Review: Great Battles of the Hellenistic World by Joseph Pietrykowski

This book very much does what it says on the tin, and writes up a number of Hellenistic battles, divided into chapters based upon eras (for example, Philip/Alexander and Pyrrhus). Some are very well known (Alexander’s), others less so.

Interestingly, the writer took the decision to entirely omit Hannibal’s exploits from the book. I think that this is legitimate, given he wasn’t Greek or Macedonian, and although his troops fought in roughly a phalangial order they weren’t Hellenic but a mongrel force.

The writer does a good job of putting each battle into context, setting out not only what occurred during the battle but the wider situation in which it took place and the aftermath and impact of the battle’s result.

Each battle has a number of maps which help to clearly illustrate the initial deployment, progress and conclusion of the various actions.

Looking at the various battles (which are in chronological order and cover 170 years or so) it’s possible to chart the rise and fall of the Hellenic approach to warfare (ie the use of the phalanx) as it waxes under Philip and Alexander, plateaus under the Diadochi and Pyrrhus and then declines as the example of Philip and his son is forgotten. It begins with the unification of the Hellenic world under Philip, and ends with defeats to the Romans.

However, this is not a continuous narrative and a buyer should be aware that each battle, although the context and aftermath are outlined, is detailed on its own. So, if you’re after a general history of Alexander or the Diadochi this is not the best book to get. If, on the other hand, you’re particularly looking for a book specifically about battles (and this one covers well-known and more obscure contests) or you already have general histories and want a perhaps more detailed analysis of battles, this is a good book to get.

A sort-of sequel about battles of the classical Greek world is being written by Joseph Pietrykowski, but has yet to be released.

Thaddeus

Doctor Who: The Wedding of River Song

Sooo, the long-awaited season finale, which explains what happened in the first seven minutes or so of episode 1, has been screened. Needless to say, spoilers lie ahead.

New Who has typically had wildly overblown and often quite bad season finales. (Yes, RTD, turning the Master into a crying nancy-boy whose ‘revenge’ is to refuse to regenerate and die [totally contrary to past history as well as being lame in its own right] is rubbish).

So, how did Moffat do with his first season finale as New Who overlord?

Bit mixed. There’s a lot to like. First and foremost, Amy Pond in a trouser suit. I also liked the marvellously bonkers imagery at the start, in particular, showing bits of time melding together (Roman chariot waiting at a red light, steam engines leaving the stock exchange and so on).

I also loved Amy, in her foxy trouser suit, taking revenge upon the creepiest midwife in the universe.

Annoyingly, there was a reasonable plot emerging but two things irritated me a bit. Firstly, two different scenarios (River Song killing and not killing the Doctor) taking place somehow ending time. Leaving aside the strange irrational plot twist, why would that end time? Why not just splinter the universe into two parallel dimensions? [Regarding the fixed point: if it’s fixed, it can’t be changed, making the ‘not killing’ bit impossible]. Secondly, a load of gobbledegook and nonsense apparently means that them kissing would reset everything and she could kill him (as she knew he was the Teselecta[sp] robot).

But why not just have that in the first place, without the nonsense in between? Moffat’s tenure has seen some great dark moments (I still think the excellent two-parter at the start of the season was the best of the series) but there are times when the season’s decided plot and reason are optional extras.

Overall, the finale was pretty good, and easily better than all (perhaps excepting the daleks versus cybermen) that have gone before.

I hope River Song does not feature anywhere near as prominently next season. Pretty pleased with the Doctor speaking of going back into the shadows. Shouty, cocky New Who Doctor is less likeable than understated Old Who Doctor.

Thaddeus

Musings about books to buy

Fantasy is a very wide genre, and there are quite a lot of good new authors recently. The problem is that there’s a limited amount of time to read new stuff, whilst keeping up with the new releases of old favourites. (Speaking of which, The Iron Jackal [Tales of the Ketty Jay] by Chris Wooding comes out on 20^th October).

Two chaps I keep hearing mentioned but whose wares I have yet to sample are Patrick Rothfuss and Peter V. Brett. Happily, both have eBook versions of their books so I’ll probably try The Name of the Wind and The Painted Man shortly.

There’s also the Mistborn Trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve delayed getting it slightly because I didn’t want to buy it right after The Way of Kings, but once I’ve refreshed my memory of the sample I’ll buy it.

One of the downsides of eBooks is that sometimes the formatting can be wrong. Substantial gaps between paragraphs can occur, or it might just be an enormous, unsightly wall of text. The Alchemist in the Shadows by Pierre Pavel is very highly rated, and I enjoyed the sample, but it does have blank lines between paragraphs. To be honest, I think I might end up getting it anyway. I posted a while ago I was looking for some stuff from overseas, after all and, whilst the formatting seems slightly irksome, it isn’t enough to potentially ruin a book for me.

Next year there’ll be new stuff from Joe Abercrombie (provisionally titled [A] Red Country) and Scott Lynch (Republic of Thieves) to enjoy, and there’s a fourth Tales of the Ketty Jay in production as well.

It’s quite interesting to read http://croftfantasyreads.blogspot.com/, which contains many fantasy book reviews. There’s an almost 0% overlap between our reading (well, reviewing) habits, and when I’ve finished the stuff on my immediate to-read list I’ll be checking it for some new authors to try out.

Which reminds me, I want to read some more Terry Pratchett. I’ve only read the City Watch Trilogy (Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, and Feet of Clay) and always meant to read more, but never got around to it. So, if anyone has recommendations (Pratchett or otherwise) do please feel free to offer them.

Thaddeus

Review: Empire in Black and Gold, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is the first book I’ve read by Tchaikovsky. It’s a fantasy set in a fictional world, with a number of interesting ideas, some very enjoyable moments and a few flaws which, in my view, made it likeable rather than brilliant.

A general and spoiler-free overview of the plot is that the Wasps (the Empire in Black and Gold) are patiently expanding, conquering cities and subjugating other peoples. The Lowlands resemble Greek or Renaissance Italy city-states, and are being chewed up piecemeal. Stenwold, a Beetle intent upon stopping the Wasps taking over the Lowlands, is one of the few with an eye on the bigger picture, and the story follows his efforts and those of his agents to prevent this.

The decision to divide mankind into species (or perhaps subspecies) based mostly on insects and the odd arachnid is a good one. The insects are alien enough to be a bit weird and original but well-known enough that you quickly get a feel for what being a Mantis or a Spider might mean.

I felt a little bit unengaged in some of the early chapters, and I think one or two characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit more. However, the antagonist was very well-written (reminded me of the villain in Shadow Hearts, in that regard alone). No cackling black-robed megalomaniac offering a cardboard cut-out villainy, but a reasoned, intelligent and even sympathetic foe, which added greatly to the book.

The world is more technologically advanced than standard fantasy fare, including rail, flying machines and weaponry halfway between bows (also featured) and proper guns. One city in particular stood out as being innovative and creative, with the others being built along more familiar lines.

The plot progresses at a pretty rapid pace, and the characters develop well. There’s a nice element of generations older and younger trying to work alongside one another, and the odd spot of unrequited love (thankfully not overdone. When it comes to books I much prefer blood and guts to romance).

I was surprised to see that 86% into the book (I got the electronic version) it finished, but this was because of a number of extras at the end. These included about 3-4 miniature stories mostly unrelated to the main characters of the book proper, as well as some pictures of the various races of man. I loved one of these mini-stories (the one with the treasure) and was indifferent to the others.

It was quite hard reviewing this, because at some points I was disengaged, but at others I absolutely loved what I was reading. Overall, I’d say that it has a lot of good aspects and is worth getting. I do plan getting the follow-up (Dragonfly Falling), but I may get the Mistborn Trilogy first.

Thaddeus