Tuesday 15 July 2014

All Quiet in the Land of Downunder

Time has been getting away from me. I have wanted to read, review, blog, but life does not always let you fit in the 'sitting down' luxuries. The interweb frivolities.
 I have not finished any historical fiction books since I read and reviewed The Lion and The Lamb by John Henry Clay and this is why the blog has been quiet on the review front.

Currently reading the spectacularly good final to the Robyn Young's Insurrection trilogy, Kingdom, and when I do get time to read between life and sleeping, I am besotted with this terrific read.
Many of you who have seen my review of the first in the trilogy, Insurrection, will understand my elation at finding this new one by Robyn Young to be as spectacular as it is.  I enjoyed the second in the trilogy, but for me, it was that incredible trilogy opener, Insurrection that impressed me no end. It became one of my favourite books.

With hesitation then, I admit that so far, I am loving Kingdom as much and possibly even more. I don't know how it can be so, but it is. I did not think it would be possible for Robyn Young to ever write a book that could beat Insurrection on my favourites list. But, after 200 pages, I think she may have done it with Kingdom.

What else have I been up to?? Let's see. I have discovered MOOC courses. That has been a delightful experience and I recommend them to one and all.
I signed up to a course run by the University of Leicester called England in the Time of Richard III. It is three weeks in and I am enjoying it immensely. If you are interested, despite it being three weeks in (with three weeks to go) I think people can still join and catch up from the beginning.
I have also signed up for a course starting in September this year called Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier. Come join it with me if you think it will be of interest to you.

While my historical fiction accomplishments have been limited, I did get to read a small non fiction on Vikings.  While I strive to get more books finished so that I can post some more reviews, here is my review of that book.

Vikings by Gunnar Andersson

Vikings by Gunnar Andersson
This is the companion book for the Viking Exhibition called Vikings! It toured Australia and (as of the time of this review) is now touring Canada. In 2012 it toured Scotland and I have no idea where it went in between, or whether it went anywhere in that period between Scotland 2012 and Australia 2014.

I was unlucky enough to miss the exhibition in my own country, and lucky enough that a friend in Canada picked this book up for me as a gift when she went to see the exhibition in her country.

This book is what it is. A nice little book to own. Glossy cover, glossy pages with some lovely images. A paragraph or two to accompany each chapter and image. I do not recommend it as a detailed non fiction on Vikings. But I do recommend it as a lovely little coffee table piece to flick through, and as a gift for a Viking mad friend who didn't get to go to the exhibition.....


- MM



7 comments:

  1. Hey there, That vikings exhibition looked really good. Work doesn't give much spare time for those things.

    So are you as excited about "The Empty Throne" as I am? I thought I would start on the series from the beginning again to coincide with the release in October. Didn't work out that way, I am just about finished Death of Kings and gotta stretch out the Pagan Lord now.

    Might go back and read through Sharpe, for about the third time. I think I might need a life outside of work, but its the coldest Brisbane has been that I can remember, so staying in with books sounds just as good. And much warmer.

    Later.

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    1. Hi ya mate, sorry it has taken so long for me to reply. I have been out of commission a few weeks with a nasty flu. Didn't have it in me to get online or read anything. Only just this week getting myself back in order.

      I AM excited about The Empty throne. Super excited.

      Did you hear about the tv series? They are going to be doing a tv series of The Last Kingdom. I suppose each season will be a book from the series, but I think they are calling the whole thing, The Last Kingdom.
      I am a bit scared of this tv series. Don't want them to massacre this fantastic Uhtred world in my head.

      You think you got it cold in Brissie. You need to come out a few hours from Brissie into my world. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

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  2. Holy F@#K! I just looked up the cast on imdb, if that is the real cast then this going to be some serious Hollywood power! Bigger than GoT!

    I wrote more but when I posted it must have got lost in translation and deleted. Probably my fault, duh! Internet on computers now?? Who would have thought.....

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    1. Hold your bloody horses! What cast!? What have you seen that I haven't seen? I have looked everywhere for some hint of a cast list and have found nothing. If you have a link you better hand it over, mate. I need to see that list....:)

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  3. I am not sure if its a real list. But if it is then WOW! http://www.imdb.com/list/ls008196561/

    Actually its not THE cast list. But what would make it AWESOME! Even Kristen Stweart who has no emotion at all would make a good Brida!

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    1. Thank god it isn't the real list. :) This list must pre-date the announcment of the tv deal as Phillip Seymour Hoffman has been dead at least a year. Some of those choices are disastrous. There's only a couple on the list that I think would work. I would hate to see so many American and mainstream actors in it. That wojld be my worsg nightmare.
      I like how they cast GoT. They chose a lot of obscure faces, but most are brilliant actors.

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    2. Sorry about typos. I am falling asleep nearly. :)

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