WWII, and it was also a part of the war I've never really heard discussed, so it was interesting from that angle alone. And, if you're interested in horses, the history of the breeds is also pretty fascinating. There was also a healthy dose of military history in here, particularly with regard to the move away from use of horses in the cavalry, that I found interesting and I think would probably intrigue military buffs out there.

What was also interesting, at least to me, were the lengths that some of the men discussed in the book were willing to go to protect these horses, including in some cases risking their lives.  It also reminds the reader that no matter how strongly we disagree, sometimes it's necessary and worthwhile to set aside differences for a greater cause.

Overall, while this may not be my favorite book I've read so far this year, it was well worth reading and I can recommend it to anyone interested in horses, military history, or WWII.

Series Review: Phèdre's Trilogy by Jacqueline Carey

I am not even sure where to start here, other than to say that this has been one of my favorite reading experiences in recent years, if ever. I recently finished Phedre's trilogy, the first three in the Kushiel's Legacy series, by Jacqueline Carey.

First, the basics. The first trilogy is made up of Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar. The trio wraps up in a way that you could easily quit there (in fact, I would argue that you could read Kushiel's Dart as a stand alone, if you really wanted to). If you want to continue on, though, you move on to Imriel's trilogy (Imriel is a character introduced in the last book of Phedre's trilogy).

Second, a disclaimer. As amazing as this series is for various reasons I will address in a minute, if you cannot handle (or enjoy a book the portrays) violent sex (sometimes consensual, sometimes not) and rape, or don't think you could enjoy a book that portrays it, this probably isn't the book for you. That said, the sex is generally furthering the plot - indeed, in the first book in particular, it's pretty central to the plot. It's not generally there for no reason. And, it's also portrayed through a character that is very empowering - she's no one's victim. So take all that into consideration before picking this book up.

All that being said, it took me a long time to pick up the first book for that reason. Here's the Amazon description for Kushiel's Dart:

A nation born of angels, vast and intricate and surrounded by danger... a woman born to servitude, unknowingly given access to the secrets of the realm... 

Born with a scarlet mote in her left eye, Phédre nó Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child. When her bond is purchased by an enigmatic nobleman, she is trained in history, theology, politics, foreign languages, the arts of pleasure. And above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Exquisite courtesan, talented spy... and unlikely heroine. But when Phédre stumbles upon a plot that threatens her homeland, Terre d'Ange, she has no choice. 

Betrayed into captivity in the barbarous northland of Skaldia and accompanied only by a disdainful young warrior-priest, Phédre makes a harrowing escape and an even more harrowing journey to return to her people and deliver a warning of the impending invasion. And that proves only the first step in a quest that will take her to the edge of despair and beyond. 

Phédre nó Delaunay is the woman who holds the keys to her realm's deadly secrets, and whose courage will decide the very future of her world. 

Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age and the birth of a new. It is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. A world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, deposed rulers and a besieged Queen, a warrior-priest, the Prince of Travelers, barbarian warlords, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess... all seen through the unflinching eyes of an unforgettable heroine.

Reading this, I was sort of expecting fantasy version of 50 Shades of Grey (I'm not at all bashing it, if it appeals to you, it's just not really an area I read much in), so I really didn't think I would like it. But it was on so many must read fantasy lists I stumbled across, though, so I eventually gave it a try. (Side note, I see it as a Kindle deal for $1.99 fairly regularly, so if you're really not sure, wait for it to go on sale. Or better yet, borrow it from a library.) I was wrong, and sorry I waited so long. Yes, there's a lot of sex, but as I mentioned above it's integral to and woven into the plot. And there is a lot more going on than sex.

Alright, now that I've told you all the reasons not to read the books, let me tell you why I loved them. They're chock full of political intrigue, interesting cultures and religions, and strong and interesting characters. In other words, they check all the boxes for me. They also have some great romance, if that interests you. If it doesn't (as it doesn't me, particularly), it doesn't detract from the story either.

The major protagonist and the major villain are both women (hurray!), and they are compelling and interesting women at that. As with George R. R. Martin's Petyr Baelish, I feel I'd really enjoy reading this same story again from the villain's point of view - I want to know what she is thinking and why she does the things that she does. The political intrigue here is top notch; there's spying, lying, back stabbing, intricate plots and pretty much everything you could want in political fantasy novel.

Also like Martin, Carey isn't afraid to kill off important characters we know well - although she's certainly not in Martin's league -  which adds to the tension and sense of urgency as you're reading. I won't say you can't guess what will happen - I think you can, especially in the last book - but you definitely can't be certain, and even if you guess some of the broad strokes, the details may surprise you.

The other really enjoyable thing here is the different cultures and settings. Phedre does a lot of traveling through all the books, exposing herself and the reader to lots of different cultures - everything from a nation reminiscent of ancient Egypt to a snowy mountain setting that might remind you of Beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones.

I feel I'm making too many GOT parallels here, but it definitely did remind me of the political intrigue and world building of GRRM, yet Carey has absolutely created her own world here. If you're wondering where's the magic? it is subtle. Again like GRRM, this is fantasy where the fantasy doesn't predominate - it's a part of the plot but not the plot. Here the primary fantasy element is that it clearly isn't our world (at least as it exists now), and that the Gods are very much considered to be/have been real people, and they are very much drivers in Phedre's personal story and journey.

Overall if you like strong world building and political intrigue, I really think you'll love this trilogy
it's already in my pile of things to re-read, and I've also already bought Imriel's trilogy. It far surpassed my expectations, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Review: The Seven Wonders

Having previously read Steven Saylor's Roma and Empire, I have been looking forward to picking up his Gordianus the Finder series for a while.

My understanding is that there are two ways to read this series; one is to stick to the core books, known as the Roma Sub Rosa series, starting with Roman Blood. The other is to start with the Ancient World series, which is sort of a prequel series to the Roma Sub Rosa books, the first of which is The Seven Wonders. I decided to start there, in part because I like to follow books chronologically, but also because I was really interested in the idea of a tour of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Colossus of Rhodes,
by gravure sur bois
de Sidney Barclay, c. 1880

I loved the history here; the book is set up as a world tour by Gordianus and his teacher, Antipater of Sidon. Antipater explains the history of each wonder as they stop, which is a great way to organically fill the reader in on the history, which was often fascinating. I also felt it was a good amount of detail; enough to be immersive and set up the history of the wonder, but not so much as to bog the reader down.

I also loved the variety of settings, as it kept the whole book interesting and engaging for me. We toured not only the various wonders, but the cultures and locales in which they are set as well, and I love learning about different cultures and eras.

The only thing I wasn't crazy about with this book was the fact that it was set up almost as a series of short stories, with a climax for each section. The primary series, Roma Sub Rosa is (as I understand it) basically an ancient mystery series, with Gordianus as an ancient detective. This, as a prequel series, is intended to show us how he got his start, which makes sense. However, I think I personally would have preferred that he focus on just the overarching mystery that runs throughout the whole book; the small mysteries in each location just felt a little contrived to me.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Ferdinand Knab, c. 1886

Gordianus just happens to stumble upon a mystery at every place they stop? It just didn't feel organic to me. I think the other reason this may have not really worked for me was precisely because so far I've only read Roma and Empire, which also have a bit of a short story feel. (They are a Michner or Rutherfurd style following of Roman history through various generations of the same family, so each section is set in a different era with a different generation.) I am looking forward to seeing Saylor stick with a character and story arc more long term - through a whole novel - rather than in shorter chunks, and this book didn't entirely deliver that for me, even though we do follow Gordianus throughout. I'm curious to see if the feel is different in the second book, Raiders of the Nile.

The Great Pyramid, Alex lbh

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, and I'm looking forward to seeing where Gordianus' journey takes him in the future. Part of me wants to skip right to Roman Blood, but I'll restrain myself. I really do like to read series in order, and Raiders of the Nile is set in Egypt, one of my favorite settings for a book.

I can recommend this book for both historical fiction fans and mystery fans. I am hoping the mystery is more mysterious and better set up in future books - this one seemed pretty easy to spot to me - but I can see how this as a good set up for a detective just starting out and how he could learn and grow from here, so I am looking forward to seeing how Gordianus grows in future books.

Review: The Agony and the Ecstasy

I've wanted to read something by Irving Stone for a while, but put it off because most of his books are long and are not available as e-books (which surprises me as his books seem pretty popular), which is my preferred reading method. I finally inter-library loaned (if you don't know what inter-library loan is, ask your library if they offer it - it's an awesome service) The Agony and the Ecstasy, his historical fiction biography of Michelangelo. I was excited enough that I posted in a Facebook group for historical fiction fans the day I picked it up, and many people told me it was great - and they were right!

This book follows Michelangelo from he start of his career through the end of his life in his late 80s, with all the triumphs and failures (in his eyes) that this entails. It covers the creation of many of his greatest works, from the famous statue of David and paintings of the Sistine Chapel to other lesser known works.

The book is heavily focused on Michelangelo's life, but also incorporates some external events as well, particularly where they impact his life and art work. I would have liked to see some of this a little more fleshed out for my own personal preferences, but this is already a hefty read at 758 pages, so the average reader would probably disagree with me. It did make me want to pick up some other books on this era. (I already have some in mind, thanks to research I did after enjoying CW Gortner's The Vatican Princess.)

Michelangelo was very prolific and crossed mediums, which I find interesting. Stone did a great job of capturing Michelangelo's passion for his art (indeed, I've seen others poke fun at the overtly sexual way he describes carving marble, which is fair). Stone portrays him as willing to make himself ill in service to his art, and willing to stand up to popes - a dangerous proposition at the time. I particularly found his discussion fascinating regarding the lengths to which Michelangelo had to go to dissect cadavers, something he felt was necessary to be able to properly sculpt and draw the human form. This is one of the details I am hoping to confirm by reading a biography at some point.

Overall, Stone evokes a very interesting but somewhat tragic figure; Michelangelo never marries, and his great loves are generally denied to him, and he is often at the mercy of circumstances and powerful people around him.  He even sees some of his greatest loves - his artworks - damaged or destroyed by events.

Overall, I am very glad I picked this one up, and I plan to check out some of this other books in the future. I can recommend this one to anyone interested in historical fiction about Italian history or art history.

Don't forget, if you're interested in getting updates when I post a review, you can subscribe to my blog from the homepage:

Keep an eye out for upcoming reviews of: 

1. The Seven Wonders of the World
2. Phedre's Trilogy, the first three in the Kushiel's Legacy series
3. The Perfect Horse: The Daring US Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the 
     Nazis
4. Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet

Review: Anna of Kleve

Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait is the third in an (anticipated) six books historical fiction series by Alison Weir on Henry VIII's wives. As with the others in the series, it starts with Anna's childhood years before meeting/marrying Henry, details how she comes to be his wife, and the end result. If you don't know her fate, I won't spoil it!

For entertainment value, this was on par with the other books in the series; I enjoyed it. I didn't really know anything about Anna going in, so I got a lot out of it. She definitely portrays Anna as a sympathetic character and, as with his other wives, you can't help but feel sorry for her.

It's also been interesting over the course of the books to see the evolution of Henry's relationship with his various wives and how different the dynamics were, at least in Weir's interpretation. Her portrayal of Henry throughout the books is nuanced; sometimes you hate him, sometimes you feel sorry for him. Sometimes you just don't know what to think. I look forward to reading her biography on him at some point. He was a little less "real" to me as a character in this than in her previous two books; because there is less of a connection between him and Anna than between him and his first two wives, we don't really get to know him as well. However, that fits well with his relationship with Anna as Weir has protrayed it.

Anna of Kleve, painted by Hans Holbein 

I always love Weir's books; you're always going to get a good story out of her fiction, and her non-fiction generally lays out her argument where there is some question in the historical record, which I appreciate. I'll always recommend her to anyone interested in the Tudor period.

My only real gripe with this novel is that she played it a little fast and loose with historical accuracy with regard to some pretty important plot points. (Incidentally, I have a similar complaint about her novel The Lady Elizabeth.) She is very clear about this in her afterward, where she explains what is factual and what is fiction (which I always very much appreciate), which absolves her somewhat. I understand that she did it to make the story more interesting, and it did make for a better read - over all Anna is just not as interesting as Katherine or Anne. However, on balance I prefer my historical fiction to stick as close to accuracy as possible, with deviations on minor plot points. This is particularly true for someone like Weir, who writes both fiction and non-fiction. This is especially true as she has made thinly veiled references to lack of accuracy in other novels, particularly The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. (Full disclosure, I put off reading Gregory for a long time because of the accuracy issues, but have been working my way through her books lately and I must admit, they do make for an enjoyable read.)

Anyway, overall I enjoyed it and can still recommend it, despite some bumps with regard to accuracy. If you're interested in this book it can be read as a standalone, although I recommend reading the other books in the series, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession. The remaining books in the series are forthcoming (she seems to finish them about once per year).

Review: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold will probably end up on my list of favorite reads this year. This is not true crime in the traditional sense; if you're looking for a detailed discussion of Jack the Ripper or his crimes, this is not that book. However, if you're interested in all things Ripper and want to know more about his victims, or you're interested in society in England during this time period or the plight of the poor, this is the book for you.

I was excited, but skeptical when I read the description of this book - how would she find enough detail to fill a book about these women who, other than being Jack the Ripper's victims, might have been an oversight to history? But I should not have doubted - Rubenhold found far more detail than I would have expected. She clearly spent a lot of time with primary source materials, including (I am guessing) things like deeds and property records.

She manages to take the small details that make up the lives of these women and spin into an interesting narrative of their lives, but more importantly manages to place them in the context of their time. She punches a huge hole in the idea that all of the Ripper's victims were prostitutes, and does a great job of showing how these 5 very different women wound up in circumstances that allowed them to become his victims. In doing so, she sheds a light on the horrendous conditions in that area of London at the time, but also delves into the challenges women of that period faced, particularly if they lost the man they relied on for support and protection.

Rubenhold really resurrects these women from history and gives them back their dignity, and makes them figures of sympathy - and does so without resorting to the salacious details of their deaths. She focuses almost exclusively on their lives, barely touching on how they died, and in doing so really makes you feel the tragedy and pain of their lives, not just their deaths.

Review: The Bees

Ok, this was an interesting one. I recently finished The Bees by Laline Paull. If I had the describe it in one sentence, this book is like a mix of The Handmaid's Tale and Watership Down (yes really), but with bees; but there is really no describing this one in one sentence.

The Bees is the story of the life of a hive, through the eyes of one bee - Flora 717, who starts the story as a sanitation worker, cleaning the hive of refuse and dead bees. Through various happenstances, Flora ends up showing us various aspects of life in the hive.

Paull has created a fully-fleshed world, with history, myth and religion to guide the lives of the bees and explain the things that happen to them and to their hive. She also creates a very hierarchical world that seems to draw on the actual biology of bees - I wish she had an afterward discussing her research for this book - but that also seems to be a commentary on inequality in our own society. Not all bees are created equal, with the sanitation workers as the lowest of the low - they can't even speak. The queen, the only one who can breed, sits at the top of the hierarchy and is venerated as a god. There are also overtones of big brother, with a "hive mind" that can guide and control the actions of all of the bees.

Flora begins to deviate from what is expected of a good bee, particularly a good sanitation worker. Will she manage to evade the fertility police, and the priestesses that control hive behavior? It really did sort of remind me of a less well-fledged Watership Down, with a group of sentient animals that have their own society and culture. It was definitely not your run of the mill book, but I enjoyed it. I think it's a great book for the right reader, but is probably not for everyone.

Review: The Firebrand

After reading Stephanie Thornton's The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great, I was really interested in reading more on ancient Greece and that area of the world. I was also really interested in giving Marion Zimmer Bradley a try, so The Firebrand seemed like a great choice. The Firebrand is the story of the fall of Troy through the eyes of Kassandra, the prophetess no one believes.

While the story was a familiar one, this was a totally different take on it. The focus was primarily on the women of the story, including Helen and Andromache, through Kassandra's eyes.  Kassandra is the sister of Hector and Paris, priestess of Apollo, and she has visions, but no one believes her warnings.

One of my favorite parts of the story was the beginning, when Kassandra goes to live with the Amazon women and spends some time as an Amazon warrior. She also meets the Kentaurs, the origins of the Centaur legend. She also spends some time in Colchis, learning snake lore, and becomes the tender of the snakes at Apollo's temple. Overall, a very interesting character.

Cassandra,
circa 1898 by Evelyn De Morgan

If you're yearning for a tale of Hector and Achilles, though, you won't find it here - they are characters in the book, but get very little "on screen" time - especially Achilles. We see them only through Kassandra's eyes and conversations with others. I rather enjoyed this, as I saw more of what the day to day life of the Trojans might have been like and the effect that the war would have on the common people, rather than the focus on the legends. However, if that isn't what you're looking for, this might not be the book for you.

This book has light fantasy elements; we see what may be - it's left up to the reader to decide - appearances by the Gods, and because Kassandra is a priestess of Apollo, we get some interesting glances in to the religion of the period. And, of course, there are Kassandra's visions. Prophecy also plays a heavy role in the story, and in Kassandra's personal life and the path that her story takes.

Overall, I highly recommend this historical fiction with a light dose of fantasy. It's a retelling of the classic Troy myth, but from a different perspective I had not seen before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Review: Remarkable Creatures

It's been a while since I posted a review; the end of the semester has been crazy.

I recently finished Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (better known for Girl with the Pearl Earring), and I loved it!

This is the story of Mary Anning, a female(!) fossil hunter in the early 1800s. Mary was one of the first to discover an icthyosaur specimen, and was the first to discover a plesiosaur.

Portrait of Mary Anning with her dog Tray
and the Golden Cap outcrop in the background,
Natural History Museum, London

This is all the more remarkable because she had little education and lived in a poor family; she learned fossil hunting from her father, who hunted fossils to raise money to support the family.

The story is told through the lens of Mary's friendship with Elizabeth Philpot, an upper class "spinster" who also enjoys fossil hunting. According to the book, Elizabeth plays an important role in helping Mary get the recognition she deserved from the scientific community.

Autograph letter concerning the discovery
of plesiosaurus, from Mary Anning

This book combined my interest in paleontology with my interest in interesting women, so it was a pretty easy sell for me. It lived up to my hopes; it was a really interesting look at early fossil collecting, and touched on the clash between religious beliefs and the dawning understanding of what fossils really were, and how that challenged existing beliefs. It also gave some incite into the issues women of that era, both in the lower and middle classes, faced.

I am not sure the portrayal of Mary was quite as well developed as it could have been; at times she felt a little two dimensional and the intelligence she must have possessed didn't shine through as well as I might have liked.

However, I thought it was overall an interesting look at the woman and the time period, as well as the development of paleontology. It also indirectly touched on the tension between educated experts and amateurs who develop expertise through their own explorations, which is something else that interests me. I wonder how Mary Anning would be received by the scientific community today?