Outlander and the Real Jacobites

Outlander and the Real Jacobites written by Shona Kinsella and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 224

Outlander has brought the story of the 1745 Jacobite uprising to the popular imagination, but

who were the Jacobites, really? Explore this pivotal moment in Scottish history, visiting some

of the key locations from Jamie and Claire’s travels. Discover what clan life was really like,

read about medicine in the 1700s and find out whether the red coats were really as bad as

Jack Randall. Meet Bonnie Prince Charlie and explore how he managed to inspire an uprising

from France and then storm England with a force of no more than 5,000 soldiers. Witness

the battle of Culloden and what really happened there, before exploring the aftermath of this

final attempt for a Stuart restoration.

This book looks at the rise of the Jacobite nation in the mid-1700s, looking at various aspects of life for the Jacobites during this time and the uprising against the English, which was played in a number of films/programmes such as Outlander. You often find with films/programmes based on history can often be romanticised but having read a number of books on the Jacobite rebellion this book does a good job in documenting events and being quite accurate historically. I must admit that I have not watched the Outlander series, so I can’t comment on any comparisons. A series usually has to be very well received if it’s a history-based series for me to watch it, but from this book, I found it very informative, detailed and well written so maybe I should try and watch the series. A good honest read and I would say it would go down well with television fans of the series.  

Secret Service Against the Nazi Regime

Secret Service Against the Nazi Regime written by Edward Harrison and

published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 256

An edited collection of peer-reviewed articles using newly-released sources - British,

German and Italian - integrated to form a fascinating narrative of the intelligence-led

fight of the British Secret Service in the existential struggle with Nazi Germany. The

main sections are: British Secret Warfare and the Nazi Challenge; Counter-

Intelligence Against Axis Spies; and Hugh Trevor-Roper and Secret Service. An

inside and authentic story with original and little-known but vital themes including the

British Military Mission to Poland, the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in

Poland, British subversion in French East Africa, 'on secret service for the Duce',

British Radio Intelligence, and J C Masterman and the Security Service. This is a

uniquely human story of survival with all the drama of power struggles, personality

clashes, errors, heroism, human intelligence.

This is an excellent book that looks at the secret service operations and plans to try and hinder the Nazi regime around Europe and Northern Africa. It’s a fascinating collection of works that really draws the reader into various worlds of danger, extremism and bravery. The members of the secret services had to show great bravery and skill as the possible end result would have been certain death. To think many of these agents were having to work secret so if anything went wrong, then everything would have been denied.

I really enjoyed this book, an ideal read for those that write about spy dramas and

espionage as this book shows exactly how it would have been. A book that they say

would be hard to put down. Well written and captivated the reader. Pen & Sword have

really got me into this spy world and espionage, with great books about some great

intelligence agencies.

Understanding the NHS

Understanding the NHS written by Andrew Stein and published by

White Owl Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 240

The NHS is more than a good idea. It is beautiful. And it is you. The importance of the

NHS – and the public’s affection for it – cannot be overstated, as seen through the

COVID-19 pandemic. The author and his family of medics have lived and breathed the

NHS, from before 1948, its birth and its history to date.

But this book is for people who do not come from this medical background and do not have this life experience. Thus there are three target audiences. Firstly, it can contribute to A level study of the NHS, and career advice for 6th form students who are applying to university for a degree in healthcare. Secondly, it will educate health and social care professionals in training and in their early years. So they can start with the knowledge that the author had when he went to university in 1979. Thirdly, the book is for everyone else, who want to know how it all fits together, and in this way, improve their healthcare, and that of their family.

Right from the start, I have to say that the NHS is a staggeringly huge machine, the way it runs and keeps going, and advancing over the years to help the public, it is just phenomenal example of how a huge medical service should be run. Yes you can always try and improve some things and it will always need lots of money but in my opinion, the NHS is genius.

This book explains about how from the very beginning of the NHS how it's structured, the disciplines involved and how they have been adapted. The buildings, the staffing, the structure and the modernisation over the years, the way it has been funded, and how it needs to roll forward with each year etc. It’s a fascinating book and you can understand something this size has been left to numerous governments who have then tried to force their ideas up on it. All I can say is that the NHS is one of the most prominent things in life in this country and even the rest of the world admires what it does. So from someone who has had a stroke and problems with my right knee, I love the NHS and I loved reading this book, I would think those wanting to move into the care/nursing profession would get a lot out of this as I did.

The Ultimate Book of Movie Monsters

The Ultimate Book of Movie Monsters written by Christopher Carton and

published by White Owl Books - £25.00 - Softcover - Pages 216

Do you believe in monsters?

We dare you to take a look inside this cursed tome containing some of the most iconic and obscure monsters from the history of cinema.

Cower in fear of Count Dracula and his dreaded children of the night. Abandon hope as the mightiest kaiju ever seen on film decimate all around them. Pray that silhouette at the end of your bed is just a shadow and not the dreaded Babadook.

Spanning nearly a century of cinematic terrors, The Ultimate Book of Movie Monsters showcases creatures from genres such as horror, fantasy, B-movies and even musicals. Along with legendary beasts like Frankenstein’s monster, Godzilla, the Living Dead and the (mostly) friendly creatures of Monsters Inc., you’ll find film facts, creature strengths and weaknesses and over 150 full-colour pictures of the monsters themselves. From the era of stop-motion beasties to the cinematic showdown of the century in Godzilla vs. Kong, film lovers and horror aficionados will find plenty to keep their lust for terror satiated.

But beware, for the beasts that dwell within these forsaken pages may just keep you up all night. You have been warned…

I’m not sure if I would be classed as a Movie Monster fan because although I have seen a great many of the monsters/films mentioned in this book, but there were a good number I had not heard of. This book is like the encyclopedia of Movie Monsters, it is very comprehensive and detailed in how much it covers. There is a great and excellent number of movie photographs throughout the book to support an enormous amount of detail and research. 

The author Christopher Carton has done a great job, researching figures and movies I wouldn’t have known or classed as being Movie Monsters. Plus he covers right from the start of movie making up to the modern day, so you have a book that covers Dracula from the b/w movies right through to colourful movies such as Monsters Inc. Which I admit I hadn’t thought of these characters, as they are so nice, I hadn’t thought of them as being monsters. A fantastic read, and certainly a book a Movie Monster fans are going to love.

Soldier Rebel Traitor John Lord Wenlock & the War of the Roses

Soldier Rebel Traitor John Lord Wenlock & the War of the Roses - written by

Dr Alexander R. Brondarbit and published by Pen & Sword Books - £19.99

- Hardback - Pages 224

John Wenlock, first Lord Wenlock, was a leading diplomat, courtier and soldier during

the Wars of the Roses whose remarkable career offers us a fascinating insight into one

of the most turbulent periods in English medieval history. And yet he has hitherto been

overshadowed by his more illustrious contemporaries. Alexander Brondarbit’s

meticulously researched and perceptive biography is overdue. It establishes Wenlock

as a major figure in his own right and records in vivid detail how this shrewd nobleman

found his way through the brutal conflicts of his times.

Wenlock served in Henry V’s military campaigns in France in the 1420s before moving on to a career in the royal households of Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou and Edward IV. As a diplomat, he led multiple embassies to Burgundy and France and, in addition to the kings he served, he was closely connected with other notable figures of the age such as Richard Neville, earl of Warwick. But Wenlock’s speciality was on the battlefield – he took part in many raids, skirmishes and sieges and in three major battles including the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 where he lost his life.

Using primary sources as well as contemporary assessments in chronicles and letters, Alexander Brondarbit gives a nuanced description of the main episodes in Wenlock’s long career and throws new light on the motivation of a man who has been labelled a ‘Prince of Turncoats’ because of his frequent changes of allegiance.

Very much a many of many talents or wearer of many hats John Wenlock war is primarily known as very much a military man at heart. Fighting in a number of battles and skirmishes during the Wars of the Roses he would eventually be killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury 1471. It would turn out that Wenlock was very much a major player during Henry V’s reign, but would also serve other kings and major players of the time.

The author Dr Alexander Brondarbit has done a really good job in writing this book a very clear, descriptive and informative text. As someone who is relatively new to this period of history, the author wrote the book very well and was very easy to read and whereas in some other books the people can be various this was very easy to understand and clear. In fact, it just makes me want to read more about this period of history. I would certainly recommend this book to others as it was a really good read, and I would have thought those that are more into this period than me would enjoy the book too.

The Fall of Roman Britain and Why We Speak English

The Fall of Roman Britain and Why We Speak English written by John Lambshead

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 192

The end of empire in the island of Great Britain was both more abrupt and more complete than in any of the other European Roman provinces. When the fog clears and Britain re-enters the historical record, it is, unlike other former European provinces of the Western Empire, dominated by a new culture that speaks a language that is neither Roman nor indigenous British Brythonic and with a pagan religion that owes nothing to Romanitas or native British practices.

Other ex-Roman provinces of the Western Empire in Europe showed two consistent features conspicuously absent from the lowlands of Britain: the dominant language was derived from the local Vulgar Latin and the dominant religion was a Christianity that looked towards Rome. This leads naturally to the question: ‘what was different about Britannia?’ A further anomaly in our understanding lies in the significant dating mismatch between historical and archaeological data of the Germanic migrations, and the latest genetic evidence. The answer to England’s unique early history may lie in resolving this paradox.

John Lambshead summarizes the latest data gathered by historians, archaeologists, climatologists and biologists and synthesizes it all into a fresh new explanation.

This book about the Romans leaving Britain looks at the situation through a number of questions or essays such as the molecular make-up of Roman Britain, why we speak English, the book looks at the science of people or populations moving around, societies and how they evolve. I found the book to be a fascinating one in what it hoped to find and what it would claim to have found. I won’t really say much more as some of the answers being revealed would ruin the book. Some of the conclusions the book comes to might not be surprising and anyone educated to a decent level could have probably worked them out. If you love this period of time I would certainly recommend the book, even if you were a beginner or an archeologist.

Elizabeth I’s Final Years

Elizabeth I’s Final Years written by Robert Stedall and published by Pen & Sword Books 

- £25 - Hardback - Pages 328

Elizabeth I's Final Years outlines the interwoven relationships and rivalries between politicians and courtiers surrounding England’s omnipotent queen in the years following the death in 1588 of the Earl of Leicester. Elizabeth now surrounded herself with magnetically attractive younger men with the courtly graces to provide her with what Alison Weir has called ‘an eroticised political relationship’.

With these ‘favourites’ holding sway at court, they saw personal bravery in the tiltyard or on military exploits as their means to political authority. They failed to appreciate that the parsimonious queen would always resist military aggression and resolutely backed her meticulously cautious advisors, William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and later his son Robert.

With its access to New World treasure, it was Spain who threatened the fragile balance of power in Continental Europe. With English military intervention becoming inevitable, the Cecils diverted the likes of Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Essex, despite their lack of military experience, away from the limelight at court into colonial and military expeditions, leaving them just short of the resources needed for success. The favourites’ promotions caused friction when seasoned soldiers, like Sir Francis Vere with his unparalleled military record in the Low Countries, were left in subordinate roles.

When Spanish support for rebellion in Ireland threatened English security, Robert Cecil encouraged Elizabeth to send Essex, knowing that high command was beyond his capabilities. Essex retorted by rebelling against Cecil’s government, for which he lost his head.

Both Elizabeth and Cecil realised that only the bookish Lord Mountjoy, another favourite, had the military acumen to resolve the Irish crisis, but his mistress, Essex’s sister, the incomparable Penelope Rich, was mired by involvement in her brother’s conspiracy. Despite this, Cecil gave Mountjoy unstinting support, biding his time to tarnish his name with James I, as he did against Raleigh and his other political foes.

This fine book is written by Robert Stedall and covers the later years of Elizabeth I’s life and in particular the men or her favourites in later life. From Walter Raleigh, to Charles Blount, to Robert Devereux and Sir Francis Vere to name a few. It was nice to read about their influences, strengths and opinions in the various situations that came up in this particular period of history. With events like the Spanish Armada, Ireland and Catholicism and more.

The way these characters were played off against each, with each one trying to get somewhere or wanting specifics. This book is very comprehensive in its details and research and so the author Robert Stedall has written an excellent book which I think compares to others very favourably against other books of a similar subject. I’m sure I read Stedall’s previous book which if I remember rightly was also a fine and detailed book. Would I recommend this book? I most certainly would, whether you were new to the subject or not.