Tag: book choice

The Regiment: The Real Story of the SAS – Book Choice

The Regiment: The Real Story of the SAS - Book Choice
I borrowed this book from my local library.

On 4 May 1980, seven terrorists holding twenty-one people captive in the Iranian Embassy in London’s Prince’s Gate, executed their first hostage. They threatened to kill another hostage every thirty minutes until their demands were met. Minutes later, armed men in black overalls and balaclavas shimmied down the roof on ropes and burst in through windows and doors. In seconds all but one of the terrorists had been shot dead, the other captured.

For most people, this was their first acquaintance with a unit that was soon to become the ideal of modern military excellence – the Special Air Service regiment. Few realized that the SAS had been in existence for almost forty years, playing a discreet, if not secret, role almost everywhere Britain had fought since World War II, and had been the prototype of all modern special forces units throughout the world.

In The Regiment, Michael Asher – a former soldier in 23 SAS Regiment – examines the evolution of the special forces idea and investigates the real story behind the greatest military legend of the late twentieth century.

This is a very “technical” book and what I mean by this there is a a fair bit of jargon used, which isn’t always obvious or explained. However this is still a fascinating and indepth coverage of the SAS from World War Two to the 1991 Gulf War. It was interesting to see how the SAS had to move from Green Ops to Black Ops and back again.

The Falkalands War showed how the SAS struggled against not just the freezing weather of the South Atlantic, but also command problems. Operation Mikado, which was the code name of a military plan by the United Kingdom to use the SAS to attack the home base of Argentina’s Etendard strike fighters at Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego is covered in some detail. The book discusses the near mutiny by SAS soldiers who saw the raid as a suicide mission from which they would never return.

If you are interested in recreating SAS actions on the tabletop, then this book is a good starting point from which to choose from the many different actions that the SAS have taken part in.

Get The Regiment: The Real Story of the SAS at Amazon.

Arnhem – Book Choice

Arnhem: The Battle for Survival by John Nichol
I recently read Arnhem: The Battle for Survival by John Nichol.

In September 1944, a mighty shock force of battle-hardened Allied troops dropped from the skies into enemy-occupied Holland in what was hoped would be the decisive final battle of World War II. Landing miles behind the German lines, their daring mission was to secure bridges across the Rhine so that ground forces could make a rapid dash into Nazi Germany. If all went well, the war could be over by Christmas. The plan went terribly wrong …

Seen through the dramatic first-hand accounts of those who were there, Arnhem is the gripping story of a bitter military defeat that became a triumph of the human spirit. It paints a vivid portrait of those in the cauldron of war, fighting for their lives, fighting for their comrades, fighting for their honour, a battle they won hands down.

For fans of A Bridge Too Far, Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, and for readers of Antony Beevor’s Stalingrad and Hugh Sebag-Montefiore’s Dunkirk.

It’s a good book, but I don’t think it really covers the Arnhem battle as detailed and as gripping as Antony Beevor’s Berlin and Stalingrad.

If you have watched A Bridge Too Far then you will find this book useful in finding out more about how the assault on Arnhem actually happened, as well as more details on the British and German forces. As this book is about Arnhem, the rest of the Market Garden operation is covered in minimal detail.

It was a really interesting read and recommended for those interested in this aspect of World War Two.

Buy Arnhem: The Battle for Survival at Amazon.co.uk

Dominion – Book Choice

I saw this book in my local branch of WHSmiths.

Dominion

1952. Twelve years have passed since Churchill lost to the appeasers and Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany after Dunkirk. As the long German war against Russia rages on in the east, the British people find themselves under dark authoritarian rule: the press, radio and television are controlled; the streets patrolled by violent auxiliary police and British Jews face ever greater constraints. There are terrible rumours too about what is happening in the basement of the German Embassy at Senate House. Defiance, though, is growing. In Britain, Winston Churchill’s Resistance organization is increasingly a thorn in the government’s side. And in a Birmingham mental hospital an incarcerated scientist, Frank Muncaster, may hold a secret that could change the balance of the world struggle for ever. Civil Servant David Fitzgerald, secretly acting as a spy for the Resistance, is given the mission by them to rescue his old friend Frank and get him out of the country. Before long he, together with a disparate group of Resistance activists, will find themselves fugitives in the midst of London’s Great Smog; as David’s wife Sarah finds herself drawn into a world more terrifying than she ever could have imagined. And hard on their heels is Gestapo Sturmbannfuhrer Gunther Hoth, brilliant, implacable hunter of men . . . At once a vivid, haunting reimagining of 1950s Britain, a gripping, humane spy thriller and a poignant love story, with DOMINION C. J. Sansom once again asserts himself as the master of the historical novel.

I’ve always had a soft spot for this kind of alternate history novel. I’ve not yet had a chance to read it, but the blurb sounds good.

Buy Dominion from Amazon.co.uk

The War That Came Early: West and East

One of my Christmas presents was the next in the alternate World War Two series, by Harry Turtledove in which the war starts early, The War That Came Early: West and East.

westandeast

In 1938, two men held history in their hands. One was Adolf Hitler. The other was British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, who, determined to avoid war at any cost, came to be known as “the great appeaser.” But Harry Turtledove, the unrivaled master of alternate history, has launched a gripping saga that springboards from a different fateful act: What if Chamberlain had stood up to Hitler? What would the Nazis’ next move have been? And how would the war—which Hitler had always regretted waiting eleven months to start—have unfolded and changed our world?

Here, Turtledove takes us across a panorama of conflict fueled by ideology and demagoguery. Nations are pitted against nations, alliances are forged between old enemies, ordinary men and women are hurled into extraordinary life-and-death situations. In Japanese-controlled Singapore, an American marine falls in love with a Russian dance hall hostess, while around him are heard the first explosions of Chinese guerilla resistance. On the frontlines of war-ravaged rural France, a weary soldier perfects the art of using an enormous anti-tank gun as a sniper’s tool—while from Germany a killer is sent to hunt him down. And in the icy North Atlantic, a U-boat bearing an experimental device wreaks havoc on British shipping, setting the stage for a Nazi ground invasion of Denmark.

From an American woman trapped in Germany who receives safe passage from Hitler himself to a Jewish family steeped in German culture and facing the hatred rising around them, from Japanese soldiers on the remote edge of Siberia to American volunteers in Spain, West and East is the story of a world held hostage by tyrants—Stalin, Hitler, Sanjuro—each holding on to power through lies and terror even in the face of treacherous plots from within.

As armies clash, and as the brave, foolish, and true believers choose sides, new weapons are added to already deadly arsenals and new strategies are plotted to break a growing stalemate. But one question looms over the conflict from West to East: What will it take to bring America into this war?

I did buy and read the first book in this new alternate history series, Hitler’s War. Though I liked the premise, the book was well written; I did not enjoy it as much as other Turtledove novels. I think the main reasons was that there was no satisfying ending, always an issue with a series of books, and a usual trait of Turtledove a wealth of characters that can at times get confusing.

Now we have the Early War period for Flames of War, there are plenty of miniatures that could be used to recreate battles from both books. You could quite easily create a 1938 era Czechoslovakian army to fight an Early War German force. Likewise there are plenty of French and British tanks too.

I have read the first couple of chapters of this book and I am really quite enjoying it. I think having read the Blitzkrieg Flames of War sourcebook I am more intrigued by this era and the story in the book.

After America

In my e-mail box this morning came a recommendation from Amazon, After America by John Birmingham.

afteramerica

March 14, 2003, was the day the world changed forever. A wave of energy slammed into North America and devastated the continent. The U.S. military, poised to invade Baghdad, was left without a commander in chief. Global order spiraled into chaos. Now, three years later, a skeleton U.S. government headquartered in Seattle directs the reconstruction of an entire nation—and the battle for New York City has begun.

Pirates and foreign militias are swarming the East Coast, taking everything they can. The president comes to the Declared Security Zone of New York and barely survives the visit. The enemy—whoever they are—controls Manhattan’s concrete canyons and the abandoned flatlands of Long Island. The U.S. military, struggling with sketchy communications and a lack of supplies, is mired in a nightmare of urban combat.

Caught up in the violence is a Polish-born sergeant who watches the carnage through the eyes of an intellectual and with the heart of a warrior. Two smugglers, the highborn Lady Julianne Balwyn and her brawny partner Rhino, search for a treasure whose key lies inside an Upper East Side Manhattan apartment. Thousands of miles away, a rogue general leads the secession of Texas and a brutal campaign against immigrants, while Miguel Pieraro, a Mexican-born rancher, fights back. And in England, a U.S. special ops agent is called into a violent shadow war against an enemy that has come after her and her family.

The president is a stranger to the military mindset, but now this mild-mannered city engineer from the Pacific Northwest needs to make a soldier’s choice. With New York clutched in the grip of thousands of heavily armed predators, is an all-out attack on the city the only way to save it?

From the geopolitics of post-American dominance to the fallout of Israel’s nuclear strike, After America provides a gripping, intelligent, and harrowing chronicle of a world in the maw of chaos—and lives lived in the dangerous dawn of a strange new future.

I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, Without Warning that though has a strange premise about an energy wave, is an enjoyable novel about a world without America.

Reading the synopsis above I now have a better understanding of why certain characters were introduced in the first book.

You can pre-order After America from Amazon.

The War That Came Early: West and East

Coming soon from Harry Turtledove is the next in the alternate World War Two series in which the war starts early. The War That Came Early: West and East will be released at the end of July.

westandeast

In 1938, two men held history in their hands. One was Adolf Hitler. The other was British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, who, determined to avoid war at any cost, came to be known as “the great appeaser.” But Harry Turtledove, the unrivaled master of alternate history, has launched a gripping saga that springboards from a different fateful act: What if Chamberlain had stood up to Hitler? What would the Nazis’ next move have been? And how would the war—which Hitler had always regretted waiting eleven months to start—have unfolded and changed our world?

Here, Turtledove takes us across a panorama of conflict fueled by ideology and demagoguery. Nations are pitted against nations, alliances are forged between old enemies, ordinary men and women are hurled into extraordinary life-and-death situations. In Japanese-controlled Singapore, an American marine falls in love with a Russian dance hall hostess, while around him are heard the first explosions of Chinese guerilla resistance. On the frontlines of war-ravaged rural France, a weary soldier perfects the art of using an enormous anti-tank gun as a sniper’s tool—while from Germany a killer is sent to hunt him down. And in the icy North Atlantic, a U-boat bearing an experimental device wreaks havoc on British shipping, setting the stage for a Nazi ground invasion of Denmark.

From an American woman trapped in Germany who receives safe passage from Hitler himself to a Jewish family steeped in German culture and facing the hatred rising around them, from Japanese soldiers on the remote edge of Siberia to American volunteers in Spain, West and East is the story of a world held hostage by tyrants—Stalin, Hitler, Sanjuro—each holding on to power through lies and terror even in the face of treacherous plots from within.

As armies clash, and as the brave, foolish, and true believers choose sides, new weapons are added to already deadly arsenals and new strategies are plotted to break a growing stalemate. But one question looms over the conflict from West to East: What will it take to bring America into this war?

I did buy and read the first book in this new alternate history series, Hitler’s War. Though I liked the premise, the book was well written; I did not enjoy it as much as other Turtledove novels. I think the main reasons was that there was no satisfying ending, always an issue with a series of books, and a usual trait of Turtledove a wealth of characters that can at times get confusing. Having said all that I will be pre-ordering The War That Came Early: West and East.

With the August release of the Early War period for Flames of War, there will be plenty of miniatures that could be used to recreate battles from both books. You could quite easily create a 1938 era Czechoslovakian army to fight an Early War German force. Likewise there will be plenty of French and British tanks too.

Weaver

Saw this in a bookshop recently and am considering buying it.

weaver

Weaver is a novel around World War Two in which the Germans successfully invade England.

The Weaver of Time’s Tapestry has finally succeeded in twisting the threads of history into a new shape; the Luftwaffe have pushed the RAF to the brink, and the invasion barges have reached the beaches of Sussex and Kent. Britain wakes up to the nightmare of the Wermacht unleashed in Southern England. As the desperate battle to hold up the invasion rages it is left to a few individuals caught up in the panic and chaos to piece together what has really happened – is this the culmination of a plan that has taken centuries to play out, a plot from the future to change the past forever? Stephen Baxter’s historical thriller series crashes into the 20th century with a terrifying vision of mechanised war and political atrocity unleashed on English soil. This is the climax of one of the most thoughtful and involving series of novels that have brought history alive like no other.

My only reservation was that this is the fourth book in a series of books, the first of which deal with Romans and William the Conqueror.

Do I need to read the first three books to make sense of the fourth, or can I enjoy the fourth without needing to buy and read the first three books?

In the Presence of Mine Enemies

I am currently reading Harry Turtledove’s alternate history novel, In the Presence of Mine Enemies.

In the Presence of Mine Enemies

Set in 2009 in a world in which Nazi Germany not only won the Second World War, but also won a Third World War against the United States; the novel concerns the lives of the last Jews in Berlin, who have survived despite the odds against them.

Like many of Harry Turtledove’s novels there are lots of characters who meet now and again, but generally are independent of each other in terms of storylines.

The premise is very interesting and I have enjoyed the book (nearly finished it), but it is nowhere near some of Harry’s other novels in terms of quality and I must say that I have enjoyed other similar backgrounds more, Fatherland for example.

Overall I would say if you enjoy this kind of alternate history and also enjoy Harry Turtledove novels then you will probably enjoy this book.

You can buy the book from Amazon.co.uk.

The Light of Other Days

My book choice this week is The Light of Other Days by Arthur C Clarke and Stephen Baxter.

With the death of Arthur C Clarke last week I thought I would post my choice of his books.

The Light of Other Days

This is one of my favourite books and I have read it quite a few times now.

‘Space is what keeps everything from being in the same place. Right?’ With these words Hiram Patterson, head of the giant media corporation OurWorld, launches the greatest communications revolution in history. With OurWorld’s development of wormhole technology, any point in space can be connected to any other, faster than the speed of light. Realtime television coverage is here: earthquakes and wars, murders and disasters can be watched, exactly as they occur, anywhere on the planet. Then WormCams are made to work across time as well as space. Humanity encounters itself in the light of other days. We witness the life of Jesus, go to the premiere of Hamlet, solve the enigmas that have baffled generations. Blood spilled centuries ago flows vividly once more – and no personal treachery or shame can be concealed. But when the world and everything in it becomes as transparent as glass and there are no more secrets, people find new ways to gain vengeance and commit crime, and Hiram Patterson finds new ways to keep his Machiavellian schemes secret.

The idea of the wormcams is really scary and the impact they have on the world is immense and explored in this novel.

You can get the book from Amazon.co.uk.

Resurrection Day

My book choice this week is Brendan DuBois’ Resurrection Day.

Resurrection Day

One of my favourite alternate history novels, which is a mystery story set in a world in which the Cuban missile crisis turned nuclear.

Brendan DuBois is an award-winning U.S. author of mystery stories: this alternate-world thriller is very much in the tradition of Robert Harris’s Fatherland. Consider this striking blurb line: “Everyone remembered exactly what they were doing the day President Kennedy tried to kill them.” History went awry in this world’s Cuba crisis, leading to a 1962 nuclear war that devastated Russia, crippled America, and left Britain a major world power smugly giving aid to the USA. Cut to 1972 Boston and ex-soldier Carl Landry, now a newspaper reporter whose coverage of a routine murder is suppressed by military censors. He’s unwisely curious, investigates further, and inevitably stirs up a hornets’ nest. Attacks, deaths, and disappearances follow. With a new-found girlfriend–an English Times reporter who is not all she seems–Landry uncovers a succession of red-hot secrets about abandoned New York, perfidious British and military plotting, and crucial documents coveted by several factions with different beliefs about their contents. Is Kennedy unjustly despised for starting World War III? Is the rumor that he’s still alive just this timeline’s version of the Elvis myth? After building up terrific tension, DuBois delivers satisfying answers. Grimly plausible (apart from a few lapses in “British” dialogue) and worthy of the Fatherland comparisons.

I have read the book a few times now and enjoy it all the time, well worth reading.

Buy it from Amazon.co.uk.