The books I read were actually three separate books (as pictured throughout) but I figured I would review them all under this one combined volume:

This is the legendary story of Merlin–from his abandonment by his parents at the age of eight to the discovery of his powers at twelve. Together, these three novels reimagine the origins of the greatest wizard of all time, giving readers a Merlin at once more human and more magical than any that has appeared before.

I found them to be interesting chapter books that explore the childhood of Merlin in poetic and dream like prose. Despite their unique style and structure they are captivating and entertaining reads.

More below.

The first thing to note about the books are how short they are as separate books (100 pages or so). But again, I see them as chapter books even if the style and subject are somewhat non-traditional.

The individual books, or as parts withing a larger work, mimic the feel of myths and legends in that they sketch and describe characters and events but lack the completeness of traditional novels.

The concept is to explore what Merlin’s childhood might have been like. Yolen has studied the Arthurian myths and legends surrounding the famous wizard and come up with her take on what happened and how that might have felt from Merlin’s perspective.

Passager covers Merlin’s abandonment at age eight until he is found and taken in by a kindly bird tamer.  A Passager is “a falcon caught in the wild and tamed but that is not yet an adult bird.” Yolen uses this theme to explore the idea of being a wild child lost in the woods and what it would be like to come back to a home and a makeshift family.

This first volume introduces Merlin and sketches out his personality and perspective. It also uses Merlin as a lens with to view both the nature of the wilderness but also the contrast with domestication and homelife.

As noted above, it has a poetic and dream like quality to it as you watch Merlin survive in the harsh conditions and being to relax under the care of humans again. He tries to make sense of his identity in the contrasting places and dynamics.

A Hobby is a “small Old World falcon or hawk that has been trained and flown at small birds.” And this volume beings with tragedy. Merlin is forced to leave his adopted home and set out alone once again.  Along the way he hooks up with a traveling magician – or mage – and his beautiful wife. But after interpreting some dreams for a Duke and Duchess things go awry yet again and he is left to fend for himself alone.

The focus of Hobby is on the relationships Merlin develops and how his identity and perspective changes when part of a group and accepted as such (or at least appearing to be). Merlin also begins to try and sort out his dreams and what they might mean both for him and for those in the dreams and around him.

The final book deals with Merlin as he is coming to grips with his magical potential – not fully mastered but beginning to understand the outlines. He meets an entire village of wild folk but his dreams once again cause conflict and lead to tragedy.

The book puts Merlin, who is now fully his own person making his own decisions, in a society that is more like his wild/nature side but it is also clear that his dream set him apart and keep him from fitting in. They in fact lead to conflict and end in tragedy just as they have before.

But in a strange way, Merlin finds a friend and a way to face the future.

What is interesting about the stories is their episodic and provisional nature.  They don’t really tell a definitive story with clear cut beginning middle and end; although there are aspects of this involved. Rather they sort of sketch out a way of looking at the legend of Merlin; of trying to see how this character might have developed and how he came to be the wizard of such fame.

I am not a student of Arthurian legend so I can’t really comment of Yolen’s interpretation of Merlin’s youth. But I found the impressionistic stories interesting and evocative even if they did lack any resolution.

You sort of have to set aside your expectations and just enjoy the writing and the unique story a they come. If you are looking for tight plots and lots of developed characters your will be disappointed.

But if you are interested in Arthurian legend and myth or just enjoy unique and imaginative storytelling then I think you will enjoy this trilogy.

Publishers Weekly

Journalist Watman chronicles America’s longstanding love affair with distilled spirits, a love that he shares. As long as people have been making booze, the government has wanted to control it, and Watman colorfully illustrates a conflict that stretches from the Whiskey Rebellion through Prohibition. Watman travels from Colorado to Virginia to cover the current battles between moonshine producers and government agents, a journey that takes him from “nip houses” to NASCAR events. Watman also details his own complicated, and comical, attempts to manufacture hard liquor at home. He is a capable journalist and has an impressive grasp of the craft of distillation and the science behind it. His historical writing is lively as well, and he profiles fascinating, little-known characters and events like Johnny McDonald and the Whiskey Ring scandal during the Grant administration. Despite Watman’s talents, however, his narrative meanders, in large part because Watman doesn’t write as well about himself as he does about other people. Yet even though the parts don’t add up to a satisfying whole, they remain entertaining enough to keep the pages turning.

Here is a brief description of the book from the publisher’s website:

In May 1915, Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire. Nearly 750,000 Italian troops were killed in savage, hopeless fighting on the stony hills north of Trieste and in the snows of the Dolomites. To maintain discipline, General Luigi Cadorna restored the Roman practice of decimation, executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled. With elegance and pathos, historian Mark Thompson relates the saga of the Italian front, the nationalist frenzy and political intrigues that preceded the conflict, and the towering personalities of the statesmen, generals, and writers drawn into the heart of the chaos. A work of epic scale, The White War does full justice to the brutal and heart-wrenching war that inspired Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms.

The book is an excellent narrative of the battles that occurred along the Italian Front.  However, Thompson also skillfully interposes amongst the narrative chapters other chapters germane to the war.  For example, Thompson discusses the ineptness of the Italian military leadership.  During the disaster of Caporetto (where the Italians lost all of the ground they gained in nearly two years of fighting), General Cadorna ordered units that retreated to be subject to decimation (where men were chosen by lot and shot).  In his discussion of Caporetto, Thompson includes a chapter on the harsh discipline doled out by Cadorna and his subordinate commanders.  Thompson rightly argues that this harsh discipline surpassed the discipline of troops by other countries – with the exception of maybe Russia.  The men responded to this harsh discipline by not fighting as hard and surrendering when they had a chance.

Thompson points out the many flaws of Cadorna – his complete incompetence regarding tactics and strategy.  He insisted on aggressive offensive maneuvers – even after these tactics were disproved on the Western Front.  This insistence ended up killing hundreds of thousands along the Isonzo – there were so many Battles of the Isonzo that they had to be numbered (12 battles).  Thompson contends that Cadorna knew no other means of fighting the Austrians other than ordering lines of men to throw themselves against the barbed wire and machine guns of the enemy.

Along with the military situation, Thompson chronicles the Italian political scene and how it was influenced by the views of the Italian intelligentsia.  He explains that the nationalist fervor of Prime Minister Antonio Salandra and his Foreign Minister Sidney Sonnino drove the country to war – their reasoning was hidden from the general population to the point that most of the soldiers did not even know why they were at war.  Their efforts were spurred by an Italian intelligentsia that saw the expansion of Italy as a new age for Rome that would make the Adriatic Sea an Italian one.

Thompson weaves all of the different threads seamlessly.  His writing is easy to follow and comprehend.  It is a surprisingly quick read at 480 pages, including eight pages of black and white photographs.

One point of criticism I have is the poor use of maps – the maps that Thompson includes do not help the reader follow along with the text.  Throughout the book, I had to refer back to a map in the beginning of the book to get an idea of where the action that he was describing occurred.

Overall, this is an excellent summary of the Italian Front in World War I – including excellent chapters on the motivations of the Italian leadership.

The Great Medieval Heretics: Five Centuries of Religious Dissent by Michael Frassetto

From the Publisher

Replete with terror, passion, and hope, this gripping narrative history explores the intricate mysteries of medieval Europe through the lives of the great heretics whose beliefs and practices challenged the teachings of an all-powerful church. Five centuries of social and spiritual turmoil are covered through a vivid and telling mix of events, personalities, and ideas. A host of figures are discussed in detail, including Bogomil, an obscure priest from the Balkans who introduced Manichean ideas to parishioners; Henry the Monk, who eluded capture and prepared southern France for the Cathars; Marguerite Porete, the great mystic who was burned at the stake; Fra Dolcino, whose brigand followers terrorized northern Italy; and John Wyclif and Jan Hus, the heralds of the Reformation. By the end of the Middle Ages, the courageous lives and beliefs of these and the other heretics discussed had transformed the religious, cultural, and political map of Europe.

Publishers Weekly

In this gripping second installment to his ancient Rome trilogy (after Imperium), bestseller Harris proves once again that politics is an ugly game. Beginning in 63 B.C.E. and told by Cicero’s slave secretary, Tiro, this complex tale continues to chronicle Cicero’s political career as he charms, co-opts, and bribes his way into the exalted position of consul, ruler of Rome. Although Cicero is known as a brilliant politician and philosopher, he was also a slick manipulator and shameless schemer, competing with equally sneaky rivals Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. Cicero realizes that as the empire expands, the greatest threat to Rome comes from within, plotted by well-financed conspirators bent on turning the republic into a dictatorship. With fabulous oratory and trickery, Cicero uncovers and crushes an insurrection, exposing himself to great danger and possible assassination. Riots, murder, civil unrest, corruption, treachery, and betrayal mark Cicero’s political legacy, resulting in a battle between him and Julius Caesar. Throughout, however, Tiro remains loyal and remarkably astute, recognizing that it is an act of madness for a man to pursue power when he could be sitting in the sunshine reading a book

I seem to be back on a fables, myths and legends type kick again (not that I ever got off it). And certainly Bill Willingham’s Peter & Max fits right in to that theme.

As the subtitle notes (a Fables novel) this book is an outgrowth of Willingham’s popular Fables series of comics:

Fables is a unique series imagining that all of your favorite nursery rhyme, storybook, and fable characters are real and living in New York City.

The characters have all escaped from their own homelands and gathered in a small area of New York. Of course, this is only the human looking characters. All of the animals, Puss in Boots, the Three Little Pigs, Mother Goose, and more, live in an area of upstate New York Known as The Farm.

I have not read any of these comics but the hook was intriguing.  I immediately thought of the Sister’s Grimm series but with an adult perspective rather than YA. Since I love SG I wanted to check out this similar sounding take on fairy tales. The fact that it came with illustrations only added to my interest.

And those expectations were largely met. Peter & Max is a creative and interesting reworking of the Pied Piper story. It left me wondering if this is a one off building on the comics or whether we can expect more novel exploration of Fabletown.

There is always a choice involved in introducing a fantasy adventure of this sort. You either dive right into the adventure and fill in the background and unique facets of the world the characters inhabit as you go along or you try and set up the story first with some explanation right up front.

Willingham goes with the later. And the book starts a little slow as a result. It takes a while to set the scene, understand the concepts and get the characters introduced. But once you get that territory covered it becomes a compelling story.

As can often be the case, the bad guy really steals the show. Willingham flashes back to tell the story of the Pied Piper.  Peter is the younger brother in a traveling musical family. His older brother Max is melancholy bordering on angry. When his father gives the heirloom – and magical – flute to Peter a deep resentment is born.  And when his family (and the Peep family – including Bo – as well) is forced to flee into the heart of the Black Forest Max takes the opportunity to give in to his darker side in a rather gruesome way.

Peter and Max both end up in the town of Hamelin – of rats and children fame – but take very different paths to get there. Willingham alternates chapters telling their stories (as well as the modern day Peter).

Peter, who ends up part of a secret society in Hamelin, is far from the clear cut ethical hero, and his story has some interesting aspects, but Max is the strongest character by far.

He just has this sort of evil charisma that animates the story. He is lazy and ignorant in many ways but has a single minded determination to explore the depths of dark power.  This drive, and the magic flute he is inadvertently given, prove more than enough to give him power beyond what most can imagine. But he keeps a certain sarcastic and almost flippant attitude throughout. He is an incredibly powerful and dangerous person. He is a cruel and narcissistic jerk. But as a character he jumps of the page unlike any of the others.

Peter by contrast seems weighed down by the cares of life. And just when he might be able to put that behind him and start a new life with his wife Bo Peep tragedy strikes in the form of his brother.

The novel starts with Peter seeking to find his long lost brother who is loose on the world again. And the novel ends with their confrontation in this world. But the real heart of the story to my mind is Max’s development into the monster he became and the way Peter is ultimately called to attempt to destroy his brother.

Having read this book and none of the comics I have to wonder if a sequel is planned. In some ways you could see this as just a “novel as introduction” to the comics; hoping the book will convince non-comic readers to cross over.

On the other hand, there are some flaws that would be lessened by a sequel. All of that background and introduction for example would be wasted to some degree if there are no further books. As a stand alone it could have been much tighter in my opinion. You don’t have to explain as much if the only story you are going to tell is Peter & Max.

The sequel of sorts appended to the novel, in comic form, leads me to believe that this is just a stand along offering. The fact that this book takes place prior to the comics and leads into them strengthens that argument I would think.

Even so, Peter & Max is a creative and entertaining twist on the story of the Pied Piper and a nice introduction to the work of Bill Willingham. And Max is one of the better, and more unique, evil characters I have come across. It has a dry wit and manages to mix dark and adult topics with humor and adventure but without going over the top.

Obviously comic fans, and those already familiar with the Fables universe, will want to see what Willingham does in novel form.  But those who enjoy fantasy adventure and stories with myths, fables and legends as background will also enjoy Peter & Max.

From the Publisher

The credit crunch is affecting every investor and every consumer, every industry and every government program, yet few people truly understand how it happened. Subprime mortgages have been center stage, but behind the scenes a conspiracy of greed among bankers, investors, rating agencies and regulators has imperiled everyone’s financial future. We need to know what went wrong and how to change the practices that led to this calamity. Bloomberg columnist Mark Gilbert shows how Wall Street’s tolerance for extremes made the global credit crunch both foreseeable and inevitable. He offers a blow-by-blow account of what went wrong and what lessons need to be learned from the crisis.

Edmund White’s NYT review has a concise plot summary:

David Malouf’s “Ransom” reimagines the tragic story at the heart of “The Iliad.” Achilles mourns his childhood friend Patroclus after he is killed by Hector. Achilles takes his revenge by killing Hector in battle and desecrating his body.

The central action in Mr. Malouf’s novel occurs when Priam, Hector’s father and king of Troy, travels in a mule-drawn cart with half of the city’s treasure (the “ransom”) to plead for the return of Hector’s body so that it can be buried properly. Two instances of towering grief meet in the encounter.

As is so often the case, your knowledge of the backstory and your expectations will play a big role in your take on this story.

Those with a stronger knowledge of the Illiad and the story at the center of the novel might have stronger feelings and/or higher expectations that those who read it “straight” as it were.

But one thing I think everyone can agree on is that it is beautifully written and, at times, quite moving. More below.

First, the writing. I have not read any of Malouf’s previous work but the prose in Ransom is sparse but descriptive. There is both a poetic (and you could argue historical) and a philosophical/psychological side to the story. The two don’t always blend together well but the both are easy on the eyes and ears. On this critics agree.

The aforementioned White’s NYT review:

The writing is vivid and often wonderfully detailed, especially in the nature descriptions … On page after page the prose is specific and noble, an unusual mix since nobility usually depends on generalities, and the specific usually deflates grandeur.

Tom Holland’s Guardian review:

Both the lyricism of his prose and the delicacy of his characterisation enable Malouf to avoid the risk of bathos that so often stalks novelists when they try to update epic.

Michael Dirda at the WaPo:

Malouf can write brilliantly in the “low” register of a Somax or describe nature with a Wordsworthian attentiveness, he is equally convincing in suggesting the grave diction of epic.

But these reviews also don’t think Malouf quite pulls of what he was aiming for. White:

“Ransom” is a similarly serious, often beautiful examination of the contrast between the simple sincerity of the carter and the strangely abstract existence of the king. It is dignified and thought-provoking — but it doesn’t seem to me to be exactly a work of art, to be fully realized and embodied in the lives of its characters. It is more a metaphysical inquest than episodes from messy, contingent experience.

Holland:

Yet none of these virtues can quite outweigh the nagging feeling that anyone who wants to read about Priam’s ransoming of his dead son would be much better off picking up Homer’s own account.

[...]

As it is, Ransom falls between the two stools: neither true enough to Homer, nor sufficiently untrue to him either.

(or read Steve Donoghue’s passionate evisceration of the novel’s “lack of drama”)

To my mind these critics allow their expectations to set the bar. White wants art without the psychology and philosophy that Malouf includes while Holland wants Homer retold.

To me Malouf was using this small hook from this classic ancient text, and a few other myths as well, to explore a variety of topics; from war and fatherhood to being forced to play a role and its impact on humanity to how stories and the need for them drives our lives.

Yes, in certain ways, Malouf’s approach is obviously modern or even post-modern. He seeks to get inside Priam’s head and understand what it might have been like to make that epic journey to beg for the body of your son from his killer.

But at the same time he wants to explore what it mean to be king or how positions of power may trap people into roles that undermine their humanity or block them off from reality.

Malouf both puts you in the ancient world with the eyes of Achilies, Priam and the cart driver but he also stands back and looks at them through a “modern” lens. He both tells a story and wonders about how archetypes and stories work.

Ransom is not a traditional novel by any means and it isn’t a historical novel either. It reminds me more of the Myths series by Canongate – taking an aspect of a myth and re-working it to see if from a different angle.

I found this short read to be an interesting and thought provoking approach to a classical story. Musings on war, family, stories and more wrapped in a iconic wagon ride. Even if Malouf doesn’t quite pull of the master piece some seem to have been expecting it was worth the ride.

Description

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Now an acclaimed motivational speaker and peak performance coach, author Nikki Stone helps people in all walks of life to overcome fears, failures and plateaus and realize their full potential. In this step-by-step guide to success, she and her team of high achievers share their stories about reaching for dreams…and grasping them. 25% of the author’s net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the American Cancer Society

Holger Herwig captures this action in his book entitled : The Marne, 1914: The Opening of World War I and the Battle That Changed the World. The title is a bit deceiving because it covers more than the epic battle between the French/British against the Germans in early Septemeber 1914. Herwig discusses the plans that the Germans and the French had if a war was to commence between the two countries. The German plan – Schlieffen – called for a large flanking movement around the French Army through Belgium. The French plan – Plan XVII – called for the French to assault the German-occupied Alsace and Lorraine regions and then invade Germany itself.

Herwig briefly touches on the causes of the war – mainly that the Germans were itching to strike against the Triple Entente before they struck Germany. He argues that the traditional reasons put forth by historians (Germans were fighting for continental hegemony) were not determined until after the war had started. Herwig then describes the actions of the two sides during the Battle of the Frontiers and how it influenced the decisions that led to the Battle of the Marne.

Don’t expect this book to be like the “new school”history books – descriptions of how the common soldiers fought and died. I have read some criticism that the book is not written in this fashion – that it is too dense with names and units. However, I do not think Herwig wanted the book to be written in that format. The book is more of an “old school” history book – in that Herwig analyzes the commanders and their decisions. Thus, it does have some dense parts, but that is to be expected with this type of book – the point is to not know how the soldiers faired (although there is a smatttering of that), but to understand the decisions that were made by the upper command and why they made those decisions.

In the traditional history format, Herwig does an excellent job. He looks at the two main commanders and a minor one (British Field Marshal John French – sorry Brit fans, but they were not as major of a player in the ground war at this stage of the war) – German Chief of the General Staff Helmuth von Moltke and French Chief of the General Staff General Joseph Joffre. I think Herwig gives a balanced assessment of the commanders – he equally praises and criticizes each of them. For example, Herwig criticizes Joffre for not adjusting faster to the initial German attack, but praises him for being bold and decisive after he realizes his mistake. He also discusses many of the other military leaders from these countries – I think Herwig’s discussion of the relationship between General Bulow (German Second Army commander) and General Kluck (German First Army commander) and how their strife affected the actions taken by the two armies is superb.

An interesting part of the book covers the “could have beens.” What would have happened if Generals Kluck and Bulow ignored the General Staff officer’s order to retreat at a time when they may have been able to hold off the French counterattack? Could they have flanked the French Sixth Army? If the Germans continued to hold the line and attacked, would Paris have fallen and the war ended under favorable terms for the Germans.

One strong weakness of the book is Herwig’s maps- they are not very good. Herwig includes plenty of maps, but they are hard to read and do not help the reader follow along with the action. Better maps should have been found or should have been created in order for the reader to follow along with the text more easily.

This book is an excellent general description of the opening month and a half of World War I and a superb analysis of the decisions made by the commanders of the various armies.