The subject might be just one painting, but it also tells of the history of the time, military tactics, art history, and religious and regional politics

François-Auguste-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September, 1768 – 4 July, 1848) was a French author and diplomat, known as one of the first Romantic writes of his country.

Beyond Vom Kriege: The Character and Conduct of Modern War by R. D. Hooker Jr. is a non-fiction consisting of essays about the theory of war.

In 1830 Alexandre Dumas worked as a scribe for duc d’Orléans who later became King Louis Philippe.

It is clear that the author developed a great admiration towards General Dumas, a bastard son of a nobleman, born to a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue and rising to be a hero of the French Republic, albeit forgotten.

The author’s astute understanding of the material has provided the book with a fresh take on a man that so much has been written about. Mr. Robert’s understanding of the times and personalities helped him convey that information in a clear, concise manner which kept this book relatively short (considering Napoleon’s notoriety and achievements).

The author sets the stage early, Lt. Col. Quentin Margont, the pragmatist protagonist, sees the world in black and white, the political weasel Talleyrand who only sees shades of grey and dances political circles Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, whose ego gets in the way of him seeing reality.

Wolf Hunt: The Napoleonic Murders by Armand Cabasson takes place during the Napoleonic wars while the Austrians and the French battle over some small villages by the Danube. The mystery takes second place to the author’s impressive research of the time, whether it would be battlefield tactics or a Viennese ball.

Tolstoy does not understand how historians refer to Napoleon as “great” as he does not live up to the standards of humanity and goodness, neither as a military commander, emperor, leader or even in exile. As a conqueror / enemy / ally Napoleon constantly mislead the Russians and destroyed their economy. When he gives the order for the French to retreat, Napoleon already made sure he’s the first one to withdraw.

Once more Tolstoy shows his disdain for Russia’s upper class. Even with the invasion going on, the capital battered and people suffering Russia’s elite society still lives as if their gatherings are of utmost importance.