http://www.goodreads.com/user/updates_rss/595788 en-US Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:06:29 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 32807480 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:06:29 -0700 Review24417238 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24417238 to: A People's History of American Empire (Paperback) by Howard Zinn
bookshelves: books-of-2008
A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF AMERICAN EMPIRE BY HOWARD ZINN, MIKE KONOPACKI, AND PAUL BUHLE: Activist, author, and teacher Howard Zinn is probably best known for the consistently bestselling A People’s History of the United States, with the help of writer Mike Konopacki and artist Paul Buhle, now presents A People’s History of American Empire: A Graphic Adaptation. With the popularity of books like Persepolis, 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, and Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, the genre of journalism through graphic illustration is a growing one, and now has a solid member with Howard Zinn’s book.

A People’s History of American Empire begins at the beginning with the growing American colonies and subjugation of minorities on the North American continent. The book does not hold back in putting blame on the US government, as we pass through the civil war, and the World Wars, spending time in revealing the apparent need of the government to be in charge of everything. It becomes obvious that something strange has been going on for over a century, where the American government seems obsessed with controlling the governments and peoples of developing countries in Central and South America. The term “empire” is key for the book as it extols on America’s need to be dictating the actions of other countries. As we reach the 1960s, the authors go into detail about the transference of this “American empire” from the Americas to the Middle East, when oil became such a necessary natural resource. The book does an excellent job in showing just who it is that suffers most: the poor, whichever country they may be in. Many die and A People’s History shows this as a necessary sacrifice, for ultimately it’s not Americans dying.

A People’s History of Empire is a sobering look at American history through the actions of its government, its presidents, and its politicians. The artwork aids the writing, in showing an emotion and character of the people and events, making a stronger impression on the reader. It reveals a true history rarely seen or discussed in history books that makes the reader wonder at times why so many other countries revere the United States as the land of the free, with the amount of blood that has been spilled in its past over personal gain.


For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807465 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:05:58 -0700 Review27420647 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27420647 to: The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch (Hardcover) by Neil Gaiman
bookshelves: books-of-2008
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF THE DEPARTURE OF MISS FINCH BY NEIL GAIMAN AND MICHAEL ZULLI: In this original story from Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli, who have collaborated before on graphic novels, with see the story of Miss Finch and her enigmatic disappearance as recounted through the eyes and memories of those who witnessed it.

The tale begins with the narrator and his two friends, a couple, who wish him to join them and Miss Finch on a fun night out. The man grudging agrees and is surprised when he meets Miss Finch, who is a strange and unique looking woman, giving nothing of herself away except for her mysterious attire. They decide to go to this circus they’ve heard about, which is unlike anything ever done before. With a total of fifty people, they enter into the main room after finding the front door to the basement of a run down building. They are soon greeted to an introductory show of many strange creatures in many colors and looks. Everyone assumes them to be people in costumes, but they do look uncannily realistic.

They are then greeted by the man in charge who bears more than a striking resemblance to Alice Cooper, who guides them to the first of many rooms where bizarre events are taking place. There is the breathtaking knife throwing act; the Frankenstein-like creature with incredible strength; the room of black light creatures that again seem too real; and the room with the strange guillotine act. After taking a break at what seems like the end, the four members find themselves alone and enter into another room where they are greeted by darkness and then wild animals and a wild woman who looks familiar. Thinking they are about to die, the room turns to black and they leave the room only to find Miss Finch is no longer with them.

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch is a strange story that makes one question what one is actually seeing, what is supposed reality and what is not. Through the skilful writing of Gaiman and the haunting artistic style of Zulli, it is a book that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.


For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807439 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:05:16 -0700 Review27420570 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27420570 to: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You (Season 8, Vol. 2) by Brian K. Vaughan
bookshelves: books-of-2008
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Volume 2: No Future For You by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, and Georges Jeanty: Buffy and Joss Whedon fans were delighted to discover that there would be a graphic novel version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, continuing on from the end of the show. But fans also know there are two true slayers currently alive in the Buffyverse, and in No Future For You, with help from writer Brian K. Vaughan (of Y: The Last Man) we get the story on what the other slayer has been up to.

Watcher’s Council extraordinaire Rupert Giles needs the help of Faith, the other slayer who has always seen Buffy as the perfect blond who can do no wrong, while she is a convicted murderer, and has always had to fight for everything in her life. But Giles has a mission for her now: to infiltrate the mansion of a rich family in England and take out a girl who is using all her power and resources to kill slayers and anyone with slayer abilities. Faith will have to go through a rigorous training process in being a proper English noble. She will also have her faith tested in being a good person, as she finds she has a lot in common with this girl who wants to put an end to Buffy.

Meanwhile back in the castle where Buffy is, Dawn still has her “giant” problem, Xander is making with the hilarities, while Willow continues to be an awesome witch with a scary amount of power, and there is the strange sigil that continues to have deep and sinister ties. The graphic novel story continues to be an entertaining tale as good as the original TV series.


For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807427 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:04:50 -0700 Review27315989 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27315989 to: San Francisco Giants: 50 Years: 50 Years (Hardcover) by Brian Murphy
bookshelves: books-of-2008
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 50 YEARS BY BRIAN MURPHY: As only a recent fan of the San Francisco Giants, I know of the 2002 World Series defeat, Barry Bonds’s race to reach and beat Hank Aaron’s homerun record, and the young and magnificent arm of the 22 year-old pitcher Tim Lincecum. I know the names of the great Giants like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal; but the period from the 1958 move of the New York Giants to San Francisco up to the end of the 1990s is a time I know little about. Thankfully 2008 is the fiftieth anniversary of the San Francisco Giants, and to commemorate it a beautiful book has been published, written by Brian Murphy (a host for the KNBR sports radio station), celebrating the fifty years of San Francisco baseball history with the Giants.

The cover of San Francisco Giants: 50 Years captures the book perfectly with a split picture: on the top is Seals stadium, formerly a place for minor league baseball, it was where the new San Francisco Giants played their first games; at the bottom is the breathtaking AT&T Park, where the Giants currently reside. A foreword from longtime fan Danny Glover takes the reader back to moments in Glover’s history as a little boy watching the greats play as Giants. Brian Murphy then sweeps you back to the first days of the New York Giants gracing the streets of the city by the bay as the new San Francisco Giants. Murphy uses a descriptive style that congers images in one’s mind of the history of this baseball team, not overloading the book with stats and numbers, but providing facts and details where necessary, informing the reader of the many great strides the Giants have made, as well as the crucial times they came within reaching distance of the World Series ring: in 1962 against the New York Yankees, in 1989 against the Oakland Athletics, and in 2002 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Brian Murphy takes the readers through the many highpoints of the San Francisco Giants history, as well as the many low points. There is the miraculous story of the pitcher Dave Dravecky, a star for the team until a tumor was found in his pitching arm, who after surgery and recovery returned to pitch one of his best games ever. In the following game, he snapped his humerus bone, and eventually had to have his arm amputated. The story of the great Bobby Bonds, as his son hung around the clubhouse and watched his father and god father, Willie Mays. The career of Barry Bonds who came to the Giants in 1993 and spent the next fourteen years smashing records and creating news goals for future players to reach. And hints at possible future greats for the San Francisco Giants like Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, who pitched in the 2008 All Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The book ends with a superb finish: an afterword from the great Willie Mays, as he recounts some of his memories as a Giant.

San Francisco Giants: 50 Years is a treasure for any sort of fan of the Giants bursting with photos, booklets featuring team photos and opening day lineups for all fifty years, along with an audio CD recounting fifty years of play-by-play highlights. It is a book that will never spend long on the shelf, as readers will keep picking it up again and again, whether to look up a detail of history, check on a team member or stat, or simply to look at some of the greatest players the world of baseball has ever known.


For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807408 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:04:20 -0700 Review24417298 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24417298 to: Clapton: The Autobiography (Hardcover) by Eric Clapton
bookshelves: books-of-2008
CLAPTON: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY ERIC CLAPTON: Now out in paperback, the story of Eric Clapton’s life as written and told by himself is not necessarily a happy one, but it is one that is true to his life, as he recounts the moments when he wrote and recorded some of the world’s favorite songs. He tells of the times he wrote and recorded the great songs like “Layla,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “Bell Bottom Blues,” and many more, as well as discussing his obsession with Pattie Boyd and the effect it had on his friendship with George Harrison.

Eric Clapton, like many British musicians, began life in a poor family with very little, the son of a builder. Discovering the great music of the 1950s, he made it his goal at a young age to become a great guitarist. Clapton’s career began slow, with his lack of money, his first guitars just weren’t that good and hindered his creativity, as well as his ability to teach himself to play. Nevertheless, he began his playing in a time that was bursting with creative music talent, giving him many avenues to practice and improve. From the beginning, Clapton was both a perfectionist with his music, and somewhat stuck up and arrogant about the sound he wanted. He saw the Beatles as too commercial, looking for a purer and more complex sound. This is why he spent little time with bands, going from one to the next like The Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, and Blind Faith. And yet with each band he improved and became more popular in the eyes of the fans, developing the nickname “Slowhand” as well as the chant “Clapton is God!”

At the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 70’s, Clapton was at a highpoint in his career, wealthy for the first time, and because of the time, took very heavily to drugs, alcohol, and smoking, and was soon a heroin addict. While Clapton never really openly discusses why he became an addict for so many vices, he is upfront in revealing the disappointment his father always had for him in pursuing a career in music, as well as an awkward first sexual experience that led to many problems in his life. In 1970, Jimmy Hendrix, a good friend and revered as a hero by Clapton, died from unexplained circumstances, but was known to be a very heavy drug and alcohol user. The parallels were obvious to Clapton, but instead of swearing off everything, he went the other way and spent years depressed, constantly drinking and taking heroin.

Through the 1970s and early 80’s this addiction sadly continued with Clapton, even though some of his best music was written and recorded during this period. Clapton is honest in saying that he cannot remember as much as he would’ve liked to of his life. Going through serious rehab, he eventually stopped the drug abuse, but simply switched to alcohol and smoking. The 1980s were a time in which Clapton spent most of the day drunk, and yet still managed to transcend the world of music in his guitar playing and writing. It was not until the 1990s that he finally stopped drinking completely, as well as eventually ending his smoking habit.

It was not until the late 90’s that Clapton found his current wife and admits that it has only been in the last ten or so years of his life that he has been truly happy. This is visible in his music, with the album Pilgrim on through to the present; it is a more mature and happier sound, with less anguish, as if Clapton really is enjoying what he is doing in his life for the first time.

Clapton: the Autobiography is the life of Eric Clapton through his memories and thoughts. It is a life of sadness, depression, heartache, alcohol and drug abuse. In some ways it tarnishes the joy and happiness fans find in his music, when he cannot even recall recording a favorite song. Nevertheless there is a silver lining and a happy ending that makes the reader realize that in the later years of his life, Eric Clapton is finally at peace with his past and enjoying the great music he continues to make.


For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807323 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:02:34 -0700 Review24417265 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24417265 to: Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science (Hardcover) by Richard Preston
bookshelves: books-of-2008
PANIC IN LEVEL 4: CANNIBALS, KILLER VIRUSES, AND OTHER JOURNEYS TO THE EDGE OF SCIENCE BY RICAHRD PRESTON: Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone and The Wild Trees returns with Panic in Level 4 featuring six of his articles which have appeared over the recent years, in some form, in the New Yorker. While the title refers to the highest level, Bio Safety Level 4 (BL-4), of biosecurity in the laboratory, the articles run the gamut of subjects from the number Π, to the search for the origin of Ebola, to a unique type of cannibal.

In Preston’s introduction, “Adventures in Nonfiction Writing,” he tells a story of the time when he was finally granted access to Level 4, offering description step by step as he is taken to the room where the suits are, each baring the name of its owner, and is handed a suit with no name; Preston takes this as a bad sign. Inside Level 4, Preston observes these daredevil scientists who face the risk of infection and death as their day job, watching them investigate blood samples of a possible Ebola victim. As Preston bends down to look into a microscope, the front part of his suit bursts open and Preston is rushed from the lab and checked for Ebola infection. Since Panic in Level 4 has been written and published, Preston obviously survived his brush with one of the most lethal viruses ever discovered.

In “The Mountains of Pi,” we meet two brothers who live in a small apartment in New York and spend their time building supercomputers and furthering their research into Π and its possible pattern. In “The Search for Ebola,” Preston travels to different countries in Africa, tracing the history of Ebola outbreaks to their original sources in an attempt to find the genesis of the deadly virus. In other articles, Preston discovers a treasure-trove of wondrous trees in the most unlikeliest of places; as well as the finding of an ancient tapestry at the Metropolitan Museum that when turned over for repair, reveals a back side that has rarely seen the light, still in its original breathtaking detail. In the final article, “The Self-Cannibals,” Preston educates the reader about the rare disease Lesch-Nyahn syndrome, where a single altered letter in one’s DNA makeup creates the occasional mental state that your limbs are out to attack you and must be stopped through self-cannibalism and self destruction. Preston meets and becomes friends with sufferers of the syndrome, revealing a human side to this devastating disease, making the reader realize that even those these people are threatened by their very own body, they are still people just like you or I.

Preston seems justifiably proud about the fact that he seeks out the humanity in the difficult subjects he writes about, and in this way it is accessible and understandable to anyone, no matter your background. Panic in Level 4 aims to not just educate the reader in some of the mysteries of this world, but also to reveal the complexity and incredible brilliance of the human species.

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807295 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:02:03 -0700 Review24417254 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24417254 to: The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus: A Novel (Hardcover) by Kathleen O'Neal Gear
bookshelves: books-of-2008
THE BETRAYAL: THE LOST LIFE OF JESUS BY KATHLEEN O’NEAL GEAR AND W. MICHAEL GEAR: Renowned husband and wife authors W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O’Neal Gear, of the First North Americans and Anasazi Mysteries series, return with their most controversial book to date. Also archaeologists, the Gears apply over thirty years of research with their backgrounds in biblical archaeology, religious studies, Greek, Latin, to reveal a new and relatively unknown and historically unsupported biography of Jesus Christ, or Yeshua.

The Betrayal is told from two viewpoints; the first is that of Yeshua, as he travels in his time, changing the world in his way, and while one would consider this to be the important character of the book, this plotline serves more as an additional realization to the main viewpoint and character of the book, Brother Barnabas. The monk Barnabas, living in the year 325 after Yeshua, is a student and copier of the ancient holy texts, the texts that tell the true story of Yeshua, some in his very own words. These books portray a Jesus different from the commonly known one: heretical and radical, contrary to the contemporary Church’s teachings. The Ecumenical Council of Bishops has now decided that these holy texts are nothing more than “a hotbed of manifold perversity,” contrary to the Christian faith, and are therefore not to be read or copied by anyone. Emperor Constantine decrees that all copies of the sacred texts are to be destroyed and anyone found with them will be executed as a heretic. But Brother Barnabas knows that the texts tell the true story of Jesus, and he makes it his mission, as ordained by God, to save them for the world and the future, at no matter what cost.

While The Betrayal seems well researched and given the Gears’ background, they clearly know what they are talking about, the reader is left wondering how much of this is really true, and could this really be a giant conspiracy hidden by the Church after all this time. The book is classed as fiction and shelved in that section in bookstores, as well as featuring a favorable quote from Lewis Purdue, author of Da Vinci Legacy. In fact, The Betrayal does bear some resemblances to the likes of Da Vinci Code, Rule of Four, and other books published in the last decade which question the religious dogma, much to the outrage of the Church. It begs the question as to whether the Gears are looking more for the true story of Jesus, or perhaps a bestselling novel in this popular genre, or perhaps both? The reader will have to decide for him- or herself.

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807278 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:01:28 -0700 Review24147501 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24147501 to: The Post-American World (Hardcover) by Fareed Zakaria
bookshelves: books-of-2008
THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD BY FAREED ZAKARIA: Fareed Zakaria, author of The Future of Freedom, and editor for Newsweek International, offers up a sobering yet fascinating look at the possible future of the United States and its stake as the global superpower in the first half of the twenty-first century. The Post-American World is part business, part political, part historical, and part sociological; as Zakaria analyses how the United States has arrived at the state it is in internationally, and what the future holds for the two global giants of India and China on the horizon.

Zakaria begins by discussing how the United States – as well as its citizens – has continued to perceive itself, from the end of the Cold War to the present, as the sole global superpower and utopian democratic and capitalist nation by which the rest of the world should admire it and follow suit. This is all too clear with the globalization of numerous American companies such as the McDonalds and Starbucks franchises, which can now be found almost anywhere in the world, on every continent except Antarctica. But in that time, the United States has lost uncountable jobs, manufacturing industries, and development institutions to other countries, which is now causing serious problems with unemployment and the cost of goods and services to the nation and its citizens. Zakaria points out:

“Generations from now, when historians write about these times, they might note that, in the early decades of the twenty-first century, the United States succeeded in its great and historic mission – it globalized the world. But along the way, they might write, it forgot to globalize itself.”

Coupled with this is the continued downfall and disinterest the rest of the world now has in the United States with the choices and decisions it has made. “The world is moving from anger to indifference, from anti-Americanism to post-Americanism,” Zakaria says. And it is not until the United States fully comprehends this, that things will begin turning around and improving.

With the United States left in the wake of globalization, Zakaria turns the reader to the next two giants that will become the next so-called superpowers due to the variety and number of industries already situated within their borders, as well as the exploding workforce that is available at a much cheaper rate than the Western World. Zakaria spends most of the book, with specific chapters each on India and China, giving their history and development over the centuries and how it is that they now stand at this brink to become the next superpowers. He also offers sobering statistics in a world that is becoming more environmentally inclined: “Between 2006 and 2012, China and India will build eight hundred new coal-fired power plants – with combined [carbon dioxide] emissions five times the total savings of the Kyoto accords.” And yet the growth in these countries is unstoppable and how is America to critique this when it is one of the largest contributors of carbon dioxide in the world?

In the last chapter, Zakaria addresses what the United States needs to do to become the once great shining nation it was. “It needs to stop cowering in fear. It is fear that has created a climate of paranoia and panic in the United States and fear that has enabled our strategic missteps.” While at this moment in time, this seems more of a lesson for its government than its people, it is the last paragraph in The Post-American World that makes the most sense to the reader:

“For America to thrive in this new and challenging era, for it to succeed amid the rise of the rest, it need fulfill only one test. It should be a place that is as inviting and exciting to the young student who enters the country today as it was for this awkward eighteen-year-old a generation ago.”

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807248 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:48 -0700 Review23896410 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23896410 to: Standing Up To the Madness: Ordinary Heroes In Extraordinary Times (Hardcover) by Amy Goodman
bookshelves: books-of-2008
STANDING UP TO THE MADNESS BY AMY GOODMAN AND DAVID GOODMAN: The award-winning and bestselling brother and sister team Amy Goodman (popular and successful host of the TV and radio show Democracy Now!) and David Goodman (an investigative journalist), authors of Static and Exception to the Rulers return with Standing Up to the Madness. The Goodmans strike out on a new path in, aiming to not retread on the familiar ground of endlessly criticizing the Bush administration and its endeavors, but to report and record grassroots stories of people from across the country who have suffered under the current regime, and how they have fought back and gained some ground.

The stories in the book are grouped into subjects on how science is being threatened, schools and education being threatened, the war in Iraq, and simply “Standing up to the Madness.” There is the story Malik Rahim, a native of New Orleans who was there when Hurricane Katrina struck, and is still there now trying to rebuild the ravaged country and its torn and exiled people. Rahim tells of the little help he has seen from the government, and what there remains now. He also provides startling insights into the horrific acts of racism that are now commonplace in the ruins of the city. But Rahim has started a charity group from scratch, Common Ground, that is now strong and increasing in size and popularity, providing aid and shelter to the many citizens of New Orleans that still have no where to call home.

Raed Jarrar, a US citizen originally from Iraq, tells the story of his being prevented from flying on JetBlue because he was wearing a T-shirt that read “We Will Not Be Silent” in both English and Arabic. Clearly it was because of the color of his skin, and with help from the original manufacturers of the T-shirt, he was able to make a stand for freedom of speech. Librarians across the country tell their story of standing against the Patriot Act and its supposed allowance of turning over library members reading histories. Psychologists speak out against the use of their members being used as litmus tests and decision makers when witnessing torture at Guantanamo Bay. American soldiers back from Iraq tell the true story of what was really taking place in the Middle East, and why every day is another step in the wrong direction.

It is easy to criticize the Bush administration, but the authors of Standing Up to the Madness challenge the reader to do something other than criticize. Through the voices and lives revealed in this book, one can see that change and justice is possible, and with an epilogue of advice and suggestions, it gives one fuel to begin the change that is necessary to make American the land of the free once again.

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]> 32807216 Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Review22893630 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22893630 to: Sword at Sunset (Paperback) by Rosemary Sutcliff
bookshelves: books-of-2008
SWORD AT SUNSET BY ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF: The late Rosemary Sutcliff was a prolific writer from the 1950s through the 1970s, publishing a number of children's books, including the Eagle of the Ninth series and a series of Arthurian novels, as well as over twenty other children's books on historical subjects. She also penned nonfiction works and adult fiction, including Sword at Sunset, originally published in 1963 and re-released on May 1st of this year.

Sword at Sunset features an introduction by Canadian author Jack Whyte, writer of the successful Camulod Chronicles, a nine-book series beginning several generations before Arthur was born. Whyte freely admits that when he first discovered Sword at Sunset it changed his life, which becomes all too clear when one has read both authors. The characterization, the tone, and the painstaking attention to historical detail and accuracy are prevalent in both works, to the point where one might think Whyte owes Sutcliff more than an introduction and homage.

In Sword at Sunset, Sutcliff creates a world where the Roman legions have left Britain, yet the sense of Romanitas remains strong, especially in the noble characters of Ambrosius and Artos the Bear. They retain not just the armor, style of combat, and the Roman military organization, but a superior, almost arrogant sense of belonging to something that was once great and could be again. Sutcliff's early medieval world is not as “dark age” as normally depicted in fiction, but thriving with trade and societal infrastructure across Europe still seemingly intact. Artos the Bear spends the beginning of the book traveling to southern France where he looks to purchase strong breeds of horses to bring back to Britain to create a strong cavalry force to fight against the invading Anglo Saxons and maintain the British control and rule.

While it is not completely clear how Artos the Bear has risen to such great prominence, he nevertheless has the backing of the people, which spurs him on to defeat the Saxons in many battles. Sutcliff introduces many familiar characters from the Arthurian world, though there is no Merlin or Lancelot (the latter originally an addition made by Chrétien de Troyes in the twelfth century), but an important appearance is made by Arthur's incestuous sister Medraut (or Morgan). Sword at Sunset reads like a historical military text with its calculated and descriptive battle scenes that make the world come alive, to the point where the reader may indeed believe such events transpired in the fifth century, leaving the common storylines of romance and chivalry out of the story completely, much as they were in the original time of Arthur.

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com. ]]>