As mentioned in the last article I elected to imitate the BROsr in their book review for Wish level spells in their recent campaigns. This is obviously very disruptive to a campaign at any level, arguably less disruptive in at the domain level of play than at the first level. The wishes earned by the book reviews below, arguably had a comparatively minor effect on the direction of the campaign. However, if this rule had been present from the very beginning of the campaign it is likely that things would have turned out very differently. Not to spoil the AAR, but only three of the four wishes earned would be used.
So further testing is required.
The reviews below are written by two of the players who made it to the last turn and are organized with one from the player from Exeter and three from the player from York.
Book Review 1.
The Author of The Great Invasion has a novel way of reviewing that section in history where Rome laid claim to the misty isles of Britannia. Rather than just present it as a dull report of historical events he presents it as a gripping war documentary with catching chapter titles like you might expect to find in an epic novel. Indeed at first glance one would be forgiven for thinking that the book you held in your hands was not in fact historical fiction as indeed I first thought upon picking it up at the second hand bookshop, however upon examining the pages one discovers in no uncertain terms that what you are holding is in fact a history book and a well written one at that.
The first chapter opens with a thrilling recount of Caesars landing on the shores of Britain that sounds eerily similar to something like D-Day, except without modern weapons, and this is a recurring theme of how the Roman military parallels nicely with many modern military aspects.
He then gives a long history of Britain prior to the coming of the Romans explaining the cultural development, the technological improvements and where these influences likely originated from.
The second chapter continues with the cultural analysis of early Britain, this time focused on the Celtic peoples that are arriving from mainland Europe. He also briefly discusses early Roman development up to the point where Caesar is looking across the channel at Britain, we then switch views to focus upon Caesar and his career up to that point and his reasons for going to Britain.
Chapter three encompasses Caesar's two landings in Britain along with the difficulties he encountered and the opposition given by the local tribes. Here the author has largely drawn upon Caesar's personal commentary upon the operations, an appropriate choice as it is a concise eye witness account, if somewhat embellished as was Caesar's want.
Throughout chapter 4 we are introduced to the structure of the roman army, its ranks, standards, and general principles of service. The author draws humorous connections between aspects of the Roman military system and a modern one. Numerous historical references are given from old source documents found via archaeological activity.
Chapter 5 details the opening stages of the second Roman invasion of Britain during the reign of Claudius. Here the author draws upon the writings of two classical Roman historians and interjects with his own commentary at whiles. He also elaborates upon the traits of Claudius and what sort of character he was.
Chapter 6 continues with the second Roman invasion, this time the author elaborates on the significant gap in written historical records for it and the reliance upon archaeology to gather evidence to piece together what transpired during those years. There is brief mention of Vespasian and his character and what he was likely doing in Britain at that time, regardless there is little written record of his doings and again one must turn to the spade for answers.
The invasion is continued in chapter 7 with insight into Roman politics at the time and its impact upon the people who would be leading the military operations in Britain. Further details of the continued expansion and resistance are explored, the author makes mention of the archaeological findings, finally ending with the final defeat of Caratacus.
Chapter 8 details events that would eventually lead to the rebellion of Boadicea, how Roman mistreatment of the populace and the cruel misdeeds of the locals created a cycle of violence. The culling of the druids is also mentioned and some archaeological findings regarding that event.
Here in chapter 9 we are shown the bloody events of the revolt of the Iceni under Boadicea and the wanton cruelties committed by the uprising. The author makes mention of the various archaeological discoveries of the places that were destroyed at this time. The aftermath of the revolt with the subsequent changing of governors and the shift towards a more clement policy are also mentioned.
In chapter 10 the Romans have realized the need for further expansion to secure their borders and this is detailed at some length. Various references from historical sources made and the effects of civilization and roman policy upon the locals. Various archaeological findings are brought up as well.
We continue where we left off in chapter 10 with an excavation of a large encampment area speculated to be the place where the Brigantes and their allies made a final stand. The author summarizes various archaeological findings made by the archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler and the support they provide for the site being that of the Brigantes and their allies.
Chapter 12 deals with Frontinus and Agricola. The author begins Frontinus as chronologically his governorship preceded that of Agricola, the details of his career are elaborated as well as his campaign to subdue the area we know as Wales. Agricola gets significantly more limelight since Tacitus wrote a biography on him and apparently married his daughter hence extra attention was given to the details of the writing. Likewise Agricola’s career is summarized and his completion of the conquest of Wales begun by Frontinus. It ends with his preparations to invade Scotland.
The 13th chapter gives a picture of Agricola’s campaign into Scotland as reconstructed from archaeology and the scant historical information as recorded by Tacitus.
The final chapter goes through Agricola’s final years of campaigning in Scotland and how his advances were pieced together from extensive archaeological work as Tacitus very often did not give much practical information regarding the campaigns. The book ends with the final defeat of the Britains in Scotland and the time of peace on the frontier that followed and also how eventually the Romans gave up on occupying Scotland and withdrew behind Hadrian's Wall.
Overall this is a very well thought out and well put together book, it gives very good insight into early Roman Britain and the campaigns by the Romans in conquering it. Definitely recommend for anyone that wants an introduction to Roman Britain that is easy to pick up and read, and is also quick to read as the book itself is only 247 pages long.
Book Review 2.
Wulf the Saxon, by G. A. Henty, follows the story of young Wulf, the young Thane of Steyning in Sussex. It’s details his adventures during the final years of Saxon power in England, culminating in the famous battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
The story begins with Wulf, the ward of Harold Godwinson on account of his father‘s death, being sent home to Steyning from London on account of a quarrel between he and a Norman page, Walter Fitz-Urse. Wulf is far less in the wrong then Walter, and yet to keep the peace between an already tense relationship between Saxon and Norman in the London court, Wulf is sent home. This ultimately proves to be for the better, as he spends a year in learning how to manage his lands, and fulfill his obligations as a landowner and leader among his people. He is brought back to court at the end of the year after the matter is smoothed over.
He is involved in the wreck of Harold Godwinson in Normandy, which famously results in his capture by a petty Norman lord, and subsequent ransoming by Duke William of Normandy. Wulf, and his friend Beorn, are influential in getting Harold out of prison and into the supposedly better situation of being the forced guest of William.
During this time that the Saxons are in Normandy, they assist William in putting down a Breton insurrection. Wulf and a young Norman noble named Guy Deburg have become friends, and during this Breton war they distinguish themselves in repelling a Breton night attack, though not without injury.
Towards the end of their forced visit, William exacts an oath from Harold under dubious circumstances, whereby Harold swears to be William’s man, and to support him for the English throne upon the death of King Edward. Only then is Harold returned to England.
Upon his return to England, Harold is forced to go to war with the Welsh, as they are raiding and plundering the west of England. Wulf, his bodyguard Osgod, and the aforementioned Beorn participate in the war. Wulf and his friends, along with a body of men, are separated from the main army at one point, are betrayed and stranded in the Welsh wilderness. They manage by means of stratagem to capture the castle that they were initially going to investigate, and then manage to hold it from recapture against all odds. Wulf and Beorn are highly praised by Earl Gurth, brother of Harold, for their conduct during the war.
As the years pass, Wulf becomes a confidant of Earl Harold, acting as his messenger a number of times between Harold and the Lady Edith, whom Harold is unofficially married to, though they can never be together due to the vast difference in their respective ranks. As the years go by, and King Edward nears death, the tension builds between the native Saxons, and the Normans who expect their duke to become the next ruler of England. There is intrigue that Wulf becomes involved in, and Harold’s life is in jeopardy. Upon the king‘s death, he names Harold as his successor, contrary to what he had originally promised to William. The English people choose Harold as their next king, and Harold, even had he chosen to, could not have refused the crown. This, along with his spurning of William’s daughter as his wife, provides the grounds under which William of Normandy prepares his holy war against England.
Harold is married to the sister of the two lords of Mercia, Edwin and Morcar, in order to attempt a more peaceful relationship between the West Saxons and these vacillating Northumbrians. He and Edith agree to lay aside the love they share for each other for the good of the country, and Edith goes into seclusion. This proves to be in vain, as Northumbria remains unhelpful in the face of growing threat.
Wulf grows suspicious of his old childhood rival, Walter Fitz-Urse, believing him to be involved in a plot against Harold’s life. His exploits in uncovering this plot, along with the daring actions of those he recruits to help him, are covered over the course of a few chapters. It culminates in an attempt on Harold‘s life, in which Wulf is badly wounded, but Harold is spared.
The book really picks up speed in the last five chapters as the long awaited storm begins to break. Tostig, Harold’s treacherous brother, despite having been treated with nothing but generosity from his brother, convinces Harold Hardrada, king of Norway, to gather in army and land in England to set up a new kingdom there in the north, thereby restoring Tostig to the rulership of Northumbria. This leads to the defeat of Edwin and Morcar in battle against the Norseman, the surrender of York, and the titanic battle of Stamford bridge.
Wulf and his bodyguard Osgod are involved throughout the campaign with many of the housecarls of Steyning.
Scarcely before the West Saxons have a chance to catch their breath after the battle of Stamford Bridge, news arrives of the landing of the pho in the south. William of Normandy, with a great army arrives on the shores of England, and marches in land, carrying fire and sword wherever they go. Wulf goes south with as many of his men as can follow the army, insisting that Osgod stay behind to recover from the loss of his left arm at Stamford Bridge, though the bodyguard is not so easily dissuaded. At the assembling of the great Saxon army in the south, Wulf rejoins his friend Beorn, and together they participate in the famous battle of Hastings. The battle is long and bloody, and for a time could’ve gone either way, but in the end, William of Normandy prevails, and with the destruction of the one great hope of England, the land falls under the control of the Norman Duke, now known as William the Conqueror. Wulf survives the battle, and goes on to live peacefully, marrying the sister of his old Norman companion, Guy Deburg, and living happily in the land of his ancestors, made safe and secure through his Norman connections.
Having read many Henty books, Wulf the Saxon is certainly in my top 10. It has more than its fair share of exciting adventures on the part of the main boy character, while not neglecting the historical events surrounding him. The historical events themselves are so fascinating as to keep your attention throughout the book, and the story builds and builds the whole way through, crescendoing with the two titanic battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, battles which have shaped the world ever since. Wulf is an interesting character on his own, but he is surrounded by an unusually high number of well developed side characters, like Osgod, Beorn, Guy Deburg, Ulf, and others. Henty is prone to under-do his secondary characters often, leaving them rather wooden and 2 dimensional, but not so in Wulf the Saxon. As with most Henty books, there is a fair bit of exposition that doesn’t feel like how a conversation would naturally flow in real life, but it’s a common enough style, and for someone who is interested in teaching historical facts to its readers as well as providing them with an adventurous story, it is understandable.
Altogether a very good book that really does a good job in putting a gripping and interesting fiction into this historical fiction book! Highly recommended for boys between the ages of 12 and 20, and still recommended for anyone outside of that bracket.
Book Review 3.
The Dragon and the Raven by G. A. Henty, folllows the story of Edmund, a young Englishman from East Anglia in the days of the Danish and Norwegian Viking invasions of the British Isles. It is a time of constant danger and frequent warfare, and it demonstrates a little bit of the courage, discipline, and heroic manly qualities that the people of old Saxon England displayed in the face of at times nearly hopeless odds.
The story opens with Edmond as a young 14 year old boy living with his father and their faithful man Edgar in the fen country, eking out a living on fish and water fowl while waiting for a chance to return to their ancestral lands, and raise the people once again to resist the Danes. They take the opportunity presented to them, and they and many other East Anglian rulers raise an army to fight the Danes. They fight a brave and bloody battle at Kesteven, but they are eventually defeated, and East Anglia falls under Danish rule. Edmond and the faithful Edgar escape the battle, and take refuge in Wessex, where Edmond is received kindly by the soon-to-be king of the West Saxons, Alfred, and given charge of the estate of Sherburne.
The story proceeds to describe the fierce and desperate struggle of the Saxon people against the Danish invaders over the course of several years, during which Edmund and Edgar lead their vassals of Sherburne in many a gallant defense of fort, or daring attack. They develop a new method of fighting and breaking the Danish shield wall, and use it to great effect. Ultimately however, the numbers and ferocity of the Danes wear down the Saxons, and they are effectually defeated, and King Alfred goes into hiding. Edmond, after a conversation with Alfred on the subject, constructs an excellent ship, christens it the Dragon, and he uses it to carry on the war with the Danes at sea after the war on land is all but lost.
The Dragon is successful in capturing and destroying several Danish ships. In one fight, the Saxons were on the point of slaying the leader of the Danish crew, when his daughter runs out and begs for his life to be spared. Edmond does so, citing that his faith would have him show mercy to the Viking, even though the pagan gods of the Norse teach their people to be bloodthirsty, and to kill all, no matter their age or sex, or whether they have surrendered or not. Jarl Sigeberht and his daughter Freda are grateful and impressed by his show of mercy.
At one point the ship is caught in a storm, and they are driven out to sea, eventually being blown into a fjord of Norway on the other side of the North Sea. There, Edmond is surprised and captured in an ambush by the Norseman, and is taken prisoner by a Norwegian Jarl named Bjorn. He remains with them for sometime as a servant, but is freed by his old acquaintance of the ship fight, Jarl Sigeberht and his daughter Freda. He ends up fighting a duel with Sweyn, son of Bjorn, who is jealous of his friendship with the beautiful Freda. Edmund wins the duel, and returns to England.
Years pass, with some peace and some war, at the end of which time Edmond and the crew of the dragon take to the sea again, and travel to France, where they are trapped up the river Seine by the arrival of a massive Danish fleet at the mouth of the river. They participate in the famous siege of Paris by the Northmen, joining in all of the major events of the gallant defense of the place. Much time is spent upon the exciting and terrible battles and stratagems that took place during that siege, and Edmond, Edgar, and his band of Saxons are woven throughout them all. They are particularly responsible in the book for bringing about the destruction of fully half of the Danish ships by means of fire.
At the end of the siege, as the remaining Danish bands break up before the advance of the Holy Roman emperor and his army, Edmond is summoned by a messenger to visit the tent of his old friend Sigeberht, who was with the Danes at their final great assault, and was wounded and is unable to walk. He tells Edmond the sobering news that Edmund’s old rival Sweyn had carried off Freda, and left with his band of 300 Danes for who knows where. Edmund and his friends begin a long and laborious search across northern France and the Ardennes forest, eventually finding Sweyn and his men, but losing them again as they sail for the Mediterranean.
Frustrated, but undeterred, Edmund pursues his quarry into the Mediterranean itself. There they have many adventures in the process of tracking down the plundering Danes, eventually recruiting the help of a noble of Genoa and his people in finally bringing Sweyn to bay. The subsequent sea battle leads to the defeat of Sweyn , and the reuniting of Edmund with Freda, who’s father Sigeberht is there to place her hand in that of Edmond’s. Together they return to England, and there live in happiness, their descendants being Christians and strong leaders amongst their people.
As Henty books go, this is certainly a very interesting and gripping story, relying heavily on the fascinating historical details of the time period to carry the story throughout the early and middle parts of the book. In some ways it feels that Edmond is merely plugged into the story to provide a window into the events that are being described, and yet the events themselves are so interesting that it is not felt as dull or detached. Towards the end of the book there is some genuinely compelling story line revolving around the characters themselves. There is a sense in which you lose track of the scope of how much death and destruction is being described in the book, because of how quickly we move from battle to battle, from shipwrecks and atrocities to sieges and storms. The events do have a tendency therefore to blend into one another as you’re reading, and individual events and names are less distinct. Nevertheless, it is a time period that is very fascinating to many people, and Alfred the great is a pivotal figure in English history which most people know far less than they should about. The Dragon and the Raven does an excellent job in opening up the stories of this time for the reader to understand, and to be excited by tales of adventure and daring by Edmund throughout the whole thing. Very highly recommended for boys between the ages of 12 and 20, and still recommended for everyone and anyone outside of that bracket!
Book Review 4.
After the Flood, by Bill Cooper, is the culmination of over 25 years of research by Mr. Cooper, and covers the early history and origins of several of the northern European nations, and traces their ancestry back to the Biblical Japheth and his father Noah. The book primarily is interested in verifying the authenticity of what is referred to as the Table of Nations, found in Genesis chapter 10, which details the immediate genealogy of Noah and his three sons, and where their families spread throughout the earth. It is a chapter in the Bible that can be easily overlooked as just another one of the numerous genealogies found within its pages, and yet it makes a bold statement in claiming that these men are the ancestors of most of the modern peoples and nations that we still know of today. It is an often overlooked passage both by the defenders and the critics of the Bible, but Mr. Cooper does an excellent job in providing extra-Biblical, pagan, and secular corroboration for what was written down in the Bible in this chapter.
The book begins with a couple of chapters that make the case that the existence of a creator God has always been known and excepted throughout all cultures in the world, throughout all time, and that it is a very unusual and radically extreme position to take the atheist position. He points to many examples throughout ancient literature that point to a single creator God being acknowledged even amongst well-known polytheistic societies. With this point settled, he turns his attention to corroborating the claim made in Genesis 10 about the descendants of Noah, particularly of his son Japheth, who is considered to be the father of the European peoples.
The book then takes the time to bring up the works of Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose collections of ancient British histories provide many convincing corroborations of the Biblical text, if they are to be trusted. Which of course then leads Cooper to make his arguments for why they are to be trusted. These would seem nitpicky at first glance, but the reasoning appears to be sound and compelling when looked at carefully.
The book then proceeds to provide many texts and genealogies that were long considered authoritative on the subjects of the histories of these European peoples, but which have fallen out of favor in modern times, unjustifiably so, in Cooper’s opinion. He provides much interesting commentary and lists on the chronicles of the early Britons and their Kings, and tracing their lineage back to Japheth. He does the same with the Anglo-Saxon kings, the Danish and Norwegian kings, and those of the Irish Celts. Throughout the work he is constantly comparing the records kept by these people to the record given to us in Genesis 10, and despite natural spelling differences, there is shocking consistency between the two, as well as with each other. Most, if not all, of his sources are dated from pre-Christian times, and the oft used excuse that these accounts are heavily edited by later Christian monks is addressed by Cooper, and he gives good reasons for why this excuse falls flat at many levels.
Chapter 9 of After the Flood is devoted to establishing the view held by the ancient Britons, Irish, Romans, and other nations of the age of the earth. All of them point to an early creation of between 6 to 8000 years ago, though all of them have some slight deviation from the number given in the Bible. Cooper makes the argument, as he does for why there are slight discrepancies in their genealogies, that this is a sign of authenticity, for forgers would have given dates that align with the Biblical text. It is a similar argument as that which is used to defend the variation in the four Gospels as being proof of their authenticity, and not a conspiracy. It bears the mark of true eyewitnesses, or in the case of these ancient genealogies, the mark of peoples who have traced their own ancestry apart from Biblical bias. The fact that they all align relatively closely is very compelling therefore.
Chapters 10 through 12 of Cooper’s book shift to a different topic, though utilizing much of the same source material. He uses them to show the frequency and matter-of-factness with which these ancient accounts, having shown themselves to be otherwise reliable records of real historical events, talk about dragons and sea serpents, and the interactions that real flesh and blood historical people, not mythical ones, have with the creatures. He draws from things like the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, and the story of Beowulf, who is mentioned outside of the saga he is known for, and has his place in the ancestral line of the Danish kings, which, as he has already shown in chapter 7, goes back to Japheth like all the others. He reiterates the story of Beowulf’s interaction with Grendel, and implies, though does not outright say, that he feels the creature in the story is some form of bipedal dragon. He makes a compelling case that these creatures described throughout ancient European texts, not to mention the historical texts of almost all peoples throughout the world, our what we today refer to as dinosaurs.
In all it is a very interesting book for anyone who enjoys seeing the Bible compared with historical data from outside of its own pages, Where it can be tested empirically without bias. After the Flood is particularly unique in that it takes on a chapter usually ignored by the Christian apologetics community and their secular critics. It is a very fun read for anyone interested in old European history, and in seeing it tied in with the Bible. And it is further interesting to anyone who loves the field of cryptozoology, or dragons in general, and seeing how these ancient people, and not so ancient people, treat these creatures that we in the modern world so quickly consign to the realm of myth and legend.
All in all a fun read for those interested in history, cryptozoology, biblical apologetics, and genealogies. It’s also not that long, so it’s not as daunting as a book of genealogies might sound like it would be! I highly recommend it.
