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pepperthephoenix's Reviews (821)
The Butterfly Conspiracy is a brisk and easy read with a charming atmosphere, engaging characters, and an in-depth understanding of the Victorian Era. Containing traces of DNA from Jane Austen, Arthur Cohen Doyle, and the Bronte Sisters, the Butterfly Conspiracy tells the story of Merula Merriweather, a young scientist in an era were women weren’t expected to be interested in science. Hiding behind her uncle’s name, Merula hatches an elusive and beautiful butterfly. After taking it to an exhibit and letting it loose, the butterfly lands on the arm of a lady who almost immediately dies. Merula is embroiled in a murder conspiracy and, with only an enigmatic lord willing to help her, she must do everything in her power to clear her family’s name
The novel is well written and Conroy’s voice is crisp, light, and contains the right amount of elegance to befit the Victorian Era. Merula is a resourceful woman who is equal with her male counterpart while still fitting within the norms of her world. I was relieved that she did not end up in a relationship with Lord Raven Roynston as they would have ruined their relationship and chemistry. Conroy plants enough red herrings to keep the reader’s attention and the ending follows a logic that is satisfying. While the book doesn’t take a lot of time to establish the world and characters, they still feel fully formed and offer the opportunity for a number of other adventures should Conroy want to continue the series.
The pacing is fast, but well handled until the middle of the book. Lord Raven’s backstory is delved into and I believe that slows the book down. It seems that Conroy needed something to happen to fill the downtime between events and thought connecting Lord Raven’s past with the current mystery would be entertaining and insightful. While Raven is one of the most intriguing characters, the inclusion of his past seemed a little out of place and added an extra plotline that may have been best served in another book.
Other than that small complaint, I greatly enjoyed this charming mystery and look forward to Conroy continuing the series.
The novel is well written and Conroy’s voice is crisp, light, and contains the right amount of elegance to befit the Victorian Era. Merula is a resourceful woman who is equal with her male counterpart while still fitting within the norms of her world. I was relieved that she did not end up in a relationship with Lord Raven Roynston as they would have ruined their relationship and chemistry. Conroy plants enough red herrings to keep the reader’s attention and the ending follows a logic that is satisfying. While the book doesn’t take a lot of time to establish the world and characters, they still feel fully formed and offer the opportunity for a number of other adventures should Conroy want to continue the series.
The pacing is fast, but well handled until the middle of the book. Lord Raven’s backstory is delved into and I believe that slows the book down. It seems that Conroy needed something to happen to fill the downtime between events and thought connecting Lord Raven’s past with the current mystery would be entertaining and insightful. While Raven is one of the most intriguing characters, the inclusion of his past seemed a little out of place and added an extra plotline that may have been best served in another book.
Other than that small complaint, I greatly enjoyed this charming mystery and look forward to Conroy continuing the series.
Beasts of No Nations by Uzodinma Iweala. Published by Harper Perennial, 2006
5/5
This is a powerful book that is difficult to read for all the right reasons. The main character is a young child forced to fight for a guerrilla outfit in a civil war. The narrative is disjointed, detached, and removed, breaking during the moments that are too painful to discuss. The plot is simple, and the timeline is linear, but there are breaks in the narrative that create a sense of confusion, capturing the mental state of an exhausted and dehydrated child. The events of the book are bloody and horrifying, but the detachment in the narrative prevents it from going into horror porn. There are scenes that are difficult to read and it was almost impossible to finish it, because one didn’t want to see what the boy child would be forced to do next.
The book is a great glimpse into what it is like to a child warrior, but that’s all it is. A glimpse. While the MC is the young boy, it would have been nice to have spent more time with the leader and some of the other children who had been forced into warfare. It would have been nice to see the leader’s motive and understand his psychology better. Also, the coup at the end wasn’t smoothly developed so it seemed a little random and made the plot meager towards the end.
Additionally, the very ending, with Agu under the care of the UN was a quick brushstroke and I’m not sure if the final sentence has the power the author wanted it to have. While Agu speaks about his family, the emotional resonance wasn’t quite there. I think it’s because the emotional growth and development of the characters wasn’t quite there.
But those are small critiques. Overall, this book is painful, short glimpse into a horrible practice that is far too common in the modern world.
5/5
This is a powerful book that is difficult to read for all the right reasons. The main character is a young child forced to fight for a guerrilla outfit in a civil war. The narrative is disjointed, detached, and removed, breaking during the moments that are too painful to discuss. The plot is simple, and the timeline is linear, but there are breaks in the narrative that create a sense of confusion, capturing the mental state of an exhausted and dehydrated child. The events of the book are bloody and horrifying, but the detachment in the narrative prevents it from going into horror porn. There are scenes that are difficult to read and it was almost impossible to finish it, because one didn’t want to see what the boy child would be forced to do next.
The book is a great glimpse into what it is like to a child warrior, but that’s all it is. A glimpse. While the MC is the young boy, it would have been nice to have spent more time with the leader and some of the other children who had been forced into warfare. It would have been nice to see the leader’s motive and understand his psychology better. Also, the coup at the end wasn’t smoothly developed so it seemed a little random and made the plot meager towards the end.
Additionally, the very ending, with Agu under the care of the UN was a quick brushstroke and I’m not sure if the final sentence has the power the author wanted it to have. While Agu speaks about his family, the emotional resonance wasn’t quite there. I think it’s because the emotional growth and development of the characters wasn’t quite there.
But those are small critiques. Overall, this book is painful, short glimpse into a horrible practice that is far too common in the modern world.
A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and The Creation of the Modern Middle East
A Peace to End All Peace: the Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin. Published by Owl Books 2001
4/5
This is one of those books that everyone reads for a foundational knowledge about the Middle Eastern policy during WWI. It is a well-researched and well written book that is an easy and quick read, packed with a ton of information. Like one of my other favorite books: Dreadnaught written by Robert K. Massie, this book focuses on the British war efforts. However, unlike Dreadnaught, this book only focuses on the British war effort. Fromkin writes in the preface, that that was intentional, and while it provides a focused narrative, it doesn’t capture all the nuisances of the Middle Eastern theater. It also obfuscates the role Russia played in shaping the war effort. It also doesn’t make much of an effort to explain the Turkish policy. This is a good book to start if one wants an entry point into the mess that is WWI’s Middle Eastern Front, but it needs to be read along with other books to provide a more holistic and in depth understanding of the war.
That being said, Fromkin does a fantastic job highlighting the inefficiency and stupidity behind the British war efforts. They entered the region without a clear plan on what they wanted from the region and once their forces were trapped in the Middle East, they had no idea how to win or what winning entailed. The War Office, under Kitchener, wanted to create a hands on empire while others wanted a loose confederacy of British states, ruled by locals, but modeled on British officers. Then there were others, like T. E Lawrence one could argue, who took advantage of a situation they were thrust into to their own benefit, altering a region in ways they couldn’t understand.
The British launched the Gallipoli campaign because they were terrified of Russia being pushed out of the war by the Turkish and because they underestimated the Turkish war effort. They thought it would be an easy victory that could distract from the disaster that was the western front. McMeekin, author of The Ottoman Endgame, does a fantastic job describing the true role Russia played in the Gallipoli campaign, while Fromkin only touched upon it. McMeekin also spend far more time explaining the role Russia played in constructing the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
Fromkin, however, provides the necessary analysis of the interpersonal politics of the British war effort. Like Massie, Fromkin understand people and psychology, and does an indepth analysis of the officers who surrounded Kitchener, the Indian Office, and the War Department as well as the mercurial nature of men like Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. Fromkin also does a decent job balancing the many countries involved in the war, dedicating times to small offenses such as Dunsterforce campaign in Central Asia while keeping the bigger picture in view. He even took time to briefly explain what was going on in the British home front to explain some of the policy decisions the British made.
Overall, while the book only focuses on the British perspective, it is a great and indepth overview, providing a good foundation to a very conflicting and confusing front. But it needs to be supplemented with other books.
4/5
This is one of those books that everyone reads for a foundational knowledge about the Middle Eastern policy during WWI. It is a well-researched and well written book that is an easy and quick read, packed with a ton of information. Like one of my other favorite books: Dreadnaught written by Robert K. Massie, this book focuses on the British war efforts. However, unlike Dreadnaught, this book only focuses on the British war effort. Fromkin writes in the preface, that that was intentional, and while it provides a focused narrative, it doesn’t capture all the nuisances of the Middle Eastern theater. It also obfuscates the role Russia played in shaping the war effort. It also doesn’t make much of an effort to explain the Turkish policy. This is a good book to start if one wants an entry point into the mess that is WWI’s Middle Eastern Front, but it needs to be read along with other books to provide a more holistic and in depth understanding of the war.
That being said, Fromkin does a fantastic job highlighting the inefficiency and stupidity behind the British war efforts. They entered the region without a clear plan on what they wanted from the region and once their forces were trapped in the Middle East, they had no idea how to win or what winning entailed. The War Office, under Kitchener, wanted to create a hands on empire while others wanted a loose confederacy of British states, ruled by locals, but modeled on British officers. Then there were others, like T. E Lawrence one could argue, who took advantage of a situation they were thrust into to their own benefit, altering a region in ways they couldn’t understand.
The British launched the Gallipoli campaign because they were terrified of Russia being pushed out of the war by the Turkish and because they underestimated the Turkish war effort. They thought it would be an easy victory that could distract from the disaster that was the western front. McMeekin, author of The Ottoman Endgame, does a fantastic job describing the true role Russia played in the Gallipoli campaign, while Fromkin only touched upon it. McMeekin also spend far more time explaining the role Russia played in constructing the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
Fromkin, however, provides the necessary analysis of the interpersonal politics of the British war effort. Like Massie, Fromkin understand people and psychology, and does an indepth analysis of the officers who surrounded Kitchener, the Indian Office, and the War Department as well as the mercurial nature of men like Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George. Fromkin also does a decent job balancing the many countries involved in the war, dedicating times to small offenses such as Dunsterforce campaign in Central Asia while keeping the bigger picture in view. He even took time to briefly explain what was going on in the British home front to explain some of the policy decisions the British made.
Overall, while the book only focuses on the British perspective, it is a great and indepth overview, providing a good foundation to a very conflicting and confusing front. But it needs to be supplemented with other books.
Review of Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt by Rosalie David. Published by Penguin in 2002
4/5
This book, while different from what I had been expecting, was a well written and insightful read. It focuses on the development of the Ancient Egyptian belief system chronologically, focusing on the historical events that affected who and how Egyptians worshipped. While I was expecting an in-depth look at the religious practices themselves, it was fascinating to watch as local deities became national gods according to what was occurring politically. While the prose is engaging and David obviously knows what she is talking about, I’m not sure if someone who didn’t have a basic understanding of Ancient Egyptian history already would be able to fully enjoy this book.
The book offers a number of interesting theories such that the concept of the Pharaoh being a god on Earth was developed in order to balance the power of the priests, after some of the gods became universal. Many of the changes in Egyptian beliefs reflected the struggle between the priests and the Egyptians although she disagrees that Akhenaten’s attempts to unite the religion under one god was a political move to undercut the power of the priests. Instead, she argues that Akhenaten truly believed in Aten and any political fall out was only a secondary consideration. I have always found Akhenaten to be a fascinating pharaoh and that was the one of the most interesting part of the book for me.
The second most important part was the analysis on the Cult around Osiris. David argues that Osiris became popular because he offered salvation to every day Egyptians. This contrasted sharply with the old beliefs that said only the royal family would find salvation in the afterlife. This seems strangely similar to the concept of Jesus Christ offering salvation to everyone, instead of a special people. The Osiris cult was created during a difficult period of Egyptian history and seemed to have been an attempt to placate the suffering people.
Overall, it was a fascinating read that gave a quick, but concise look at how the Egyptian religion changed based on historical pressure.
4/5
This book, while different from what I had been expecting, was a well written and insightful read. It focuses on the development of the Ancient Egyptian belief system chronologically, focusing on the historical events that affected who and how Egyptians worshipped. While I was expecting an in-depth look at the religious practices themselves, it was fascinating to watch as local deities became national gods according to what was occurring politically. While the prose is engaging and David obviously knows what she is talking about, I’m not sure if someone who didn’t have a basic understanding of Ancient Egyptian history already would be able to fully enjoy this book.
The book offers a number of interesting theories such that the concept of the Pharaoh being a god on Earth was developed in order to balance the power of the priests, after some of the gods became universal. Many of the changes in Egyptian beliefs reflected the struggle between the priests and the Egyptians although she disagrees that Akhenaten’s attempts to unite the religion under one god was a political move to undercut the power of the priests. Instead, she argues that Akhenaten truly believed in Aten and any political fall out was only a secondary consideration. I have always found Akhenaten to be a fascinating pharaoh and that was the one of the most interesting part of the book for me.
The second most important part was the analysis on the Cult around Osiris. David argues that Osiris became popular because he offered salvation to every day Egyptians. This contrasted sharply with the old beliefs that said only the royal family would find salvation in the afterlife. This seems strangely similar to the concept of Jesus Christ offering salvation to everyone, instead of a special people. The Osiris cult was created during a difficult period of Egyptian history and seemed to have been an attempt to placate the suffering people.
Overall, it was a fascinating read that gave a quick, but concise look at how the Egyptian religion changed based on historical pressure.
This is a well-written book about a large swath of land in what is now known as the Middle East. Even though there is a modern-day equivalent of Syria, it is a small portion of what had been Syria until roughly the 20th century. The borders of Syria have changed frequently through various waves of invasion and conquest. It seems that the borders have been contested so much over history, that Grainger felt the need to defend where he placed the borders and the complications that arose from that decision. Syria has never been united either politically, ethnically, or religiously, making it a potentially unwieldy and overwhelming topic to write on or study. Grainger shows himself to be a master historian by knowing exactly how much detail is needed without overwhelming anyone. He also knows how to take incredibly complicated scenarios and bring an amazing sense of clarity.
The first two chapters are dry as they focus on the very origins of humankind. I’d recommend jumping to chapter three or four, where civilization begins to flourish and Grainger spends a balanced and fascinating look at Syria’s long struggle to resist invaders such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Romans. From there, it is just one tragedy after another with Grainger spending most of the book’s length focusing on ancient history and the Crusades. After that, Grainger speeds through history, covering the Ottoman Empire’s conquest of Syria for only ¼ of a capture and covering the 20th and 21st century in only one chapter.
Because of the complexity that is the Syrian region, Grainger had to be selective about what he could and could not include. This means that he had to focus on the various invasions and conquerors and not so much the people of Syria. We know more about the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and Mamluks who invaded than the people they invaded. Grainger also had to shift focus from native Syrians to the Jewish people to the Amorites, to the various kinds of Christians that converted at one point in time or another. He perfectly captures the chaos that this poor region has known for centuries, but the focus jumps around, and I would have almost preferred that he focus on the history of one ethnicity within Syria without trying to cover everything. At the same time, by covering everything, Grainger was able to capture the vital importance of Syria is to the entire region.
I think this book may have benefited from being split into two books, so he could spend enough time on the period before the 17th century (which he seems to prefer or believes that enough people don’t study enough) and the second book could have focused on the period after the 17th century. He does admit that one of the reasons he didn’t focus on the 20th and 21st century is because many books have covered that time period ad nauseum, but I was still hoping to see an in-depth analysis of the rise of Assad, especially given what is currently happening in Syria. I also would have liked to see Grainger spend more time on the cultural and scientific development that occurred in Syria during its long history.
However, despite these minor complaints, this is a fascinating and important book on a vital territory that many people still fail to properly understand.
The first two chapters are dry as they focus on the very origins of humankind. I’d recommend jumping to chapter three or four, where civilization begins to flourish and Grainger spends a balanced and fascinating look at Syria’s long struggle to resist invaders such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Romans. From there, it is just one tragedy after another with Grainger spending most of the book’s length focusing on ancient history and the Crusades. After that, Grainger speeds through history, covering the Ottoman Empire’s conquest of Syria for only ¼ of a capture and covering the 20th and 21st century in only one chapter.
Because of the complexity that is the Syrian region, Grainger had to be selective about what he could and could not include. This means that he had to focus on the various invasions and conquerors and not so much the people of Syria. We know more about the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and Mamluks who invaded than the people they invaded. Grainger also had to shift focus from native Syrians to the Jewish people to the Amorites, to the various kinds of Christians that converted at one point in time or another. He perfectly captures the chaos that this poor region has known for centuries, but the focus jumps around, and I would have almost preferred that he focus on the history of one ethnicity within Syria without trying to cover everything. At the same time, by covering everything, Grainger was able to capture the vital importance of Syria is to the entire region.
I think this book may have benefited from being split into two books, so he could spend enough time on the period before the 17th century (which he seems to prefer or believes that enough people don’t study enough) and the second book could have focused on the period after the 17th century. He does admit that one of the reasons he didn’t focus on the 20th and 21st century is because many books have covered that time period ad nauseum, but I was still hoping to see an in-depth analysis of the rise of Assad, especially given what is currently happening in Syria. I also would have liked to see Grainger spend more time on the cultural and scientific development that occurred in Syria during its long history.
However, despite these minor complaints, this is a fascinating and important book on a vital territory that many people still fail to properly understand.
