A new year, a new month, a new list of books read last month:
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms & The Broken Kingdoms — N. K. Jemisin
The first two books in a fantasy trilogy that so far has been excellent.
Glide Path — Arthur C. Clarke
An enginering novel based on Arthur C. Clarke’s experiences in World War II, strongly reminding me both of Clarke’s own enginering science fiction as well as Nevil Shute’s more mainstream novels.
Empires and Barbarians — Peter Heather
Heather continues his examination of the end of the Roman Empire and the rise of its successor states, now widining his focus to take in the Carolingian and Ottonian empires that arose in the second half of the first millennium CE as well. A bit of a slog to get through, but worth it in the end.
Killing for England — Iain McDowall
Described as the new Ian Rankin, McDowall has some of his same strengths, most noticably the same awareness of how much politics is involved in policing. This was a fast paced police procedural that I read in a day, about two Black men turning up drowned in the same small city within months of each other, witht he police struggling to determine whether or not it was coincidence or enemy action…
Emperor of the West — Hywel Williams
Excellent one volume history of Charlemagne and the Carolingian empire.
Rome’s Gothic Wars – – Michael Kulikowski
An introductionary level textbook on the first two centuries of Gothic-Roman clashes, made interesting by Kulikowski’s very certain dismissal of the standard stories of Gothic origins.
Cartomancy — Mary Gentle
Seeing out the year with Mary Gentle’s second short story collection, what could be better?