18 Billion

18 Billion
Author:  Jack Gresham
Pages: 336
Release Date: July 2009 – Synergy Books
ISBN 978-0-982314005

Terrorists claim to have planted a nuclear bomb in Washington DC and demand access to the New York Federal Reserve Bank or they will set it off.  So begins the rather far fetched 18 Billion.  Without any confirmation of the bombs existence the terrorists are given access to the Federal Reserve Bank, where they make off with the title’s 18 billion, dollars that is.  The terrorists transport the money out of the country and turn it over to Mohammed of Babylon.  Mohammed is an Islamic religious leader who condemns violence and some believe is the Mahdi.   Mohammed secretly meets with the President of the United States and makes a secret agreement to return the money in exchange for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq, amongst other things.  18 Billion is billed as Book One of the Mohammed of Babylon series.

I tried to like this book, there are parts of an interesting story in it, however the problems pushed the interesting parts aside.  Without going into a point by point explanation I’ll just hit the high points.  While the writing style wasn’t bad, I had to reread some paragraphs to understand what they were saying and a lot of the dialogue seemed forced and unnatural.  Government agents make no mistakes in 18 Billion, and their ability to trace e-mail and phone calls seems greatly exaggerated.  I was willing to over look these issues, along with the unbelievably of the U.S. Government giving terrorists $18 billion based solely on the claim they would detonate a nuclear bomb if they didn’t get it, however there was one more problem which ended any chance of me reading further books in the series.  Towards the end of the book, the President’s spiritual advisor- Reverend Daniel Barkley, who previously had almost no role in the book, is sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with friends when they are joined by a “Mr. Goodson”, a friend of Barkley’s unknown to the others.  After dinner Goodson leaves and no one except Barkley can remember his being there.  This incident had nothing else to do with the rest of the book; I can only think readers will hear more about this character in later books.  I will leave it to them to find out if Mohammed is the Mahdi and if Goodson becomes God’s son and the world becomes a wonderful place.  In a short four pages Mr. Gresham ended any chance of me reading future books in this series.    I’m obviously not the target audience for this book, and while I could be wrong, I think this book is aimed at the Left Behind crowd.  So if you’re a fan of that series you might want to give 18 Billion a try.  

I received a review copy of this book from Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists.

 

An Artist in Treason

An Artist in Treason: The Extraordinary Life of General James Wilkinson

Author: Andro Linklater

Pages: 400

Release Date: September 29, 2009 – Walker & Company

ISBN – 978-0802717207

If you have never heard of James Wilkinson, and you probably have not, I recommend you read An Artist in Treason: The Extraordinary Life of General James Wilkinson by Andro Linklater.  He is probably the most interesting figure from the revolutionary era that no one has ever heard of. 

James Wilkinson served in the Continental Army during the early part of the Revolutionary War before being forced to resign.  In 1783, he moved to Kentucky where he advocated Kentucky’s separation from Virginia and established trade relationships with the Spanish in New Orleans.  In 1791, he returned to federal military service and was promoted to brigadier general and fought in the Battle of Fallen Timbers.  He became the senior officer of the United States Army in 1796 until 1798 when George Washington replaced him.  In 1800, he again became the senior officer in the Army, a position he maintained until 1812.  Throughout his career he faced three Court Martials and four congressional investigations, it was said that, “He had never won a battle but never lost an inquiry” (312). 

Throughout his career, Wilkinson was accused of being in the pay of the Spanish and working against the interests of the United States.  At the time, many people believed he was involved in the Burr Conspiracy to seize the western portion of the country and parts of Mexico, but he betrayed Burr by revealing his plot to Jefferson and denying all involvement in the conspiracy. 

At the time of his death in 1825, he was considered a distinguished soldier.  History would have remembered him as a somewhat minor member of the founding generation.  Or it least that is how he would have been remembered.  In 1888, 200,000 documents from the Spanish American empire were sent from Havana to Madrid and historians began to go through them in the early part of the 20^th century.  Amongst these documents, historians found confirmation of the old allegations.  Wilkinson, or as he was known to the Spanish, Agent 13 had been on the Spanish payroll.  Amongst the documents were hundreds of letters, reports, and assessments exchanged between Wilkinson and his handlers in New Orleans, their supervisors in Havana, and Imperial officials in Madrid. 

General Wilkinson not only passed on his country’s strategic secrets, he sought to detach Kentucky from the Union and ally it with Spain, and wrote detailed plans advising the Spanish authorities on the best way to prevent American expansion beyond the Mississippi river.  He alerted Spanish authorities to the expedition mounted by Lewis and Clark to explore the American west.  Spanish cavalry patrols were dispatched to intercept the expedition but were unable to locate it. 

Mr. Linklater has written a compelling book about an interesting character and has made good use of the many sources available.  Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in early American history, the early U.S. Army, or a good story.

I received this book as an ARC from Walker Books.

 

World War II challenge

I’m signing up for the World War II reading challenge at War Through the Generations.  You should sign up too and then go read a damn book (about WW II).  I’m going to read at least ten WW II books during 2009.  I’ve already read eight so I only need two more before the end of the year so I think I’ll make it.  I’ll post the books I’ve already read, along with a mini review shortly.

 

Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World

Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World

Author: Douglas Hunter

Pages: 320

Release Date: September 1, 2009 – Bloomsbury Press

ISBN: 978-1-59691-680-7

 

Just in time for the 400^th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River, Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World tells the story of Hudson’s second to last voyage on which he discovered the river that would one day bear his name.  Hudson had been retained by the Dutch East India Company to find a passage to the Orient across the top of Asia.  Hudson was mildly certain this could not be done, so after a short attempt to round the top of Russia he sailed the Half Moon to the east coast of North America, in violation of his contract, in an attempt to find a mid-continental passage to the Pacific.  After ranging up and down the east coast, Hudson entered what would later be called New York Bay.  He soon discovered the mouth of a river he thought would lead him either to the St. Lawrence River or to the Pacific Ocean.  Hudson proceeded up the river as far as it was navigable, then came back down, and set sail for England, not wanting to return to Amsterdam after violating his contract.  There are few surviving records from the voyage.   The primary source was the journal of Robert Juet, one of Hudson’s officers.  In addition to the description of Hudson’s voyage, Mr. Hunter describes previous and concurrent journeys to the New World as well as the European politics of exploration.

I found it interesting that even though by the time of Hudson’s voyage, multiple trips had been made to North America by different explorers, there was no agreement on the shape of the coast line, the locations (or existence) of islands, or the locations of rivers and bays.  This was due, in part, to the imprecise determination of longitude, as well as the inability to determine latitude at all.

I found Hunter’s portrayal of the trip up the Hudson River interesting and engaging.  Unfortunately, the journey up the river doesn’t begin until well past the half way point in the book.  Prior to that, Hudson sailed up and down the coast seemingly at random and I had a difficult time maintaining interest in this portion of the journey.  While Mr. Hunter is obviously very knowledgeable regarding the tidal patterns, salinity, and currents of the New York Bay and its surrounding waterways, I began to feel my eyes glaze over whenever he began to discuss them.

There is a lack of source material covering this voyage and Hudson in general.  Nothing is known of his life prior to 1607, just two years prior to this voyage.  This is obviously not the fault of Mr. Hunter, who made a good effort with what was available.  Perhaps the scarcity of source material precluded this subject from being treated in this format.  Lastly, I continue to have an issue with footnotes, in this case Mr. Hunter did not use any.  I find this unsettling in a book filled with direct quotations.

Overall I would not recommend Half Moon to the general reader. Anyone who already has an interest in Hudson and his travels might find it of interest.

I received an ARC of this book from Bloomsbury publishing.

 

The Ascent of Man: Downhill All the Way

The Ascent of Man: Downhill All the Way

Author: Richard Guy

134 pages

Publisher: Institute of the Expanding Earth, 2009

ISBN: 978-0962901836

I have to admit, I’d never heard of the “Expanding Earth” theory or its companion the “Receding Seas” theory prior to receiving an e-mail invitation to review The Ascent of Man: Downhill All the Way by Richard Guy.  The e-mail stated the book would forever alter my perspective on the history of ancient civilizations.  How could I refuse?

Mr. Guy maintains the seas have receded throughout time, making one time port cities landlocked and explaining seashells found in mountain caves.   It’s been some time since I last studied geology but I seem to recall something about plate tectonics causing the mountains to rise, which seems to be a more reasonable and scientifically accepted explanation.

Mr. Guy’s explanation for the receding seas is the expansion of the Earth, to quote, “The only reason the seas recedes is because the earth is expanding.” (113). I can come up with about half a dozen other explanations for receding seas, admittedly at least two involve aliens but that doesn’t seem too far off the mark for this theory.

In spite of my initial skepticism I was prepared to read Mr. Guy’s scientific evidence for this theory and maybe find something useful or informative in it.  However, once he started citing the story of Noah and the Ark I pretty much gave up on that, but continued to read as a public service so you wouldn’t have to.  I learned that the United States Government is aware of the receding seas, no mention if they agree with the expending earth as well, which is why they have not signed the Kyoto Treaty.  They have not released this information due to “National Security”.  There is no mention of how national security would be threatened by the knowledge that the seas are receding at such a small rate as to be unnoticeable for 60 years.  That, according to Mr. Guy is how long it will be before the theory can be proven.  And so it goes, for a mercifully short 134 pages, of which 38 are taken up with hand drawn maps and seemingly unrelated photographs.  Mr. Guy’s “interesting” use of the English language, particularly grammar, capitalization, and punctuation, tells a story of conspiracy theory wrapped in dubious “science” and biblical references without source notes.

Just as I thought I had lost an hour of my life that I would never get back, I read the copyright page.  It states, “This is a work of non fiction, Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.”  Then I got it.

 

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

Title: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

Author: Jon Meacham

Pages: 512

Release Date: April 30, 2009 -  Random House Trade Paperbacks

ISBN:  978-0812973464

Jon Meacham’s American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House is a biography of Andrew Jackson that concentrates on his time in the White House while giving some coverage to the time before and after.  Meacham concentrates on the personal relationships between Jackson, his advisors, and his cabinet.  These relationships played a surprising role in determining public policy.

Many of the features of the presidency that we take for granted had their start with Jackson.  He believed the power of the Presidency should be expanded at the expense of the legislative branch. While the details have changed this seems to be an ongoing effort that continues today. The more I read about America’s early days, the more I find they were very similar to today.

I did have one issue with the book, the footnotes.  I am a big believer in footnotes and have a hard time reading non-fiction without them.  I did not like the way Meacham’s notes were done.  The actual notes were at the end of the book and were used primarily for direct quotation.  The reader is forced to determine which of several quotations they are looking for, as the only reference is the page number, with several notes for each page.  There was nothing in the text to indicate there was a note for it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading American Lion and would recommend it to anyone interested in American history between the Revolution and the Civil War.  It may not be for those with more intimate knowledge of the period, but for the rest of us it serves as a good introduction to both Andrew Jackson and the people around him.

I received a review copy of this book from the Library Thing Early Reviewer program.

 

The Ascent of George Washington – No Cherry Trees Here

The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon

ByJohn Ferling

464 Pages

Release date: May 26, 2009 – Bloomsbury Press

ISBN: 978-1596914650

Every American knows who George Washington was and even though few still believe Parson Weems’ story of his life (does anyone still believe he chopped down a cherry tree?) most Americans have an idealized portrait of Washington in their minds.  In The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon, John Ferling portrays a different and much more human version of Washington.

Ferling, who has written extensively about the American Revolutionary period, discovered a Washington who was, “Madly ambitious and obsessed with recognition and renown,” he emerged a hero from two wars, in which he achieved only insignificant individual success and committed dreadful blunders.   He was a genius at shifting the blame for defeat on to others and engaging in self-promotion.

In spite of these failings, Ferling maintains Washington was a great American icon and the country was extraordinarily fortunate to have had him as its first president.  For while much of the aura that surrounded Washington in life and death was mythological, legendary heroes and mythical tales are essential for the creation and maintenance of a new nation.

Political leaders of the past have often been made into mythological figures that can never be imitated.  The reader can never achieve the same greatness nor does he expect it from his current leaders.  The fact that these past leaders were great but human, with human flaws is lost.  This diminishes their accomplishments by making it appear they were something more then normal men.

The Ascent of George Washington serves as a reminder that we are all human, even George Washington.

I received this book from the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program.

 

The Rough Guide to Evolution by Mark Pallen

The Rough Guide to Evolution by Mark Pallen

352 pages

Release date: January 1, 2009 – Rough Guides

ISBN: 978-1858289465

A 2007 Gallup poll indicated approximately one-half of all Americans and two-thirds of Republicans do not believe in the theory of evolution.  In a perfect world, Mark Pallen’s The Rough Guide to Evolution would change some minds.

The book is divided into three sections.  The first, “Ideas and evidence” discusses pre-Darwin theories of evolution, as well as Charles Darwin’s theory.  It also gives a brief biography of Darwin, and as the title implies evidence to support his theory.  The second section, “The greatest story ever told” presents the history of life on earth, including the most recent discoveries.  Mr. Pallen also discusses some of the current controversies between scientists.  The final section, “Impact” unsurprisingly explains the impact Darwin’s theory has had on an array of related and unrelated sciences.  The chapters on politics and religion discuss the recent court battles with proponents of Intelligent Design, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, and evolution in pop culture, amongst other things.

This book is definitely not for anyone who majored in biology in college.  Mr. Pallen, a Professor of Microbial Genomics at the University of Birmingham, offers evolution for the non-specialist and manages to explain everything in a manner that is easy to understand.  If you have a hazy grasp on Mr. Darwin’s theory or if you have spent your life believing the world was created in seven days give this book a read.

I received this book from the Libray Thing Early Reviewer program.

 

The Lost Throne by Chris Kuzneski

The Lost Throne by Chris Kuzneski.

512 pages

ISBN 978-0-399-15582-6

Release date: July 23, 2009

Jonathan Payne and D.J. Jones are former members of a top secret American military unit.  A request for help sends them to Russia to save Allison Taylor whose employer has been murdered.  Payne, Jones, and Taylor then pick up her murdered boss’ pursuit of an ancient treasure.  Meanwhile, Nick Dial, Chief of the Interpol Homicide Division, is investigating the brutal murders of seven monks in Greece.  No routine murders these, it is soon revealed they were committed by men dressed and armed as ancient Spartans.  Payne, Jones, and Taylor follow the clues that eventually lead them to Greece, where Dial and his assistant Marcus Andropoulos follow their own clues in an attempt to solve the murders of the monks.

I have been trying to find a book like The Da Vinci Code, except one that’s good.  I like the idea of searching for lost treasures but I haven’t had much luck so far.  I had high hopes for The Lost Throne even though I dislike the use of “top secret” military units and the idea of anyone form Interpol actually heading a murder investigation makes me laugh.  I was also willing to overlook 21^st Century Greeks, who had maintained ancient Spartan customs and traditions, so perhaps my high hopes were misplaced.  Mystery writer James O. Born provided a blurb for the back cover which reads, in part, “Part Tom Clancy, part Dan Brown”, considering my opinion of The Teeth of the Tiger and The Da Vinci Code maybe I should have known better.

In spite of these concerns I enjoyed the book right up until Chapter 70, at which point I lost all hope and considered throwing the book across the room.  I don’t wish to give away what happened since some readers may enjoy the book and I don’t wish to spoil it.  It’s enough to say that there was a most unbelievable coincidence.

If you enjoyed The Teeth of the Tiger and The Da Vinci Code this is probably a book for you.  If you didn’t like them, look elsewhere and if you find a good thriller with a hunt for ancient treasure thrown in, let me know.

I received a review copy of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

 

Death Piled Hard: A Tale of the Confederate Secret Services by W. Patrick Lang

Death Piled Hard: A Tale of the Confederate Secret Services by W. Patrick Lang is the sequel to The Butcher’s Cleaver and begins shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, presumably where the previous book left off. The reader follows Claude Devereux as he brings the body of his brother home from the war. Devereux is an officer in the Federal army, assigned to Secretary of War Stanton, and a confident of President Lincoln. Unbeknownst to the Federal high command, Devereux is actually a member of the Confederate Secret Service and is gathering information on Federal war plans.

Devereux’s cousin, Major John Balthazar of the French Army soon comes to Washington and with Devereux’s assistance secretly crosses the line into the Confederacy as an official observer of the French government.

After the Battle of Rappahannock Station, Balthazar is given command of a Confederate battalion. The story continues through the Overland Campaign, following Balthazar and Devereux, who has made his way to Grant’s Headquarters.

In spite of the book’s subtitle, this is mostly a story about Balthazar’s battalion and its combat actions. Unfortunately, I did not find the combat descriptions as gripping as I might have. This was especially true of the description of the fighting at the Mule Shoe, during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House where some of the most savage fighting of the war occurred. I do not think the author was able to properly portray the intensity of the fighting there. This was better portrayed in Donald McCaig’s Jacob’s Ladder.

For the most part, I liked the characterizations and the dialogue, however it did not seem like the story was going anywhere. The reader followed Balthazar and Devereux through the Overland Campaign and things happened but there did not seem to be any focus, perhaps this is due to the book being the middle book of three. It should be noted that I have not read The Butcher’s Cleaver. However, I thought Mr. Lang did a good job of summarizing the previous book throughout so that this book could be read on its own.

Even with the minimal plot, I was still enjoying the book until about the last 50 pages. At that point, the author shifted the focus of the story to a new location and introduced a slew of new characters that were at most tangentially related to the other characters in the book. Balthazar and Devereux disappeared until the final four pages where a presumed third book was set up.

I do not believe I will be making any effort to find the next book in this series.

I received a review copy of this book from Rosemont books.