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February 04
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Joe
gave
to:
The Religion: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Tim Willocks
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Joe said:
"Easily the best historical fiction novel I've ever read, Tim Willocks does a superb job describing in accuracy the often grisly details of the Great Siege of Malta by the Ottoman Turks in the mid-sixteenth century and their attempt to wipe out the Or...more
Easily the best historical fiction novel I've ever read, Tim Willocks does a superb job describing in accuracy the often grisly details of the Great Siege of Malta by the Ottoman Turks in the mid-sixteenth century and their attempt to wipe out the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, otherwise popularly known as the Knights Hospitaller. "The Religion" is the first book of The Tannhauser Trilogy, which follows the adventures of Mattias Tannhauser, a German man abducted as a youth by Turks and forced to serve for years in the famous Jannisary corps of the Ottoman army. Later leaving the service of the Turkish Sultan, Tannhauser begins a lucrative life as trader in profitable goods such as wine, gunpowder, and opium when he gets drawn into the conflict on Malta between the Hospitallers and the Ottomans....less
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Joe
gave
to:
Dungeon, Fire and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades (Hardcover)
by John J. Robinson
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my rating:
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read in January, 2006
Joe said:
"John J. Robinson makes medieval history read like a wonderfully imaginative work of fiction, full of intrigue, drama and surprises as he recounts the history of the Knights Templar, starting with the excommunication of the patriarch of the Greek Orth...more
John J. Robinson makes medieval history read like a wonderfully imaginative work of fiction, full of intrigue, drama and surprises as he recounts the history of the Knights Templar, starting with the excommunication of the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church in Constantinople by Pope Leo IX in the year 1052, to the burning at the stake of the last Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, in Paris nearly three hundred years later....less
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Joe
gave
to:
The Servant of the Bones (Hardcover)
by Anne Rice
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 1998
Joe said:
"Without a doubt, "The Servant of the Bones" is by far my favorite novel by Anne Rice, and should be considered a must-read for anyone who enjoys mysteries and/or historical fiction. Listen to the story of Azrael as he recounts his tale as ...more
Without a doubt, "The Servant of the Bones" is by far my favorite novel by Anne Rice, and should be considered a must-read for anyone who enjoys mysteries and/or historical fiction. Listen to the story of Azrael as he recounts his tale as the servant of the bones down through the mellenia from his mortal youth as a Jew in captivity in Babylon to his existence as a powerful spirit in modern America....less
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Joe
gave
to:
Gilgamesh: A New English Version (Paperback)
by Anonymous, Stephen Mitchell
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Joe said:
"Painfully repetitive at times, the epic of Gilgamesh still stands as a wonderful testament to the beauty of the human imagination and our innate need to identify with the noble spirits embodied by the ancient king and his wild counterpart, Enkidu.
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Joe
gave
to:
Arab Historians of the Crusades (Islamic World)
by Francesco Gabrieli
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2007
Joe said:
"It was definitely interesting to read about the Crusades from the point of view of the Muslim historians. While European chroniclers had a bad habit of romanticizing events, lifting Christian participants to almost saint-like status, and demonizing ...more
It was definitely interesting to read about the Crusades from the point of view of the Muslim historians. While European chroniclers had a bad habit of romanticizing events, lifting Christian participants to almost saint-like status, and demonizing Islam and its followers, their Arab counterparts recorded events with the dry detachment of a storeroom clerk performing an inventory of the stock on hand. This book provides a wonderful and fresh perspective on a vast subject that has long been a touchy subject for the followers of both doctrines of faith that were at war in the Holy Land centuries ago....less
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Joe
gave
to:
The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar: Solving the Oak Island Mystery (Paperback)
by Steven Sora
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2006
Joe said:
"More conjecture and speculation than actual history and investigative science, "The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar" offers an interesting and almost amusing theory as to what might have happened to the vast treasure of the Templar Kni...more
More conjecture and speculation than actual history and investigative science, "The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar" offers an interesting and almost amusing theory as to what might have happened to the vast treasure of the Templar Knights, which disappeared from France shortly before the Knights were arrested and tortured by the Inquisition for heresy in the early fourteenth century....less
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Joe
gave
to:
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa (Paperback)
by Adam Hochschild
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2006
Joe said:
"An excellently written account of King Leopold II of Belgium's attempt of the subjugation of the natives of central Africa and the exploitation of that area's natural recources, particularly ivory and rubber. I'd never heard of the horrific atrociti...more
An excellently written account of King Leopold II of Belgium's attempt of the subjugation of the natives of central Africa and the exploitation of that area's natural recources, particularly ivory and rubber. I'd never heard of the horrific atrocities Leopold perpetuated in Africa before I picked up this book, but Adam Hochschild provides a clear and concise narrative that details the actions of the major players of a historical drama that almost chills the blood once the reader realizes that this is the real-life inspiration behind Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."...less
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Joe
gave
to:
The First Crusade (Paperback)
by Steven Runciman
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Joe
gave
to:
The Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome's Warrior Slaves (Paperback)
by Alan Baker
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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