Book Snapshot An informative and competent analysis of the life and death of Richard III which holds up as a historical biography but may leave modern readers expecting more… What It’s About With a new introduction and concluding chapter from bestselling medieval author Dan Jones. Richard III is one of the most mysterious figures inContinue reading “The Life and Death of Richard III – Review”
Category Archives: History
Henry V by Dan Jones – A Biography Worthy of a King
Book Snapshot Dan Jones outdoes himself again with another fantastic medieval history book What It’s About Henry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months, and died at the age of just 35, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond. The victor of Agincourt was aContinue reading “Henry V by Dan Jones – A Biography Worthy of a King”
Words the Vikings Gave Us – Review
Author – Grace Tierney Pages – 224 Genre – Non Fiction; Etymology, History Publishing Information – Wordfoolery Press, 6th August 2021 Blurb “Words The Vikings Gave Us” is a light-hearted look at the horde of words the English dictionary stole from the Vikings. From akimbo to yule Old Norse merged with Anglo-Saxon to form theContinue reading “Words the Vikings Gave Us – Review”
The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings – Review
Author – Dan Jones Pages – 56 Genre – Medieval Ghost Story (Retelling) Publishing Information – Head of Zeus, October 14th, 2021 Blurb One winter, in the dark days of King Richard II, a tailor was riding home on the road from Gilling to Ampleforth. It was dank, wet and gloomy; he couldn’t wait toContinue reading “The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings – Review”
Unruly – Review
Author – David Mitchell Pages – 433 Publishing Information – Penguin, September 2023 Blurb Think you know your kings and queens? Think again. In UNRULY, David Mitchell explores how England’s monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects’ destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky sods who were mostly as silly andContinue reading “Unruly – Review”
River Kings – Review
Author – Cat Jarman Pages – 352 Publishing Information – William Collins, September 2021 Review An incredibly well written, unique popular history study on the Vikings. Cat Jarman gives us an in depth look at all the things the vikings were; warriors, raiders, explorers and traders (and so much more) examining their society, culture andContinue reading “River Kings – Review”
In Search of the Dark Ages – Review
Author – Michael Wood Pages – 384 Publication Information – BBC Books, 26th May 2022 (40th Anniversary Edition, Revised and Updated) Blurb In Search of the Dark Ages is an unrivalled exploration of the origins of English identity, and the bestselling book that established Michael Wood as one of Britain’s leading historians. Now, on the book’sContinue reading “In Search of the Dark Ages – Review”
Killers of the King – Review
Author – Charles Spencer Pages – 352 Genre – Popular History Publishing Information – Bloomsbury, 11th November 2021 Blurb On August 18, 1648, with no relief from the siege in sight, the royalist garrison holding Colchester Castle surrendered and Oliver Cromwell’s army firmly ended the rule of Charles I of England. To send a clearContinue reading “Killers of the King – Review”
A History of Treason
Author – The National Archives Pages – 432 (hardback) Publishing Information – John Blake, 10th November 2022 Blurb The bloody history of Britain through the stories of its most notorious traitors. A History of Treason details British history from 1352 to 1946, covering major historical moments in a fascinating and innovative way, using the historyContinue reading “A History of Treason”
Spells and Spaceships 