The Blog's Mission

Wikipedia defines a book review as: “a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review can be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review”. My mission is to provide the reader with my thoughts on the author’s work whether it’s good, bad, or ugly. I read all genres of books, so some of the reviews may be on hard to find books, or currently out of print. All of my reviews will also be available on Amazon.com. I will write a comment section at the end of each review to provide the reader with some little known facts about the author, or the subject of the book. Every now and then, I’ve had an author email me concerning the reading and reviewing of their work. If an author wants to contact me, you can email me at rohlarik@gmail.com. I would be glad to read, review and comment on any nascent, or experienced writer’s books. If warranted, I like to add a little comedy to accent my reviews, so enjoy!
Thanks, Rick O.

Monday, February 13, 2012

The PRESIDENT and the ASSASSIN

No flapdoodle here in this spectacular look at President McKinley's assassination with extras! The extras are the story of America's anarchist movement, and the country's growing imperialistic attitude. Scott Miller writes in the attention grabbing style of authors like Erik Larson and Candice Millard. This new genre that adds excitement to history makes me want to seek out other works of the same ilk; and, it has. No more dry books like American Lion by Jon Meacham or Years of Upheaval by Henry Kissinger for me. Not that there isn't a place for those books, but how many pages can you read before your eyelids grow heavy. I love history, but I need a little piquancy with it, and with a book like Scott Miller's, I get a history lesson that reads like fiction. Much, much more enjoyable.

As for the assassination of McKinley, modern medical technology could have easily saved him, as it could have Garfield twenty years earlier. The assassin Leon Czolgosz, a Polish immigrant, didn't even think about the assassination until a few days before the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY. He was a anarchist that seemed to be unguided until he started to follow the thoughts of radical Russian immigrant, Emma Goldman. This part of the book is very interesting, since I didn't know anarchy was such a big problem from the late 1890s to early 1900s.

Since I read The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley, I was aware of America's imperialistic attitude, although it is still hard to comprehend. The only difference is that Miller depicts Theodore Roosevelt as more manly than did Bradley. Roosevelt's charge of San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War of 1898 seemed to me like a Keystone Cops venture. The war was won because of Spain's ineptness, lack of desire, and funding. The part of the book about America deceiving the Philippine rebels into thinking they were going to govern their islands is remarkable.

President Mckinley's original attitude toward imperialism was docile, but progressed after winning the Spanish American War against a much stronger Spain. He seemed oblivious to America's industrialists making the already poor workers destitute and the rich wealthier. This error in observation would lead to many riots and strikes and ultimately to his death. This book is a must read for history buffs and presidential fact finding enthusiasts. Bravo to Scott Miller for a brilliant look at our 25th President's life and times.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Believe it or not, Theodore Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001 for his actions in Cuba. The anarchist Leon Czolgosz never spoke in court or to his defense lawyers during his trial. He died in the electric chair 53 days after the President died. Can you imagine getting justice that fast in today's legal system?

Sunday, February 5, 2012

LIONHEART

If you thought the story of the Plantagenets of England was over with Devil's Brood, forget it! Here is a brilliant historical novel about Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart. Sharon Kay Penman writes a convincing account of the Third Crusade (1189-1192) and states in the author's notes that the story will end in her next novel, A King's Ransom. This is a highly enjoyable novel backed up by historical resources as she states, "Lionheart was a unique writing experience. I've never had such a wealth of eyewitness accounts of events." In my opinion, Sharon Kay Penman equals or supersedes anything Bernard Cornwell has written about medieval times, only lacking Cornwell's ability to describe death by combat.

Richard the Lionheart was a glorious leader in both combat and military strategy, but lacked empathy for anyone that wasn't a loyal Lord, Knight, soldier, or honored opponent. The author says he slaughtered 2,600 Saracen prisoners at Acre in the Holy Lands for supposed military reasons that are suspect to some historians. His constant strife with the King of France, Philippe Capet, is legendary and well chronicled in this novel. I also find it interesting that Richard's love of valor and honor in battle actually led him to knight some enemy Muslim Emirs. His struggles with French support coupled with the tenacity of his Muslim counterpart Saladin led to a truce instead of total victory in Jerusalem. According to the author, this gnawed at Richard since he vowed to free Jerusalem when he "took the cross". To the chagrin of his Queen Berengaria, Richard never visited Jerusalem because of this failure.

This splendid story also details Richard's harrowing trips at sea to Cyprus, Sicily, and finally to the Holy Land. The research I did shows that almost every character in this novel existed. King Philippe of France did conspire with Richard's brother John to take Richard's crown while he was fighting the Holy War. This was against papal mandate, but the Pope at the time was old and weak. The next book will deal with what happened to Richard the Lionheart and all the other characters after a depressed King Richard left the Holy Lands.

To sum it up, this was a great read that was expertly written. Thanks to Penman for her Cast of Characters (there are many with difficult names to remember). Also important and interesting are her many pages of author notes and acknowledgments. I didn't read the trilogy about King Henry and Queen Eleanor written prior to this book, but certainly will read the concluding book about "One of history's most dysfunctional and fascinating families."

RATING: 5 out 5 stars

Comment: It's somewhat of a curiosity that during these years, the King of England lived in France and only considered his English holdings as a source of revenue. Richard is purported to have said that he would have sold London if he could have found a buyer. Richard is also known to speak mainly French along with other European languages, but not English!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY

I'm starting to love historical non-fiction that reads like a novel! Once again, Erik Larson succeeds where others fail. Educators should take note that students would willingly dive into history if their books were page turners. The non-fiction genre has become exciting with authors such as Larson and Candice Millard. I'm not knocking writers like Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen, but with this style they would see their ratings go from three stars to five stars immediately. This is not to say that there isn't a market for historical fiction since Bernard Cornwell has proven it to be huge. I'm just saying that this reviewer prefers his non-fiction to possess a little flamboyance and pizzazz.

This is a story of two main themes and several side attractions. One main topic includes the trials and tribulations of the construction of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The protagonist is Daniel H. Burnham, Director of Works, who encounters many problems with the short amount of time he had to build the "White City". The other main feature is the story of Doctor Herman W. Mudgett, America's answer to England's Jack the Ripper. Here is a man with many aliases, who was alleged to have murdered between nine and two hundred people during the world's fair. Somehow Erik Larson alternates chapters with these historic figures and makes two untenable subjects intertwine.

The side stories are fantastic, including George W.G. Ferris and his famous wheel, the landscape architect Frederick L. Olmstead's radical ideas, Buffalo Bill Cody's side show with Annie Oakley, and the frightening Patrick Prendergast stalking Chicago's five time Mayor Carter Henry Harrison. The fair debuted Cracker Jack's, Shredded Wheat, and the first spray paint nozzle and hose. These were exciting times for entrepreneurs, and Erik Larson illustrates all their World Fair contributions and difficulties in rich story telling. In reading this book, I really felt like I was there, or at least wished I was there, especially on the day Chicago crushed Paris's World's Fair "one day" admissions total by 354,000 people.

This book has to be read to understand what I'm saying about non-fiction reading like Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, regardless of the fact that this work is backed up by 41 pages of notes. This volume is highly recommended for readers of any genre, and if you are a student of literature, grab a Erik Larson book and enjoy his style.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: As a side story, it's interesting to know that a junior architect at the 1893 World's Fair was fired for "using his free time to design houses for clients of his own". His name was Frank Lloyd Wright. Also interesting is the fact that the Director of Color and Functions, Frank Millet died on the maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912. He had all the buildings in the fair painted white, thus the "White City".

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

DESTINY of the REPUBLIC

This is Candice Millard's stunning look at the assassination of our twentieth President, James Garfield. It's hard to believe that in the 1880s the President of the United States didn't have Secret Service protection, or doctors that believed that germs existed! If Garfield had either of these, he probably would have gone on to become a great President. As it turns out, Secret Service worked strictly on counterfeiting and protection didn't become a reality until after President William McKinley was shot in Buffalo, NY in 1901. Europe had adopted antiseptic surgery sixteen years before Garfield was shot, but the U.S. Medical Congress deemed the idea of "invisible germs to be ridiculous".

Millard spends an equal amount of time on the life and thoughts of the assassin madman, Charles Guiteau ("God wanted him to kill the president"), Garfield's rise from poverty to president, and Alexander Graham Bell's race to perfect an induction balance machine that would enable him to locate the bullet in Garfield's back. Unfortunately for Garfield, his surgical team led by Dr. D.Willard Bliss probed the bullet hole for 79 days using their dirty fingers and non-sterile probes. It's no wonder that at Charles Guiteau's trial, he admitted firing the bullet, but stated, "General Garfield died from malpractice".

Also expertly intertwined in this book is a overview of the corrupt spoils system used by political parties from 1828 until the election of Garfield in 1880. Garfield attempted to break this system, issuing offices by merit versus a rewards system for help in winning the election. His main adversary in this struggle was Senator Roscoe Conkling from NY and his lackey Chester Arthur, who was hand picked by Conkling to be Garfield's Vice-President. (As a sidebar to this issue, Arthur became a good man after he became president, shocking Roscoe Conkling into retirement.)  After Garfield passed away, his wife, Lucretia, added a wing to their farmhouse in Ohio to store the president's papers, thus creating the first Presidential Library.

Millard has written a delightfully engaging non-fiction history book, but it reads like a chilling murder novel. Well done! I'm going to have to read her first book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. My recommendation is simple: get this book and read it; it's great!

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: Candice Millard got her Master's degree in literature from Baylor University. Both of her books made the New York Times Best Seller List. She is a former editor of National Geographic and lives in Kansas City.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Prague Cemetery

Not for nothing, this historical novel by Umberto Eco is 444 pages of unadulterated hatred! It spans approximately 40 years in the late 1800s in Europe. It mostly involves Italy, France, Germany, and Russia, and their infighting and subversive attacks against each other. Most of these assaults are based on forged documents meant to cause perplexities amongst the Catholics, Jews, Freemasons, Jesuits, and the common populist. However, the main focus is to eliminate the Jews from the face of the Earth. The counterfeit papers of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion became ammunition for Adolph Hitler to attempt the unimaginable elimination of an entire race of people. The idea was also aided by the Ottoman Empire's try at genocide on Turkey's Armenian residents during and after World War I.

The narrator of this story, Captain Simonini, is the only character that Eco says is fictitious. All of the rest are historic figures with a few minor exceptions. It seems our Captain Simonini is also Abbe Dalla Piccola! So what we have here is a main character with a multiple personality disorder that is an acquaintance of Dr. Sigmund Froide (Freud). Captain Simonini is also chief forger and spy for many governments receiving and issuing false accusations against each other and the "devilish" masonic Jews. He also, on page six, says "I have known Germans, and even worked for them: the lowest conceivable level of humanity. A German produces on average twice the feces of a Frenchman".

This is a very difficult book to read; it offers no respite or reprieves to catch your breath. The many years of false attacks against the Jews resulted in latter year writings such as Hitler's Mein Kampf, which highlighted the supposed Jewish conspiracy to control the world, and Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto, which displays the disharmony between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Although this is the second "eye-opening" book I've read recently, I find it difficult to believe wholly, only because this slant was not taught during my school years.

This is the first Eco work that I've read, and I did like his writing style with most of the story summarized from a diary. Eco is known as a medievalist and semiotician writing some books about the Knights Templar. I did like the book, but wouldn't recommend it to everyone. If this is truly historical fiction, then it shouldn't be so ambiguous without any author notes to back up his findings. The charges against the real characters are too harsh not to be backed up by documentation from other studies, even though this is a novel.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: Umberto Eco states that his writing has been influenced by James Joyce and Jorge Luis Borges. Eco's best seller, The Name of the Rose, had a symbologist friar/investigator, William of Baskerville, who might be the forerunner for Dan Brown's character, Robert Langdon.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

In the Garden of Beasts

This is a guest review from my eldest son, Deron:

Erik Larson tells the story of Hitler's rise to power from chancellor to dictator primarily through the eyes of William E. Dodd, the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and his daughter Martha. I write "story", rather than "history", because this book reads like fiction; however, this is nonfiction. All quotes are sourced from a letter, diary, or other document. This pivotal time in history and the Dodds' involvement with many of the primary actors makes for a wonderful read.

President Roosevelt's first choice for ambassador was not William E. Dodd, an accomplished history professor at the University of Chicago. With congressional adjournment for summer quickly approaching (Congress must confirm any ambassador) and after several candidates declined his offer, Roosevelt was pressured to make offers outside the normal political circles. He asked Dodd. Dodd was ambivalent. He had wanted to complete his major history, Old South, and the post would severely limit his ability to complete the multivolume work. However, after encouragement from the university and his wife, he accepted.

Roosevelt had two primary tasks for Dodd. Germany owed a great deal of money to American creditors. Dodd was to do whatever he could to ensure that the debt would be repaid. The more delicate issue involved the German government's treatment of the Jews. The debate raged as to whether the U.S. government should directly speak out against the persecution or work through quieter diplomatic and unofficial channels to improve the situation for the Jews. Roosevelt opted for the quieter policy. As we all know, both tasks would prove impossible.

While Dodd was the ambassador from 1933-1937, the story mostly occurs in the years 1933 and 1934. Through Dodd, we meet in mostly official capacities the Nazi leaders - Hitler; Göring; Goebbels; Diels, commander of the Gestapo; and Röhm, commander the Stormtroopers. Through Martha, we see everyday life. Her friends and romances included diplomats, writers, a communist, and several well placed Nazis, which provides great insight into the social and political intrigue going on at that time.

Both Dodds had hoped that the Nazis would be amenable to reason, that they would moderate over time, that one could do business with them. The Dodds, especially Martha, even sympathized to some extent with the Nazis. But over time, the Nazis revealed themselves for what they were, culminating in the Night of the Long Knives, where Hilter purged the Nazi leadership and eliminated political adversaries to solidify his hold on power. Shortly thereafter, von Hindenburg, the German President, died upon which Hitler solidified power and made himself dictator.

I earlier mentioned that this book reads more like fiction than the nonfiction it is. There are many short chapters and cliffhangers that read more like Dan Brown or James Patterson than as history. To me, this somehow diminished the importance of the events. They were almost like cheap devices to keep my interest where none was needed.

Overall, this is an excellent book that I would recommend.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: I've read historical fiction before, but I think this may be the first book that I've read in the genre of what I understand to be novelistic history. Every character and quote is real. Every situation happened. While I enjoyed Larson's book, I'm not sure I'm sold on the genre yet. I think that history should be dispassionate in its telling to avoid biases. A novel such as Larson's cannot and doesn't try to avoid those biases. I can say, though, that Larson is the master of the genre.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

THE CITY & THE CITY

After reading Kraken, I wasn't sure I would read another China Mieville novel, but I'm glad I read this weird fiction detective/murder mystery. It's not that Mieville isn't a brilliant writer, but his use of neologisms and his articulation of the English language is sometimes overwhelming. This novel was much tamer in the lexical ambiguity category than usual, but he still has his exemplar prints all over the text. If you don't understand what I'm writing, then you haven't read a Mieville fantasy novel.

The narrator and hero of this novel is Tyador Borlu, an inspector in the Extreme Crime Squad of the city of Beszel. This city's borders are crosshatched with a twin city named Ul Qoma. These cities are rivals, and the populations are taught to "unsee" each other, even if they are inches apart. Each city has different architecture, vehicles, garb and gait. The only way to travel to the other city is with special papers through Copula Hall, the only building in both cities. Any violation of the rules will bring the Breach upon you, which means you will not be seen again. The Breach is invoked by a 42 person board from both cities called the Oversight Committee that ensures the strict rules are obeyed. The Breach is an alien group living unseen between the borders of the cities with unbridled policing powers. What a setting for a murder.
 

A foreign student, Mahalia Geary, is found murdered in Beszel. Inspector Borlu finds out that she was working on a archaeology dig in Ul Qoma. Is this murder a breach? This sets off a chain of events, including the investigation of Orciny, a legendary invisible third city. Borlu teams with detective Qussim Dhatt (there are no easy names in this book) of Ul Qoma to try to solve this mystery. They are thwarted by unificationists from both cities, an arcane Doctor Bowden, and the prohibitive rules of "unseeing" people and events in the crosshatched areas.

The strange thing about this novel is that Mieville spends very little time on character development, but the reader still maintains empathy for the characters. Instead he spends a lot of time explaining the Breach and the rules of "unseeing" seemingly on every page. Another writer faux pas is that he does't let you know how the Breach came into existence or why they were called upon by the cities in the first place. Weird fiction/ fantasy is a unusual genre, and China Mieville is its master writer. I enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it.
 

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
 

Comment: China Mieville's latest novel Embassytown is a stretch from his usual weird fiction, since it follows a slightly different path. It involves alien contact and war unlike his usual fantasy themes. Mieville considers himself a complete geek, who admires writers Neal Stephenson and Susanna Clarke.



Sunday, December 18, 2011

THE IMPERIAL CRUISE

Horace Greeley's "Go west, young man" takes on a new meaning in James Bradley's eye-opening book. The history, narrated by the author, occurs between the years 1850 and 1908. According to Mr. Bradley, it's a time dominated by White Christian Aryans, who looked west to follow the sun and civilize any race or country in their path. How much of this book is gospel and how much is conjecture is unknown to me. I do know that at times I thought I was reading America's version of William L. Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. I do remember the history related in this book, but not with Mr. Bradley's white supremacy slant.

The book is about a large diplomatic mission sent across the Pacific Ocean in 1905 with the secret mission of an unconstitutional pact with Japan. The American delegation was led by future president and current Secretary of War, William Howard Taft. Among the many dignitaries aboard the ship Manchuria was Alice Roosevelt, the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. She was known as America's Princess, and in today's world, she would be what you would call a "rock star". This ship also stopped in Hawaii, the Philippines, China and Korea, supposedly to check on the progress of the "barbaric" territories and countries.

The book is primarily about the prevailing attitude of President Roosevelt, most of the politicians, and Ivy League Professors, who thought that only white men were capable of civilizing the world. A lot of the book is about the brutal and unfair take over of Hawaii and the Philippines by a very aggressive White Christian Aryan America. Remember, this is all according to James Bradley. Also very interesting is how America and England got China hooked on opium. The famous Queen Victoria of England actually became the largest drug dealer in history! The book also highlights America's horrendous treatment of Chinese immigrants on the west coast of America, which ultimately caused a boycott of America in China.

As a sidebar to the story, I thought the way Mr. Bradley portrayed Teddy Roosevelt was unique. Everybody visualizes President Roosevelt as a very manly "Rough Rider". The author characterizes the President as somewhat sickly, slightly effeminate and conniving. He goes into detail about how the President staged all his manly pictures. He also portrays the President as a treaty breaker, giving Korea to Japan, our "honorary" Aryan country, to civilize Asia. Most history books leave a lot of this book's theories out, so it's up to the reader to decide on who is right or wrong.

A lot of reviewers gave this book a poor rating. I believe it's because they don't agree with Bradley's seemingly Un-American slant on this subject. To some extent I agree, but I also think it was an enjoyable and well researched literary work supported by 51 pages of notes. I highly recommend this book to all those history buffs out there.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: James Bradley is the son of John Bradley, one of the men who raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi , Iwo Jima during World War II. James's book Flags of Our Fathers was made into a great movie directed by Clint Eastwood. I think that in all of his writings, James Bradley tells it the way he sees it, whether its popular or not.

Monday, December 12, 2011

THE ELEPHANT KEEPER

This is not a classic story like the The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago, but it's not Walt Disney's Dumbo either. This is a interesting novel about two elephants and their keeper journeying through England during the late seventeen hundreds. It's written by Christopher Nicholson, an award winning documentary producer for the BBC in England. You can feel his love for animals throughout the novel. The story is well formulated and uses the language and spelling of the times.

The novel starts out with a ship arriving in Bristol, England from the East Indies with various cargo, including exotic animals. Two of the crates contain two very sick elephants. They are purchased by a sugar merchant, John Harrington, for his estate, and are turned over to a young horse groomer, Tom Page, for the elephant's care and training. This turns out to be the start of decades of love between the trainer and the animals. Eventually the male elephant, Timothy, gets sold to another estate because of aggressive behavior. In the ensuing years Tom tries to find out what happened to Timothy, and when he finds out, it's not pretty.

The bulk of the book is spent on the life and trials of the keeper and his female elephant, Jenny. The communication between the two in the book is quoted conversation, but it's implied to be mental telepathy. It's really well done and has the reader believing that Tom and Jenny are really talking to each other. How much could we learn if this was possible? Jenny is bought and sold many times, including time spent at a menagerie, which is a humbling experience for both the keeper and animal. The book's ending is a little vague, but satisfying versus what I thought it would be.

This is a quality novel, and I highly recommend it to all the animal lovers out there. The book makes the reader wonder why man treats a magnificent animal like a elephant so dreadfully. Every so often you have to read a story like this to make you once again aware of animal conservation.   

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: Christopher Nicholson has been involved with natural history all his life and has produced many BBC programs relating to the relationship between humans and animals. His previous novel was The Fattest Man In America, which is about a 1,000 pound man in Texas who decides to market himself as a tourist attraction.What??

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

THE GOLDEN GLOBE

This novel is either part of John Varley's Eight Worlds stories or the second book of another wonderful trilogy. Varley is always unclear as to whether his novels fit into similar or slightly different universes. He continues to come up with characters that are familiar to movie goers. This time he submits a supposedly invisible character named Elwood P. Dowd, which happens to be the name of the delusional character that James Stewart portrays in the 1950 movie Harvey.

This novel tells the story of Sparky (Kenneth) Valentine, who is on the lam from the authorities in Luna for the murder of his father. He is also pursued by Isambard Comfort, a member of the mafia on Pluto's moon, Charon. This tale takes 70 years before it culminates in a trial on Luna by the recently mentally challenged Central Computer. Remember what happened to this computer at the end of Steel Beach? Also do you remember Hildy Johnson? Well, she's Back!

Since Sparky and his father are Shakespeare actors, the novel has the flavor of Dan Simmons's novels Ilium and Olympos, which relied heavily on Shakespeare's and Homer's works. I think this kind of writing is very difficult to research and to intertwine into a novel. Well done, John Varley. This novel is different in that there isn't a female narrator or heroine. Instead we have a male narrator, although I wouldn't consider him a hero. In the early parts of the book, Sparky is supplementing his acting monies by running "cons". This gets him into trouble with the Charonese mafia, and a chase ensues from Pluto to the Moon, while Sparky seeks the lead role of King Lear in a play by a old friend Polly. They starred together when Sparky had a children's hit T.V. show called "Sparky and His Gang".

The characters in this book are delightful and refreshing, including Sparky's ultra smart dog Toby. I love the way Varley brings back old characters in his books. This is easy since medical accomplishments have cured all physical problems except heavy brain damage. It's not uncommon to live 200-300 years in the Eight Worlds books. Since I'm a fan of Varley books, I give this book my highest recommendation.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: John Varley's next novel comes out in October 2012. The title will be either Slow Apocalypse or One Minute To Midnight. It's a story about a invented bacterium used to turn crude oil spills into a gooey mess. The problem is that it gets loose and destroys the World's oil supply! Sounds exciting; I can't wait.