Gilbert M. Stack's Blog, page 95
July 5, 2019
Review: Sudden Silence by Mike Adams
Sudden Silence, the latest book in Mike Adams' Fierce Girls at War series is out and a whole heck of a lot is happening. You can read my review here: https://www.gilbertstack.com/reviews
Today in History: The Olive Branch Petition
On this day (July 5) in 1775, the Second Continental Congress created the Olive Branch Petition, assuring King George III that they were loyal subjects and beseeching him to work with them to resolve their trade and tax disputes without conflict. King George III refused to read the petition. He declared the colonists in rebellion in August 1775.
July 4, 2019
The Sea of Grass Is Now Available as an Audio Book
The Sea of Grass has sold more than 1000 copies in e-book format Now, thanks to the brilliant narration of Will Hahn, it's available as an audio book.
Forbidden from returning to Aquila, Marcus Venandus responds to a plea from a half-brother he has never met to aid him in the far away land called the Jeweled Hills. When pirates shut down the sea routes the legion officer and his two trusted companions are forced to join a caravan to make the slower journey north across the treacherous Sea of Grass. Yet this may not prove to be the safer choice. A mysterious shaman has sworn to drench the plains in the blood of foreigners and his mastery over storms gives him the teeth to fulfill his oath. As chaos envelopes the trail, it will fall to Marcus to organize the defense and try to shepherd the frightened civilians of the caravan to safety again.
Today in History: Independence Day
On this day (July 4) in 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted and published The Declaration of Independence describing the conflict of the young United States with England and why they believed it to be necessary for the thirteen colonies to break away and form their own country. The declaration includes an inspirational sentence that may be the best-known words in the English language. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." While it is undoubtedly true that the U.S. has often failed to live up to the full spirit of these words, it is also true that they have inspired millions of people to find the best in themselves and strive to form a country that fully embraces this ideal. Happy Independence Day!
Pandora's Luck Is Now Available
The first short story I ever published was at Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and it launched the very successful Miss Pandora Parson series. I've been asked for a couple of years now if I was ever going to make the series available on Kindle, etc. So here it is. Starting today and every four months hereafter, I will be publishing one of the Miss Pandora Parson stories, mysteries set in the Old West. Here's the first one, Pandora's Luck:
From the pages of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine: Miss Pandora Parson is a lady gambler making her living in the rough and tumble West of 1874. William Steed is a manager willing to run over anyone to establish the reputation of his new prize fighter. Corey Callaghan is the young bare-knuckle boxer who stands in his way. When the three meet up in Denver, there’ll be crime to pay.
July 3, 2019
Today in History: Picket's Charge
On this day (July 3) in 1863 Picket made his famous charge against Union lines at the Battle of Gettysburg marking the end of Confederate offensive actions in the north.
Several years ago I visited Gettysburg with my father and brother. We had all three just read Michael Sharra's, The Killer Angels, and we reconstructed Joshua Chamberlain's defense of the Union left flank on Little Round Top. It took us about half an hour and then a tour guide came along and confirmed our reconstruction in about three minutes. Good memories.
July 2, 2019
Today in History: Amelia Earhart Disappears
On this day (July 2) in 1937, Ameilia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to circumnavigate the globe. Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and was an aviation celebrity and women’s rights activist. No one knows precisely what happened to Earhart. She was approaching Howland Island with scattered clouds in the sky. The clouds caused dark patches on the ocean surface which could make it difficult to see a small land mass. Her transmissions stated she could not find the island and was low on fuel. No one knows precisely what happened after that but there are three principle theories.
In the Crash and Sink theory, Earhart ran out of fuel, crashed in the ocean and died.
In the Gardner Island theory, Earhart did not waste fuel searching for Howland but instead turned south to Gardner Island. Several searches of Gardner Island were made in the years after the crash and a skeleton was found under a tree with an old fashioned sextant in 1940. A detailed examination of the skeleton was made and it was determined to be male, but in 1988, the report was reexamined and it was determined that the skeleton could have belonged to a tall female. (The skeleton was misplaced back in the 1940s so it cannot be re-examined.)
The final theory is that the Japanese captured and executed Earhart and her navigator after they shot them down near Saipan. There are witnesses who claimed to have seen the execution and the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane had electronic components which were similar to Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E which had been built to Earhart’s specifications.
Ultimately, short of finding Earhart’s Lockheed with two skeletons in it, we are probably never going to learn what happened to her.
July 1, 2019
Today in History: Lexel's Comet
On this day (July 1) in 1770, Lexel’s Comet came closer to the earth than any other recorded comet. It passed a mere 1,400,000 miles from our planet. Lexel’s Comet has not been seen since, and is considered lost. But obviously what came close once could come close again sometime in the future… Now there’s a good story idea! But, of course, it’s already been done many times. Anyone remember Lucifer’s Hammer?
June 30, 2019
Review: Ferocious by Jeff Strand
I just posted my review of Jeff Strand's fantastic novel, Ferocious, the most unique look at a possible zombie apocalypse that I have ever encountered. If you're looking for a new horror novel, I think you'll like this one. You can find my review (and a link to the book) here: https://www.gilbertstack.com/reviews
Today in History: The Night of the Long Knives
On this day (June 30) in 1934, Adolf Hitler assassinated 85 people (possibly more) who he suspected of not being loyal enough to him. His propagandists claimed the murdered were part of a coup seeking to overthrow Hitler. This purge eliminated Ernst Rohm, leader of the SA, who had been lobbying Hitler to give him and his SA thugs control of the army. But Hitler decided that his chances of conquering the rest of Europe were greater if he went with the professional military rather than his street thugs. Strangely enough, the Night of the Long Knives served to convince many Germans that Hitler truly was on the side of law and order—because shooting 85 people without trial is what law-abiding governments do?
