History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Average customer rating:

Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Soldiers Live (Chronicles of The Black Company)

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
Back From The Dead And Missing It
4 1/2 stars, great conclusion to black company series to date
Awesome end to a series
Awesome book...

Soldiers Live (Chronicles of The Black Company)
Glen Cook
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812566556

Book Description

When sorcerers and demigods go to war, those wars are fought by mercenaries, "dog soldiers," grunts in the trenches. And the stories of those soldiers are the stories of Glen Cook's hugely popular "Black Company" novels. If the Joseph Heller of Catch-22 were to tell the story of The Lord of the Rings, it might read like the Black Company books. There is nothing else in fantasy like them.Now, at last, Cook brings the "Glittering Stone" cycle within the Black Company series to an end . . . but an end with many other tales left to tell. As Soldiers Live opens, Croaker is military dictator of all the Taglias, and no Black Company member has died in battle for four years. Croaker figures it can't last. He's right.For, of course, many of the Company's old adversaries are still around. Narayan Singh and his adopted daughter--actually the offspring of Croaker and the Lady--hope to bring about the apocalyptic Year of the Skulls. Other old enemies like Shadowcatcher, Longshadow, and Howler are also ready to do the Company harm. And much of the Company is still recovering from the fifteen years many of them spent in a stasis field.Then a report arrives of an evil spirit, a forvalaka, that has taken over one of their old enemies. It attacks them at a shadowgate--setting off a chain of events that will bring the Company to the edge of apocalypse and, as usual, several steps beyond.Glen Cook is the leading modern writer of epic fantasy noir, and Soldiers Live is Cook at his best. None of his legion of fans will want to miss it.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

A very neat little twist indeed, contained in this story for that grumpy old man Croker. Very apt use of the title, and I was pleasantly surprised by the end. I really thought I wouldn't like this much at all. Cook has done well to finish the series very far from anything you thought might happen, but in a very satisfying manner. Nicely done.

Back From The Dead And Missing It.......2006-08-27

Welcome to the final (really!) volume in Glen Cook's Black Company Series. For years now the Black Company has been roasted, nearly wiped out, resurrected, and buried again. Suddenly, for four long years, no one dies. Peace seems to have broken out but, if you know the Black Company, this is only a rest before disaster breaks out all over again. Even living in a world like the Land of Unknown Shadows can only save the Company for a while. Sooner or later Taglios will call them and they will cross the Glittering Plain one more time.

The good news is that Croaker is back as narrator. While he has ceded his captainship to Sleepy, he and Lady are still figures to be reckoned with and they are ill suited to inaction. Back on the Taglios side Soulcatcher is still the Protector and their daughter BooBoo is still the living avatar of Kina. New nightmares sleep under the plain and old friends suddenly return from the dead. There's just too much fun to be had launching suicidal campaigns.

The lesson of this volume is that The Black Company really is its own worst enemy. All the key players manage to outsmart themselves, and people die who shouldn't have to. The price for putting Kina to rest may very well be the destruction of at least one world. Croaker's dark commentary notwithstanding. And typical of this entire series everybody gets betrayed at least once. Despite all this, the ending is perfect, a classic example of Glenn Cook's knack for zigging just when you expect him to zag. This is one of the best of the Glittering Plain story arc notable as much for its subtlety as it is for action.

4 1/2 stars, great conclusion to black company series to date.......2006-08-26

Actually cook has said there are 2 more black company stories he may write if he lives long enough, but if this is the final novel he has written a good conclusion - no dreams of steel here.

Finally Croaker is returned as narrator of most of this story, though he is written as a notably older character. The story details resolution of the outstanding conflicts between Kina, Soulcatcher, the company (with competing interests in the company), Mugaba, and the golem in the nameless fortress. This book's 550+ pages read quickly. Military action does take second place to intrigue and character conflicts.

some spoilers follow, read if you want to deflate story arcs, spoil surprises, and ruin the major plot elements of the book.

SPOILERS

I did wonder if the Howler was so easily killed. Given the history of the Limper, Soulcatcher, Shapeshifter etc., it is unusual to see one of the Taken so easily killed unless they aren't really dead, cook-style.

Final resolution of the goblin and one-eye dynamic was touching. The entire part of the story dealing with that element was quite haunting.

The named-character attrition in this book is reminiscent of All Darkness Met, An Ill Fate Marshalling, or Shadowline in the all-encompassing nature of it. Once you realize that Cook has no qualms about spending a hundred or more pages developing a single character, just to kill them in the most offhand fashion (anyone remember O Shing?), you realize that anything is possible. This has been less apparent in the Black Company series overall than in some others, fwiw. That said, the attrition in this novel does take the shape of an intentional house-cleaning, something he sort-of agreed with with in an interview I recently read. (IIRC in response to a question about his motive in writing the death of virtually everyone in this book, he said it was "getting to the end.".

This is a great book, and like Water Sleeps is a vast improvement over the first two glittering stone books.

Awesome end to a series.......2006-08-06

It took me a little while to really get the Black Company. I bought the first three books together on the advice of a friend. It took me to book two to really get how different a path Cook was treading with these books. Then I was enthralled and waited anxiously as more books came out. I thought the last 3 books had flagged in quality, but the last book pulled them together again. Just as when I started reading the series I didn't quite see where Cook was going. He reached far beyond formula on this series and for the most part he succeeded. Soldiers Live is in many ways a recap of the whole series. All those emotions in one book. The world the Black Company lives in isn't pretty, the choices are hard and seldom is there adequate reward for effort and intent. But somehow through it all the Black Company survives and maybe a little more.

I really do need to read all these books at once again since the time span has been so long between start and end I have forgotten much of what came before. Thankfully there was alway an annalist for the Black Company.

Awesome book..........2005-07-07

It was hard to read to the end...but hopefully (as rumor has it), Cook will write the "one or two more" books in this series and give it a good conclusion. With Croaker's return, things improved and the book was good.

Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

Average customer rating:

Interesting resource book

Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
Thomas F. X. Noble
Manufacturer: Pennsylvania State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0271013451

Customer Reviews:

Interesting resource book.......2007-07-03

The only value I can give as theologian to this book is the worldview of this missionaries of the middle ages that lived in a society that was more savage than christian. The rest is pure fiction to try to convice the medieval readers to accept the worship of certain people as "saints". The Biblical concept of holiness is that all baptized and real christians are saints for God, because they all are in Christ. There is nothing extra-ordinary in this. Now, the concept of the writers of this book is different, is that these were abnormal people, holy since conception, born special and meritorious of devotion (worship). As an evangelical christian I will recommend you better the biographies of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley, Spurgeon, Billy Graham, etc...

The Warrior Queens: The Legends and the Lives of the Women Who Have Led Their Nations in War

Average customer rating:

Slow Going
ANOTHER WINNER FROM ONE OF THE BEST HISTORIANS EVER
Decent historical analysis
An attempted read
If Women Ran The World...

The Warrior Queens: The Legends and the Lives of the Women Who Have Led Their Nations in War
Antonia Fraser
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679728163
Release Date: 1990-04-14

Book Description

In this panoramic work of history, Lady Antonia Fraser looks at women who led armies and empires: Cleopatra, Isabella of Spain, Jinga Mbandi, Margaret Thatcher, and Indira Gandhi, among others.

Customer Reviews:

Slow Going.......2006-06-08

For all the exalted reputation Lady Antonia Fraser enjoys as a historian and writer, I expected this work to be far more informative and entertaining than it actually was. Despite her fascinating subject, Lady Fraser manages to flog it to death with endless historical references, obscure citations and literary allusions. I found the text to be so cluttered up and bogged down with arcane details and research notes that the actual subject matter was obscured by the author's very erudition. In a word: BORING. I hoped that after determinedly slogging through two opening chapters of explication and introduction, the body of the book pertaining to the fascinating women selected to represent history's Warrior Queens would pick up speed and capture my fast fading interest. Nope. Ponderous at best, the writing never seems to catch fire and I found myself hoping the next chapter would be better than the one I was reading. This is slow going and fails to reward the reader who actually gets through it. The last chapter of "summation" just repeats quotations and points made throughout the main text. Very disappointing and far from Lady Fraser's best effort. This more closely resembles the senior thesis of a graduate who has spent too much time in the library than the sparkling historical depiction of female political and military leaders throughout time which I was hoping to find.

ANOTHER WINNER FROM ONE OF THE BEST HISTORIANS EVER.......2005-10-02

Antonia Fraser superbly writes about Boadicea of Great Britain, Catherine the Great of Russia, Elizabeth the First of England, Queen Isabella of Spain, the Rani of Jhansi, and the obscure Queen Jinga of Angola. All are delineated with grace and fervour and this book is another welcome addition to the opus of Lady Antonia Fraser. It is very highly recommended.

Timothy Wingate Ottawa CANADA

Decent historical analysis.......2004-01-23

This is not a pop-history book. I picked this book up expecting it to be a very easy read but was surprised when I found myself reading through a book that would not have been out of place in any of my college history courses. Fraser has painted a very fascinating picture of various warrior queens around the world. Though at times, the narrative drags through her meticulous statement of facts, that is to be expected. I was very disappointed at her omission of the Egyptian pharaoh-queen Hatshepsut, however. Nevertheless, the women that she picks to include in her analysis make up a very good overview of the various warrior queens throughout the world and through time. It was an extremely interesting read and I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in historical women as well as the the patience to read a (mostly) scholarly work.

An attempted read.......2003-12-28

Perhaps I expected more from this book than was present, but I could hardly get through the first few chapters and I am an avid historic biography reader. I found her methods tiresome and boring, having the preference to recite found facts rather than compile and share, she reads like a card catalog. I now know exactly what to read if I do wish to learn something of these women she eludes to, but after having put this book down, I feel I am less wise to the subjects then when I started. I need a chronological telling of a person and their movement, not a forty-three page explanation of exactly who has written such things in the past. Perhaps, I stopped reading three or four chapters before it got good, but I doubt it. I was very disappointed.

If Women Ran The World..........2003-06-21

Let this scene from the revolt of Boudicca fire your imagination: "the captured Roman women had their breasts sliced off and sewn to their faces so it would appear they were eating them; then they were skewered alive and strung up longways." No surprise that the career of Margaret Thatcher inspired this work.

Water Sleeps and Soldier Lives (The Black Company: Glittering Stone, Volume II)

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Water Sleeps and Soldier Lives (The Black Company: Glittering Stone, Volume II)
Glen Cook
Manufacturer: SFBC Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0739413007

Soldiers' Lives through History - The Ancient World (Soldiers' Lives through History)

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Soldiers' Lives through History - The Ancient World (Soldiers' Lives through History)
Richard A. Gabriel
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ancient & Classical | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0313333483

Book Description

Once warfare became established in ancient civilizations, it's hard to find any other social institution that developed as quickly. In less than a thousand years, humans brought forth the sword, sling, dagger, mace, bronze and copper weapons, and fortified towns. The next thousand years saw the emergence of iron weapons, the chariot, the standing professional army, military academies, general staffs, military training, permanent arms industries, written texts on tactics, military procurement, logistics systems, conscription, and military pay. By 2,000 B.C.E., war was an important institution in almost all major cultures of the world. This book shows readers how soldiers were recruited, outfitted, how they fought, and how they were cared for when injured or when they died. It covers soldiers in major civilizations from about 4000 B.C.E. to about 450 C.E. Soldiers' Lives through History; The Ancient World is divided into two parts, the first addressing military life and the second the ancient armies themselves. "Military Life" presents twenty-one chapters, on significant aspects of military life in the ancient world. Some of the topics include

The physical condition of the soldier

Recruitment

Rations

The soldier's equipment

Camp life

Discipline and punishment

Weapons

The chariot

The cavalry

Siegecraft and artillery

Death and wounding

Military medical care Topics are discussed cross-culturally, drawing examples from several of the cultures, armies, and time periods within each chapter in order to provide the reader with as comprehensive an understanding as possible and to avoid the usual "Western-centric" perspective too common in analyses of ancient warfare. The second part of the book, "Ancient Armies," seeks to present a detailed description of eighteen major armies of antiquity. Some of the armies included are those of

Sumer and Akkad

Egypt

The Mitanni

The Hittites

The Philistines

The Israelites

China

India

Classical Greece

Republican Rome

Carthage

The Barbarians

The Roman Empire The book also provides a timeline at the beginning of the book in order to put some of the events, inventions, and developments into more context. There are 36 illustrations and 3 maps that help readers visualize some of the equipment, armor, transport, and formations that ancient soldiers used, carried, and fought in. Chapter bibliographies as well as a general bibliography and a comprehensive index round out the volume.

Soldiers' Lives through History - The Nineteenth Century (Soldiers' Lives through History)

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Soldiers' Lives through History - The Nineteenth Century (Soldiers' Lives through History)
Michael S. Neiberg
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 031333269X

Book Description

This is the story of the evolution of the citizen army throughout Western nations during the nineteenth century and up through World War I. The French Revolution had brought to Europe the concept of military service as a citizen responsibility. Until then, armies and navies had been the province of the upper classes and of mercenaries, with authoritarian governments firmly in place that held little connection to the common person. As more democratic and republican governments developed during the 1800s, military service became not only a citizen's obligation, but for many, an honor. By the time of World War I, men and women-in more limited roles-were becoming willing to risk their lives for the goals of their countries. Often told in the soldiers' own words, or in those of writers of the period, nine chapters cover the period, with the first half of the book focusing on the period of the French Revolution to the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), and the second half covering from 1871 through World War II. Among the topics discussed are BLProblems with lack of motivation, evasion, and desertion of soldiers in early nineteenth century European military service. BLEasier recruitment through the latter half of the nineteenth century as nationalism and more governmental freedom gave citizens more reason to support wars. BLThe relationship between military leaders and soldiers. BLThe changes in weapons and armor, where the solider went from the rifle, firing roughly six shots per minute, to the machine gun, firing 600 rounds per minute. BLFurther developments in artillery, armor, aviation, gas, and mining, making wars even more deadly. BLHospitals and care, and lack of care, of disease, injuries, and the dying. BLThe increasing role of women in related roles to the military, especially the advancement of nursing. BLDaily life, including equipment, uniforms, and living conditions. A timeline provides context for the dates, events, and places discussed in the book; there are extensive endnotes and a comprehensive and topically arranged bibliography of recommended sources. A thorough index completes the book.

Their Last Words: A Tribute to Soldiers Who Lost Their Lives in Iraq

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Many errors but a touching book
Touching Book
A Tribute of Sorts.
Great book, powerfully moving, but prepare yourself

Their Last Words: A Tribute to Soldiers Who Lost Their Lives in Iraq
George G. Sheldon
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0425203859

Book Description

Over 1,000 American soldiers have died in Iraq since combat began in 2003. Their Last Words is a remarkable homage to the lives and deaths of some of the Americans who died in the war on terror. Family and friends share fond, revealing remembrances and photographs of the men and women who answered their nation's call - and made the ultimate sacrifice. But most memorable are the haunting last letters home in which the soldiers themselves tell not only of the hardships and loneliness of war, but of their pride and determination in serving their country, and of their undying devotion to those who'd given their lives its greatest joy and meaning - the loved ones they'd never see again.

George Sheldon, author of the Washington Post bestseller When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg, has created a remarkable testament preserving the final words of a generation of Americans who exemplify honor, duty, and love of country - and who have given their lives so that others might live in freedom.

Customer Reviews:

Many errors but a touching book.......2005-10-19

This book mirrors the one that HBO did on Last Letters Home. I have issues with him bringing Jessica Lynch up during the chapter about the 507th Soldier who was found dead a few days after the attack. He mentions her twice on the page and I feel that took away from the deceased Soldier's story. Also, the author should have had someone with military rank knowledge edit his book. The rank is Private First Class not Private, First Class which he writes all the time. Also there are several inconsistencies in dates which could drive a reader nuts. The last letter home was written 10 years before the Soldier died??? Or was written 6 days after the soldier died??? His editor needs to be fired!

Touching Book.......2005-06-09

This book is very touching. I honestly had to hold back my tears. This book is a quick read but worth it.

A Tribute of Sorts........2005-04-23

THEIR LAST WORDS is a collection of stories, letters, and emails constructed together as a tribute to some of the soldiers who have lost their lives fighting in Iraq. The lives of 14 different soldiers are told in this book. The soldiers profiled all lived a variety of lives: some were men, some were women, some were white, some black, some were young, some were about ready to retire, some were in support of the war in Iraq, some were opposed to it. However, each and everyone of them shared a love for their country and fought and served bravely because despite their differences, they knew that what they were fighting for was something bigger than themselves. Each section of the book includes at least one personal email or letter written by each soldier. Some of these were their last pieces of correspondence before being killed. I got choked up a couple times while reading this book and I feel it really captures the essence of what each of these individuals sacrificed to protect. Reading this helped make the war in Iraq more personal for me.

Great book, powerfully moving, but prepare yourself.......2005-03-19

As the wife of a Marine who is "over there", I have become obsessed with reading books about the Marine Corps, the Iraq conflict, and books like this one, windows into the lives of soldiers and Marines who have lost their lives. Every single letter in this book made me cry, and not just because they hit close to home, but because of what these men and women gave up to do their duty, and protect the men and women fighting alongside them. My heart broke for every grieving family, and this book and others like it are neccessary, especially for those who do not have a loved one serving, if only for such people to understand the true cost of this and any war.

No One Ever Asked Me: The World War II Memoirs of an Omaha Indian Soldier (American Indian Lives)

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Just the flyleaf so far!

No One Ever Asked Me: The World War II Memoirs of an Omaha Indian Soldier (American Indian Lives)
Hollis D. Stabler
Manufacturer: University of Nebraska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0803243243

Book Description

As a young adolescent, Hollis Dorion Stabler underwent a Native ceremony in which he was given the new name Na-zhin-thia, Slow to Rise. It was a name that no white person asked to know during Hollis's tour of duty in Anzio, his unacknowledged difference as an Omaha Indian adding to the poignancy of his uneasy fellowship with foreign and American soldiers alike. Stabler’s story—coming of age on the American plains, going to war, facing new estrangement upon coming home—is a universal one, rendered wonderfully strange and personal by Stabler’s uncommon perspective, which embraces two worlds, and by his unique voice.

Stabler's experiences during World War II—tours of duty in Tunisia and Morocco as well as Italy and France, and the loss of his brother in battle—are at the center of this powerful memoir, which tells of growing up as an Omaha Indian in the small-town Midwest of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma in the 1920s and 1930s. A descendant of the Indians who negotiated with Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River, Stabler describes a childhood that was a curious mixture of progressivism and Indian tradition, and that culminated in his enlisting in the old horse cavalry when war broke out—a path not so very different from that walked by his ancestors. Victoria Smith, of Cherokee-Delaware descent, interweaves historical insight with Stabler’s vivid reminiscences, providing a rich context for this singular life.

Customer Reviews:

Just the flyleaf so far!.......2005-11-03

I have not yet finished this book, but have thoroughly enjoyed the first 20-30 pages after I got it yesterday in the mail.

When I looked back at this page in Amazon, however, I was amazed at how little information there was, so this is the flyleaf. I hope it helps!

"As a young adolescent, Hollis Dorion Stabler underwent a Native ceremony in which he was given the new name Na-zhin-thia, Slow to Rise. It was a name that no white person asked to know during Hollis's tour of duty in Anzio, his unacknowledged difference as an Omaha Indian adding to the poignancy of his uneasy fellowship with foreign and American soldiers alike. Stabler's story--coming of age on the American plains, going to war, facing new estrangement upon coming home--is a universal one, rendered wonderfully strange and personal by Stabler's uncommon perspective, which embraces two worlds, and by his unique voice.

"Stabler's experiences during World War II--tours of duty in Tunisia and Morocco as well as Italy and France, and the loss of his brother in battle--are at the center of this powerful memoir, which tells of growing up as an Omaha Indian in the small-town Midwest of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma in the 1920s and 1930s. A descendant of the Indians who negotiated with Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River, Stabler describes a childhood that was a curious mixture of progressivism and Indian tradition, and that culminated in his enlisting in the old horse cavalry when war broke out--a path not so very different from that walked by his ancestors.

"Victoria Smith, of Cherokee-Delaware descent, interweaves historical insight with Stabler's vivid reminiscences, providing a rich context for this singular life."

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