I was impressed by the research the author has done, rich historical details lend authenticity to the story, even when the paranormal is provoked (not very often, but just right). The narrative remains plausible and the characters seem true to their historical counterparts.
Mr. Stengel makes an excellent case about the first part of his subtitle, but sadly the second part “what can we do about it” is not convincing. Mostly because of the government bureaucracies, slow moving administrative machinery, and simply the way democracies work.
As a professional historian, Mr. Commager felt a duty to reach out to other citizens believing that an educated public would support liberal programs.
The Song Empire in the 13th century has lost half its territory, including the capital, to the Jurchen invaders. While the war is raging, the peasants suffer and the great powers underestimate the Mongol warriors who are being untied by Genghis Khan.
A dark secret born out of World War II lies at the heart of a Sicilian American family in this emotional and sweeping saga of guilt, revenge, and, ultimately, redemption. After soldiers vacate the Sicilian hillside town of Melilli in the summer of 1943, the locals celebrate, giving thanks to their patron saint, Sebastian. Amid the revelry, all it takes is one fateful moment for the destiny of nine-year-old Salvatore Vassallo to change forever. When his twin brothers are killed playing with an unexploded mortar shell, Salvatore’s faith is destroyed. As the family unravels, and fear ignites among their neighbors that the Vassallo name is cursed, one tragedy begets another. Desperate to escape this haunting legacy, Salvatore accepts the help of an Italian soldier with fascist ties who ushers him and his sister, Nella, into a new beginning in America. In Middletown, Connecticut, in the immigrant neighborhood known as Little Melilli, these three struggle to build new lives for themselves. But a dangerous choice to keep their secrets hidden erupts in violence decades later. When Salvatore loses his inquisitive American-born son, David, they all learn too late the price sons pay for their fathers’ wars. Written with elegiac prose, How Fires…
Heinrich von Kleist (18, October 1777 – 21, November 1811) was a poet, novelist, writer and journalist from Germany.
A platoon of Danish soldiers, part of NATO forces, are hampered down in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban. Third platoon has a charismatic and brave leader, Schrøder, who answers to Colonel Steffensen. The two man are polar opposites.
The soldiers embark on a revenge mission, without realizing they are being set up by a traitor from within. Third platoon realizes that in war you have to make inconvenient allies, and embrace strange bedfellows just to survive the day.
If you’re lucky.
The book is full of pictures, many of which I have never seen, each one with an engrossing caption.
I was looking forward to reading more about the “binding”, how it worked, affected people and what is Emmett’s role in the whole magical realm the author created.
Elmore Leonard (11 October, 1925 – 20 August, 2013) was an American writer and screenwriter who specialized in thrillers and crime fiction.
