Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom (My Goodreads Review))

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent historical read. Set in King Henry VIII's England of 1540. Matthew Shardlake must help Thomas Cromwell. The king's main man is in serious trouble concerning the Anne of Cleeves marriage. In an attempt to win back favour with the king, Cromwell enlists the help of the hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake to find the secret of Greek Fire. In this day and age, Greek fire is akin to an atomic weapon and would allow Henry VIII's navy to have tremendous power. The problems start for Matthew as he comes across a collection of dead bodies along his investigative way. Soon his own life is in peril too.

This is a gritty fast-paced historical thriller set against the backdrop of protestant reformist England etc. It has a splendid feel and is the second Shardlake story I have read. It was very compelling and I'll certainly be reading the third instalment after this exciting historical thriller brought 1540's London to life.

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A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel (My Goodreads Review)

A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was engrossed from the start. I had some idea of the way the events went from history, but this was up close and personal. Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jaques Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, are three main historical figures from the French Revolution. This story gives a reader the view of their households and friends over the years before and after the cataclysmic event that sent shock waves throughout Europe. The uprising left a profound change in the Western world. From the storming of the Bastille to the Reign of Terror.

The Republic will be born but maintaining the new French Republic is an endeavour that demands strict and diabolical things to be done. The guillotine begins to work overtime at an absurd rate as The Reign of Terror begins. The champions of maintaining the new and hard-won democracy will become consumed by the dreadful events. Despite good intentions to deliver the will of the downtrodden people of France.

I really enjoyed this book. It took a little while to get used to the style of presentation as we flit from various scenes concerning the main three characters. I quickly got used to this. There is a whole host of other historical figures too. It is hard to say more without accidentally putting spoilers in. So I must leave it there. Suffice to say, well worth five stars - splendid reading.

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Fire Power by Chris Dempster (Goodreads Review)

Fire Power by Chris Dempster

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this back in the early 1980s. It was lent to me by my Brother-in-law. It concerns the British mercenaries out in Angola during the conflict of 1974. A former Portuguese colony is becoming independent and the various factions are fighting one another. The Communists have Cuban and Soviet advisers etc. Another group has predominately British mercenaries. They are led by a man of Greek Cypriot origin. An ex-British Army man who is given the alias of Callen. In a short time, Callen becomes notorious for attacking the Communist coveys and even executing his own men. Then there is the public televised trial. The author, Chris Dempster is also present at this time and he has his own story to tell. As a young kid, I can remember watching the court case on the news and the stories in the newspapers of Callen. The whole thing is well written by someone who was there, but I can't help feeling there is a little bit of the macho bravado aspect to this. A lot of ordinary people on all sides of the conflict died brutal deaths.

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Imperial Sunset by R.F. Delderfield (My Goodreads Review)

Imperial Sunset by R.F. Delderfield

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading the first historical account of The Retreat from Moscow, I could not resist this one. It was equally as good with Napoleon trying to reform his diminished and shattered army to stop the retribution of allied nations that were gathering to destroy his Grand dream for Europe, once and for all.

This is an incredible account of endurance of Napoleon's Grand Army. It is awesome and heartbreaking - even for the enemies of Napoleon's France. Some of the feats that the master of campaigns and his Marshals manage are mind boggling.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Napoleonic history.

Meeting Boudicca



C.A. Powell
The Last Days of Thunder Child


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