Rob McClellan's Blog

20 Year Lessons

On December 21st, 1994, shortly after the commencement ceremony, my friends and I stood in the ballroom of the student center at North Carolina State University, raised our right hands, and swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Since then, we’ve spread across all services and have served all over the globe, in air, sea, and land.

After 20 years, my military journey has ended and I retired during another ceremony, this time across the continent in the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme, CA.

Below is my retirement speech as written. If you would like to hear the recording of me delivering it, please press play below. If you would like to listen to my wife’s speech (and you should), you can do so here.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/rob-mc-media-storage/audio-files/Robs+Retirement+Speech.m4a

CAPT Edelson, Commodore Kurgan, CAPT Liberatore, Joe Alling, family, friends, esteemed guests and colleagues, thank you for the kind words and for coming to my retirement today. It’s an honor.

A special thanks to our master of ceremonies, LCDR Dan Wall, who was instrumental in making this happen today. Also, thanks to LCDR Sung, LT Nelson, BUCS Eaton, Chief Reeves, SWC Lowry, Chief Corea, YN1 Council, YN1 Medina, and EA1 Miller and all of those who have helped put this ceremony together.

And, before I get too far along, thank you to my loving wife Lisa for putting up with all of this craziness these last ten years. You are my love and inspiration, and I never would have made it without you.

And now, I suppose I should get to it…

Many of you know I can be a bit of a talker some time, but I promise today I won’t ramble on too long. To be honest, I hope I can make it through this speech without completely losing it.

There are a lot of variations of the retirement speech. Some are a stream of condemnations, others of platitudes. Some are happy, others remorseful. Some are praising and some are damning. Given my reputation as being a bit of a rebel, I’m sure some of you have been wondering what type of speech I’m going to give today.

I have had the privilege of having a very unusual career. While I can’t say that I’ve done everything I wanted to do, everything I have done has been by my choice. I chose the path I took, fully aware of the risks and with my eyes wide open. While it would have been nice to make to the rank of Commander, I’m very proud of my career and, if given the opportunity, I would have made the same choices all over again.

Over the course of the last 20 years, I have thrown my body, mind, and sometimes even my soul into the problems of the time. These experiences have taught me a great many things, shaping me in ways that even now I haven’t yet fully come to understand. I’d like to share some of that with you today.

It’s hard to describe what its like to walk through an Alpha Condition blizzard, where the snow falls so hard and fast you can’t see your hand in front of your face, desperately trying to find shelter for those whose home was destroyed by the storm.

It’s difficult to capture the feeling of being in the bowels of a warship that’s going down, fighting with everything you have to turn back the fate of the icy waves rushing in.

How do I explain the challenges of looking for an object smaller than your fist 4,000 feet below the surface?

How do you portray the pain you feel when an IED demolishes the vehicle you’re riding in, or the fear that washes over you afterwards as you check all of your limbs? How do you describe the terror that grips you when you look out your car’s window and see a bomb half covered by the sand?

How can you capture the love that you feel when you stumble off the plane in Baltimore, tired and worn from the war, and see your fiancee there waiting, radiant in her beauty and splendor?

These moments, and many more, are what define a career of military service. I’m not even going to try to explain those feelings today. For those who have felt something like them, you already know everything I can say, and we share the kinship of those experiences. For those who haven’t, there is no way I can convey it — certainly not in the span of this speech. My command of language is not enough.

Instead, I’m just going to tell the story of a few moments over the past two decades — probably not the ones you might think — and how they influenced not only my career, but my life.

Two of those moments were in Adak, Ak. One was in the war, and the last was in the Admiral’s office in DC.

Adak was an interesting place.

Adak was an interesting place. The land of the winds, they call it. I was sent there as an Ensign, straight out of CECOS. I was assigned to Public Works under then LCDR Gregory, now the Chief. Ray, Matt and I were the three original “Gregory Ensigns” and all three of us had jobs much larger than we were prepared for. As these things go, I was assigned the collateral duty of the PRT coordinator — 5% of the island’s population had failed the PRT, my primary job was to get them all back to full health. A few of them were repeat failures — hard to do on a one year posting.

In what has become a defining trait for me, I decided not to follow the standard PRT Coordinator script. I devised a plan to, in essence, rehabilitate these 30 failures. My idea was simple: lets train them to be healthy and help them get back on track.

LCDR Gregory, when she found out my plan, called me into her office to pretty much tell me to stop fooling around, hold remedial PT at 0500 every day, and punish those people for their laziness. Her idea was even more simple than mine, and was the presiding view of remedial PT at the time: make remedial PT so inconvenient and horrible that everyone would be dying to get out of it. At the time, the punishment perspective was the standard method for remedial PT and the PWO took her time to explain to me just how and why this was the only acceptable method for me to take.

I decided to stick to my plan. She was willing to let me fall on my sword.

We had classes on nutrition and weight loss. PT was held twice a day at shift changes, so everyone could make it and no one missed work. We even had psychological counseling in a couple cases. This was a lot of work, more than I could do on my own, so I empowered every department and division PRT coordinators on the island to help. We had a schedule. The end result was that everyone had a friend at remedial PT.

The program was a resounding success — a 100% graduation rate with no repeats. Ever. This method has since evolved of the last 20 years to become much more of the standard for the Navy’s remedial PT program.

This evolution taught me two things: The way it’s always been done doesn’t mean it’s the right way. And you’re never going to improve anything if you just keep doing the same thing.

I learned a lot of things in Adak, it was definitely an educating time. My first military posting, my first real job. It was an amazing experience.

One day during that tour, LCDR Gregory held a meeting in our small conference room. This was an unusual thing for her to do because she invited all of the Chiefs as well. So, it was Me, Matt and Ray and all of our Chiefs. The purpose of the meeting was we were three Ensigns and we were screwing up left and right. She wanted to instill on us that we needed to listen more to our chiefs and that the chiefs needed to be more engaged with the three of us. We needed to learn from their experiences. And, of course, neither Matt, Ray, or I had any idea, really, what she was talking about because all of us, being fresh from college, really thought that we were geniuses and what could we possible have to learn from them. We did not know enough at that time to understand the importance of what she was trying to tell us.

At the time, I was the Safety Officer, which meant I didn’t have a chief assigned to me. So, sheepishly, I raised my hand and said “Ma’am, I don’t have a chief.”

A moment of silence ensued, and every one of the five chiefs at the table said, one by one, “I’m your chief, sir.” And in that moment, my Ensign Training started in earnest.

I’ll be honest, when I started I was pretty sure I was the worst Ensign in the Navy — it certainly seemed that way. Eventually, the five of them got so tired of telling me how much of an idiot I was all of the time that they elected a spokesman, SWC Parkhurst, who was, literally, the crustiest and grittiest chief that has ever lived, and they had him do it for them. And at the end of the day, every day, for the better part of a year, he came into my office, sat down, and proceeded to tell me how I had screwed up that day. Many things came up in those discussions. I don’t think, in my defense, that I ever made the same mistake twice, but I sure did make a lot of mistakes once…

Slowly, my naivete and college bubble eroded away and I learned. I learned the trades — they taught me carpentry, plumbing, welding, machining, and, what would come in handy later, even lockpicking. They taught me not only how to give orders, but also when they were needed and, more importantly, when they were not. They taught me how to trust those who worked under me. How to lead small units of technical professionals, and how to train new ones to take their place.

Eventually, shortly before I transferred to NMCB 74, Chief Parkhurst came into my office but he didn’t sit down. Instead he stood at the doorway. And he said something to me he had never said before: “You did good today, Ensign.” And then he walked off.

I will never forget that moment for as long as I live.

That informal training from a dedicated cadre of chiefs changed everything about me, impacting my view of leadership for the entirety of my career. I would not have been able to do the things I’ve done if I had not been given that gift, and I will be forever grateful for it. Too much these days we take a zero tolerance view towards officers — and even our enlisted to some extent. Perfection must be the norm. Failure is remembered, cataloged, quantified and eventually shows up on FITREPS or EVALS.

Ensigns needs strong chiefs to grow into strong officers. And they need the opportunity and the leeway to make mistakes — a lot of mistakes. I am convinced that there is no other way to learn our business. It can’t be taught in school. It can’t be lectured or taught online, and it doesn’t come naturally. Nothing about what we do in the service is natural.

Chiefs, the future strength of the Navy is in your hands, so find an Ensign and start swinging by their office at the end of the day to tell them how bad they dropped the ball. Start today. Twenty years from now they’ll thank you. Twenty days from now your troops will.

The war, as you would suspect, was a crazy time.

Many years passed, and those lessons from Adak helped me through several successful tours: two deployments with a Battalion, grad school, dive school, and three years with SUPSALV. In 2001, I was in DC and, after the attack, I spent three days at the Pentagon helping with the recovery and removing the bodies. I was in the Middle East a month later, getting a damaged warship back to sea. I watched the war on the news like many of us, and in March of 2004 I was deployed to Baghdad as an IA (Individual Augmentee for the civilians), and that is where the next defining moment took place.

The war, as you would suspect, was a crazy time. Especially during the days of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Which was the original government after the fall of Baghdad.

On my IA, I was assigned to one of the Senior Advisors — these were appointees of the President responsible for an aspect of the rebuilding of Iraq, accountable to L Paul Bremer himself, the highest authority in the country. They were very big fish, about a dozen of them. And mine was dirty.

It’s a real gut check when you face that. My predecessor knew, but advised me to steer clear of him. “Don’t take this guy on,” he said to me. “He’s too big. Just do what you can.” But, I couldn’t do that. Those who know me, I can’t stand idly by. It took about a week before I had enough circumstantial evidence to convince myself he was not kosher. After that, I moved quickly to get more. I found a young lawyer in the CPA counsel who believed me. She led me to a former staff member willing to talk. I told my fiancee, Lisa, about it. I told my Dad, warning him that this could go poorly. He told me to be careful, but to do what I felt was right. I told my Colonel at CJTF7, a British man at the end of his tour who was a very good guy, who advised me to be sure.

The DOD had just stood up a new IG office at the palace, and one of the agents was willing to talk to me. Statements were made. I observed, noted and reported. A case was built. Then, we struck. In less than an hour, the entire cabal was taken, their computers and records seized. It ended up being even worse than we had thought. A few days later, a one star Marine General summoned me to his office to tell me I was protected under the whistleblower protection act.

Yes, amongst many of the other things in my career, I was a whistle blower.

Standing up for your country isn’t always about feats of arms. It takes a different kind of bravery to put your career and reputation on the line. But that is what our democracy needs from time to time. If you see something that isn’t right, it’s our duty to correct it. Our oath is to support and defend the constitution against all enemies — foreign and domestic. So please be mindful of where you are and what’s happening.

… not all of our billets are equal.

The last moment requires us to fast forward again. I returned from the war, thankfully in one piece. I married my fiancee and together we had three children. We’d bought our first house in Virginia and I was commuting to the Yard every day. And one morning, on our way to Ikea of all places, I received a very disappointing phone call.

It’s hard to talk about my career without touching on the fact that I was repeatedly passed over for Commander. It’s OK, it’s not like it’s a big secret or anything. I’m not ashamed of it. Disappointed, maybe, but not ashamed.

Being passed over once is pretty bad, but survivable. Once you’re passed over the second time, though, things start to go very poorly for you in the Navy. I don’t recommend it. Your detailing changes, doors are closed, whispers start. Why was I passed over? Hard to say, exactly, but the prevailing theory is that I didn’t do enough conventional tours in my community. Might just be because I’m a jerk, I don’t know. All those things are valid. There is no doubt I strayed very far from the standard career path. Doing so kept me from gaining some skills, many of which the CEC finds valuable, but it did hone others to a razor’s edge.

In November of 2011, oddly also on my anniversary, which seems to happen a lot for Lisa and I with the Navy, my particular set of skills were very much in need. I was called to resolve a very difficult situation, which my team and I were eventually able to do. It was a very high profile job, the details of which aren’t important, but the admiralty did have to be briefed. At the conclusion, a very grateful Fleet wanted to “correct” my being passed over, but to do so would be a fairly big investment of, shall we say, FITREP capital. It was going to take a silver bullet — and more than one. They wanted NAVFAC’s support on it. So, I met with the Chief (not our current one) to get his support for one last push at promotion.

He said “no.”

He was polite about it, forthright and honest. I did, and still do, respect him for that. But, his words will stick with me for a long time — a very long time. He said, “It’s obvious that you’re great at what you do, but what you do has no value to the CEC. I can’t support you for promotion, knowing I would have to push out someone else. Someone who’s done everything that we’ve asked.”

I thanked him, we shook hands, and that was the end of it.

I never took a billet that wasn’t on the rolls. Everything I did in my career was an actual billet in the Civil Engineer Corps. But, we have an unwritten rule, and that is not all of our billets are equal. I think we, as a community, need to revisit that assumption. If we don’t feel a billet has value for both our Navy and our officers, then we shouldn’t have it on the rolls. No one should be sent to a career ender. Or, in my cause, a combination of career enders, quite frankly as I’ve had a lot of dive tours, I mean let’s be honest. It shouldn’t be our billet that defines us, but our performance while in that position.

I don’t say this to try and cover up my failures in any way. I say it because we need diversity in our service — now more than ever. Not only diversity of culture but diversity of ideas, of experience.

There is an old saying in the military when it comes to promotion: “Ducks pick ducks.” We need to broaden out beyond mallards and appleyards and start picking some swans and gulls — maybe even a few hawks and owls, if you get my meaning. We need fresh perspectives, new ideas, and out of the box thinking if we want to continue to serve the needs of the fleet in the future.

And that’s it. That is my wisdom after 20 years. Take with it what you will. I’ve had a lot of moments in my career, many more than those four, but I think that those four, when you really boil it down, are what defined my career more than any others.

Solve the actual problem. Don’t go in with an existing solution.
Train the next generation. I can’t tell you how important that is.
Maintain your principles. ‘Cause you’re gonna need them.
And foster diversity, because the service needs it.

Before I end this speech and we move on to the end of our ceremony and have some cake, there is one last thing I’d like to say. Some of you may know this, but today is not just the day I retire from the service, but my 10th wedding anniversary as well. On this day in 2004, Lisa and I were literally right over there, possibly at this very moment, barely a mile from this spot, in the Seabee Chapel making our vows to each other in front of God and country and family.

We had no idea of the journey we were about to undertake, only that we wanted to take it together. There is No One I would rather have had by my side these last ten years, and I am so looking forward to having you by my side for the rest.

I love you now more than ever.

I am now ready to read and receive my orders.

Galaxy’s Edge Cyber Monday Sale!

Nick Cole and Jason Anspach have put the entire Galaxy’s Edge series on a Cyber Monday Sale for only 99 cents each!

99 Cents!

Here’s a list of all of the books, so if you’re missing one now is the time to grab it!

 

Book 1: Legionnaire




















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Legionnaire (Galaxy’s Edge 1)

(based on 2 ratings)

The Galaxy is a Dumpster Fire.

A hot, stinking, dumpster fire. And most days I don’t know if the legionnaires are putting out the flames, or fanning them into an inferno.

A hostile force ambushes Victory Company during a reconnaissance-in-force deep inside enemy territory. Stranded behind enemy lines, a sergeant must lead a band of survivors against merciless insurgents on a deadly alien world somewhere along the galaxy’s edge. With no room for error, the Republic’s elite fighting force must struggle to survive under siege while waiting on a rescue that might never come.

When you think you’ve surrounded the Legion… you’ve just made your last mistake.

Book authors : Jason Anspach, Nick Cole












Book 2: Galactic Outlaws




















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Galactic Outlaws (Galaxy’s Edge 2)

(based on 1 rating)

A long, long time from now, at the edge of the galaxy…

Seven years after the battle of Kublar: A young girl searches crime-ridden gutters for an infamous bounty hunter in a quest for revenge. A short jump away, a double-dealing legionnaire-turned-smuggler, in it for the money, navigates a deadly course of Republic lackeys and wanton space pirates.

It’s sleek starfighters, exotic aliens, loyal bots, blasters, scoundrels, heroes and powerful enemies in a thrilling adventure that will take you back to that magic place a from a long time ago…

Book authors : Jason Anspach, Nick Cole












Book 3: Kill Team












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Kill Team (Galaxy’s Edge 3)

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Always make ’em pay.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Kublar—and the destruction of the battleship Chiasm—Legion Dark Ops recruits Chhun, Wraith, and the survivors of Victory Company to form an elite Kill Team of legionnaires. Their secret mission is as clear as it is deadly: find and eliminate those responsible for the Kublar disaster.

Standing between them and their objective are a maze of corrupt Republic officials, a spy on the verge of losing himself in deep cover, and the Zhee—a murderous species who will stop at nothing. But perhaps the biggest threat of all is the truth they seek to uncover.

For it could ignite a revolution—and engulf the galaxy in flames…

…unless the Kill Team is willing to finish the job. At any cost.

Book authors : Nick Cole, Jason AnspachSale Price :

$0.99

Book 4: Attack of Shadows




















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Attack of Shadows (Galaxy’s Edge 4)

The End of the Republic begins now.

The galaxy ignites as Goth Sullus and his fleet unleash a devastating surprise assault on the Republic. All that stands in his way are the 7th Fleet, the Legion, and… Wraith.

As the battle rages to establish a new order, Wraith finds himself among the familiar faces of his former kill team, on a desperate one-way mission. But with total victory nearly within Sullus’s grasp, Wraith discovers that the demands of Dark Ops are unyielding—even if that means Keel’s new crew has to pay the ultimate price.

Fleets collide in a moment-by-moment account of tactics, heroism, sacrifice, and the start of the final war of the Republic. The stakes have never been higher—and it’s winner take all.

Book authors : Jason Anspach, Nick Cole












Book 5: Sword of the Legion




















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Sword of the Legion (Galaxy’s Edge 5)

Choose your legacy.

Captain Chhun’s Dark Ops squad is reunited with Wraith and entrusted to deny Goth Sullus the shipyards he so eagerly desires. But when the mission doesn’t go as planned, Chhun and Wraith must find a way to stop the Black Fleet’s advance, even if it costs them their lives.

Meanwhile, an old friend from Nether Ops executes a covert operation that will turn the face and focus of the Last War of the Republic in a terrible new direction.

Book authors : Jason Anspach, Nick Cole

“Minds” is now a hot mess.

OK, I’m going to throw something down here for a second.

I joined “Minds” a little while ago at the request of a friend who wants to try it as a FB alternative. When I first joined, it was nice. Quiet, but nice. I only followed my friend and it was good. I would have considered getting more people on it, just to see what it would be like to be on a quiet little network.

I haven’t been there a while, but logged in today. And, the quiet is no longer. Now it is simply overflowing with “boosted” content. Everything on the pic with this post is “boosted”. My friend’s posts are way down to the bottom, buried under all of the crap. There are buttons now that let me “opt out” of boosts by becoming a premium member.

And, it is now an absolute hotbed of “right wing” activity – at least as much as I can see. It’s as if the fringe from Gab decided they needed to expand into new territory. Complete with an “InfoWars” group, which is one of the most followed groups – if not THE most followed.

Services like Minds are, to me, the epitome of what is wrong with social media today. That anyone can buy the right to bombard members any way, and with any thing, they want is ridiculous. We cry out against Facebook – and rightfully so in many ways – but at least you can still use and enjoy Facebook, ads and all. Minds has gone overboard.

I didn’t use Minds much before, and I don’t think I’ll ever be returning.

What I’m Reading (Oct 2017)

I’ve been steadily upping my reading game the last few months, from reading practically nothing other than short articles and blog posts, to burning through multiple novels a month – which I like much better.

Here are the books on my docket for October:

1. Attack of Shadows (Galaxy’s Edge 4)




















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Attack of Shadows (Galaxy’s Edge 4)

The End of the Republic begins now.

The galaxy ignites as Goth Sullus and his fleet unleash a devastating surprise assault on the Republic. All that stands in his way are the 7th Fleet, the Legion, and… Wraith.

As the battle rages to establish a new order, Wraith finds himself among the familiar faces of his former kill team, on a desperate one-way mission. But with total victory nearly within Sullus’s grasp, Wraith discovers that the demands of Dark Ops are unyielding—even if that means Keel’s new crew has to pay the ultimate price.

Fleets collide in a moment-by-moment account of tactics, heroism, sacrifice, and the start of the final war of the Republic. The stakes have never been higher—and it’s winner take all.

Book authors : Jason Anspach, Nick ColeList Price :

$4.99

2. Behind the Line (Ganog Wars 1)




















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Behind the Lines (Ganog Wars 1)

A brand new adventure in the Void Wraith universe

Mechs, kaiju, epic space battles, and galactic archeology…

The Void Wraith ravaged our galaxy, nearly eradicating both humanity and our enemies, the Tigris. Captain Nolan vowed it would never happen again, that he would find the Void Wraith’s dark masters.

Nolan leads a company of mechs into uncharted space, where a new foe lies in wait. The Coalition’s fleet is destroyed, and Nolan’s squad is stranded behind enemy lines. Between them and escape stand three Planetstriders, thousand meter monstrosities capable of destroying an orbiting capital ship.

In order to survive, they must disable these titanic war machines, an impossible task made even more difficult by the discovery of a terrible secret – one that must reach fleet command, no matter the cost.

List Price :

$3.99

3. Fall of Dragons (Traitor Son Cycle 5)




















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The Fall of Dragons (The Traitor Son Cycle 5)

The blood-thirsty, epic Traitor Son Cycle comes to its gripping conclusion in this fifth and final book.

In the climax of the Traitor Son Cycle, the allied armies of the Wild and the Kingdoms of men and women must face Ash for control of the gates to the hermetical universe, and for control of their own destinies. But exhaustion, treachery and time may all prove deadlier enemies.

In Alba, Queen Desiderata struggles to rebuild her kingdom wrecked by a year of civil war, even as the Autumn battles are fought in the west. In the Terra Antica, The Red Knight attempts to force his unwilling allies to finish the Necromancer instead of each other.

But as the last battle nears, The Red Knight makes a horrifying discovery…all of this fighting may have happened before.

List Price :

$11.99

Stormtroopers With Aim: Review of Legionnaire

A Long Time From Now, In A Galaxy Pretty Far Away…

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“Legionnaire”, the first book in the Galaxy’s Edge series, is an excellent read. Truly. The style and craft Jason Anspach and Nick Cole put into this book — indeed the entire series so far — elevates it beyond the normals of this genre. I’ve been reading a fair amount of military scifi lately, and these two have put together a series that is head and shoulders above many of the best sellers today.

Style, pacing, character… just the pure substance of the book, for goodness sake, really make it stand out. A quality read from start to finish, and I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the stories from the edge of the Galaxy.

The series has been marketed as “#starwarsnotstarwars” and there is a lot of truth to this. There is never a mention of stormtroopers, the Jedi, or even the Empire (they stick with the “Republic”). But, from the cover art to the descriptions, these are obviously stormtroopers – but not from a cartoonish, fumbling adversary perspective. No, these troopers — these Legionnaires — are hardened, professional soldiers. More like the clones in the “Clone Wars” cartoons than the comically inept white plastic encased henchmen from the movies.

The Legion means business. And, in a pleasant change of pace, they actually hit what they aim at.

There is a “rebellion”, but, as this story is told from the Legion’s perspective, they are not the happy, freedom fighters from the Star Wars mythos. No, in the view of these soldiers, the Mid Core Rebellion are nothing but a bunch of terrorists.

The story starts out with a group of soldiers deployed to a desert hot spot, trying to sort the true enemy from the indigenous population of “koobs” on the remote planet “Kublar.” And, despite the high tech and the exotic locale, the scenes here could have come right from first hand accounts of soldiers deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan – it certainly reminded me all too well of my own experiences there. The authors’ capture of the paranoia and distrust of fighting a guerrilla army, of trying to sort the innocent from the dangerous, is spot on. And, sadly, the resulting hardened stance of the Legionnaires is all too real as well.

During a convoy to broker peace terms with a local warlord, the comms cut out. Then things get worse. And that is where our story kicks into high gear.

An engaging page turner, this book will pull you in and keep you there. Needless to say, I read then entire thing in less than 48 hours, start to finish.

If you are a fan of military scifi – this book is definitely for you. If you are a Star Wars fan and are looking for a new twist on the stories you surely know by heart – this book is for you, too.

If it’s any indication, I’ve already bought all of the books in the series so far. So, yeah, I’m all in.

KTF.

Final Verdict: ★★★★★

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(based on 2 ratings)

Base image courtesy of Lucas Arts

Book Review: The Ill Made Knight

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“The Ill Made Knight”, the first of the Chivalry Series (and the entire series so far!), is absolutely exceptional historic military fiction. I mean it, it is an excellent, excellent read.

Being a historical fiction novel, getting the details right is essential, and Christian Cameron absolutely nails it. Not only does he have a great way of explaining the intricacies of the society and arms of the time, he does it in a way that speeds the story, not slows it. Everything from the major players, the political landscape, the battle tactics, to the fit of a knight’s sabatons is in here – that is the level of detail and historic accuracy. And, incredibly, not a detail is wasted or superfluous – it all matters.

The character of William Gold, and the many surrounding characters he falls in with, are so well done you feel that this is the “Band of Brothers” of the age. This is a “Knight’s Tale” like no other, following a boy’s journey from street urchin, to soldier, to routier, to knight. Literally, from the kitchens to the battlefield, I’ve rarely seen a hero’s journey so authentic and compelling. I burned through the first book and went straight into the sequels – I couldn’t put it down.

This is historic military fiction done right, and absolutely sets the standard in my mind for any book in the genre.

If you like stories of knights, valor, and medieval combat – this is your book. If you appreciate the finer details of history, the Poitier’s campaign, and the politics of the era – this is also your book. If you like kick ass action – yup, this is your book, too.

In other words – it’s a great, engaging, well told story with artful attention to history and detail, at both the macro and micro level.

Final Verdict: ★★★★★

(And, I’m not one to give 5 stars lightly!)

The Entire “Chivalry” Series So Far




















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(based on 1 rating)

Samurai Moment Of The Week

The final meeting between Obi Wan and Maul is a samurai moment all should aspire to.

Review Round Up: Castles, Mercs, and the King of the Seas

I’ve been upping my reading recently. There was a long stint there where I just wasn’t able to muster the energy to read at night. I worked, slunk through some TV for a few minutes, and sloughed off to bed. I thought I was bring more “efficient” and letting the TV wind my brain down – but, my sleep was as terrible and unrestful as ever. And, truth is, I was really on the edge of total burn out.

So, I stopped. Stopped working late at night, stopped watching TV. Stopped trying to force productivity, re-learning a lesson I knew from long ago: Working harder isn’t always working better.

And, while re-setting myself, I picked up a book and burned through 500 pages in a single sitting. I finished that book the next day, and picked up another one. As I increased my reading, my sleep became more restful. I still wasn’t going to bed early by any measure, but my quality of sleep has steadily improved. My brain is transitioning from the endless attention churn to more focus. My attention span is getting back to normal. I check my phone a lot less.

In the following weeks, I’ve kept on reading, getting at least 30 minutes before falling asleep. It’s been helping. A lot.

I figured since I was doing all of this additional reading, I would post the reviews – and I’ve got a backlog of reviews to write, as I’ve been burning up some books since I started. I’ll try and take a night each week to keep up with the reviews (fingers crossed).

I use ThirdScribe (of course) so I write the full review there in individual book pages, and you’ll see this latest batch below. Under those, are links to the books themselves, with all of the purchase links if you want to pick up a copy for yourself. You can also click through any of the books and talk with me about them, because that would be cool…

Why I’m Moving My Digital Library To ThirdScribe

I used to have a pretty large library.

I started really collecting books in High School, regularly making trips to Waldenbooks when I had money, and to discount and used books stores when I was a little short. I’d found many great reads over the years and had kept them all with me, move to move, place to place. Towards the end, we’re talking over a thousand books.

I kept them on shelves specifically for that purpose and, to me, a house wasn’t moved into until the books were up on their shelves. Several times, to my wife’s chagrin, I set up the book shelves before some other more vital areas… The cost of being with a book lover.

I was never one of those people who organized their books in various obscure categories across the shelves. I stuck to alphabetically for the most part, with separations by fiction/non-fiction and mass-market paperback/hardcover. It wasn’t fancy, but it was comforting. I’ve read every book in that library, most multiple times. And, if asked, I could discuss the characters and plot points, however intricate, at a moment’s notice. I had gone through a few versions of shelving over the years, but finally settled on a durable, modular set from IKEA that I could easily take down and rebuild (sadly, no longer available).

 

Oh, No! There’s No More Room In The House!

During our last move, we finally ran out of room for books.

The spacial needs of family and children overcame the desire for a physical library. So, one sad day in September, I took all of my boxes of books to the local library. I told myself it was for the best (and it was), but it was a hard thing to do. I miss my books. Truly, I do.

After taking them all to the library, I consoled myself with digital. But, books on a tablet, however nice, just aren’t the same. Plus, I now have books across several apps, so none can provide the complete picture. I’ve tried GoodReads, but I can’t say I liked it. Their interface was counter-intuitive to me, and there looks like crap on mobile (where I spend a lot of time).

I built ThirdScribe to provide a platform for authors and readers. Mostly, since its inception, it was the authors who benefited. After all, they get a website or author page, book management system, and bunches of perks big and small. But, with the maturing of the platform, we are now able to bring more services to readers. This week, we opened up our book catalog to all members. Now, everyone can enter any book into ThirdScribe.

I’ve put in over 100 books the last few days. I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

Here’s why:

 

No Ads, Big Cover Images

Speaking of cover images, I like how my books show up on ThirdScribe a lot better than the way they do on GoodReads, LibraryThing, Booklikes, and Riffle. They’re big, bright, and not all shoved together.

 

Organized by Genre and Subgenre

My Book list on GoodReads is based on me making custom shelves for everything. GoodReads has built in filters for author and title, but not for genre, which is how I naturally organize books. I don’t want to have to keep making up “shelves” for books, it’s too much work and thought for me. I just want my books easily accessible and organized. Like I said, I never got that detailed on how I cataloged my books.

ThirdScribe automatically organizes my books by genre and subgenre, and then I can drill down a little farther by what was the newest entry, last active, most popular, or alphabetical.

For some, not having infinite custom shelves is a loss, but for me it is a relief. I just like to be able to see and find my books.

 

Easy to Post to and Talk About

With ThirdScribe I can make posts directly to the book, sharing pictures of my copies, signings with the author, or just talk about it. I can tag my friends so they can see and join in. I can write reviews, of course, but also post in forums — all right from the book. I can’t do any of that as easily using the other book services. From the communication/discussion respect, it’s more like a Facebook group than a catalog listing. It even works on mobile.

 

Affiliate Link Friendly

The purchase links for ThirdScribe aren’t controlled by ThirdScribe – they are entered by the user. That means whoever enters the books can set the links, and using affiliate links is allowed. For many, this has no meaning at all. But, for authors, book bloggers, and those with an affiliate account, there is a little extra money to be made.

 

I Can Easily Share and Invite Friends

ThirdScribe has an invite function to lets you invite current members to books, as well as non-members to books and ThirdScribe via email. Or, you know, you could just send them a message through the method of your choice. You can also share books directly via social media sharing links, which is pretty handy.

 

When I first started loading them up, I thought it was going to be a chore. Strangely, the opposite is true. Before starting, the techie in me was trying to find ways to integrate APIs to do it all automatically. Some way to make it effortless. A few books in, though, I found myself looking forward to the time that night to add books.

I guess it’s a little like reading, in that it does take some time (about a minute a book). But, it’s worth it. With each book I remember where I first bought it, how it made me feel, my favorite parts and characters. I started posting in each one, shouting out to my friends online which ones I thought they’d like. And, for each book I enter, that’s one more I can share with other like minded readers.

Like I said, I’m about 100 in. Going to do another 20 or so tonight, I think…

Here’s a few of my favorites so far:

One For The Morning Glory















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Warship (Black Fleet Trilogy 1)















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The Red Knight (The Traitor Son Cycle 1)















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Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos 1)















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The Stone of Farewell















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Book Review: Fight The Rooster

A recent, and surprising, read this week came from author Nick Cole (@nickcole) in the form of Fight The Rooster.

Nick is best known for post-apocalyptic adventures and cyber-noir thrillers. Fight the Rooster is neither of those. It is, instead, a story about Hollywood, and one man’s attempt to come to terms with it.

I didn’t think I would like this book, as contemporary social satire isn’t usually my thing. But, this book really won me over and ended up being one of the best books I’ve read this year.

My review is below:

 

 

I finished this book today during my lunch break, after having read it feverishly into the wee hours the last few nights. I am unexpectedly sad that it’s over. This book was, against my expectations, absolutely wonderful.Just for posterity, I am a big fan of Nick Cole’s ( @nickcole ) writing. His insights and page-turner style are very appealing to my tastes as a reader and I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of his books that I’ve read. But, I had a hard time getting started with this book.This is not a usual “Nick Cole” book. No robots, no gamers, no dystopian madness, no zombies. Heck, for a good 25% of the book, I don’t think any of the characters even had proper names! Instead, it was about a whole different kind of desperate madness: Hollywood.10% in I was going to lay it down, but other reviews were coming in about how great it was, and, like I said, I’m a big Nick Cole fan, so I was willing to keep pushing through.I’m very glad I did.…[Read more]– Rob McClellan (@robmc) July 23, 2016

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