Some Dark Age inspiration

I picked up a copy of Martin Hackett's 'As Told in the Great Hall', which looks like a great resource for Dark Age wargames from the end of the Roman era through to Hastings.

There are rules included, although at first glance they seem to be quite old school.wih lots of tables and modifiers although I haven't had a chance to properly read through yet.  Might inspire me to dig out my Romano-British and Saxons.

There's been another lull in gaming over the last of months due to work, holidays and family health but I had a great return to the table top care of Eric the Shed who hosted an epic Greek/Macedonian battle...

and then a couple of weeks later an excellent game of Ankh.  Looking forward to getting a new acquisition on the table later this week.

Holiday shopping

No games for a few weeks (again!) due to family health issues and work annoyingly arranging late meetings in London.

We're off this week for a break in North Norfolk where we plan on doing very little.  Yesterday we popped into Blickling Hall for a walk and lunch (we've been visiting here enough times now to have mapped out all the decent cafes and pubs in this part of Norfolk!).  Like a lot of National Trust places, Blickling has a 2nd hand bookshop but this one is absolutely huge by comparison with most and I managed to snaffle a couple of bargains

I used to have a copy of The Face of Battle, but someone borrowed it years ago so I was pleased to get a replacement copy.

The ACW uniform book by Philip Haythornthawite is pretty old but is good inspiration for starting on some Warlord Epic figures I acquired via eBay

Blickling itself is lovely... we didn't do the long walk round the grounds and lake but had a walk near some sheep which was 'interesting' when the dogs decided they'd make a decent snack!  The Hall dates back to 1616, although it was built on an earlier building which was owned at one point by the Boleyns. During WW2 it made a nice billet for RAF officers while the riff-raff had to make do with Nissen huts in the grounds!

Reading Update #3

 

Well, we're over half way through the year so it must be time for another list of books I've been reading.  As always a fairly mixed bunch... 

The Return by Harry Sidebottom

One of those authors whose name crops up a lot when historical fiction is mentioned...I was a bit concerned this was going to be a Roman version of Sharpe... oh wait, that's Simon Scarrow. (I've read quite a few of Scarrow's books before realising that  he only has about 3 plots).  This was much better: a Roman soldier retiring back home but being drawn into a murder mystery and allusions to PTSD.  Nicely done.

Reality is Not What it Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity by Carlo Rovelli

I read Rovelli's Seven Brief Lessons on Physics a couple of years ago... a really lovely introduction to those kind of physics concepts that make your brain hurt.  He has a very literary almost poetic style which I liked and made things like quantum mechanics almost understandable.  This is more of the same but again very readable.  Did I understand it all?,... of course not but that's not always the point.

The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria by Max Adams

I picked this up when I was doing a bit of research for my Arthurian/Dark Ages project...it wasn't  quite the right period but a really interesting read and reminded me that there's a lot of British history that is a complete blank to me.  I do also have his Arthurian book although the more I read about this period, the more it's obvious that we know very, very little.

I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke

Brilliant autobiography by everyone's favourite poet!  The first half of the book suffers a bit by focusing on the 'we were poor but we were happy', post war reminiscing that you often find  in biographies of people of a certain age.  But it takes off when his career starts and I now know more than I need to about how to manage a heroin habit!

The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross

One of my favourite authors, the Laundry files are a sort of Le Carre/Deighton/Fleming meets Lovecraft pastiche with British intelligence dealing with everything from cultists to vampires always with the threat of the imminent arrival of the Elder Gods to deal with.  As the series progresses they move away from direct pastiche into a life of their own and are an excellent read.  This involves vampires and an incursion by the Fae as well as Civil Service bureaucracy.

Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky

In my last book round-up I included  Empire in Red and Gold by Tchaikovsky a fantasy series set in a world where people have 'aspects' of different insects, ranging from techy engineering Beetle people to Wasps who are essentially Nazis (just like real wasps I suspect... nasty little things!).  I really enjoyed the first book, much more than I'd expected to but was a bit put off by the fact that it was #1 of at least 10 books.  This is book #2 and sadly was really quite dull... very little seemed to happen and what did happen was very repetitive so I don't think I'll make it any further in the series.

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

The latest by the author of Rivers of London a police procedural with magic and river goddesses.  If you haven't read any of these start with Rivers, but they're all definitely worth checking out.  By comparison with the Tchaikovsky books, this and the Charles Stross books are good examples of how to keep a long running series fresh and interesting.

Venice by Jan Morris

It's hard to sum this book up...part history, part memoir, part travelogue but a great description of an intriguing city by a fascinating author who has led an amazing life.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

A Pratchett book I hadn't read, this is possibly one of the best in the series.  Brilliant as always.

Shuggie Bain by Stuart Douglas

This is the latest Booker Prize winner and is set in Glasgow and Lanarkshire in the 70s and 80s.  Bleak and quite harrowing in places, it's also funny and uplifting.  It tells the story of Shuggie (a Glaswegian version of the name Hugh) and his relationship with his alcoholic mother, 80s poverty and his emerging sexuality.  Yep... not the cheeriest of reads but we'll worth it.

Dune by Frank Herbert

I Iast read this over 30 years ago but was keen to see if it still held up to my memories of it being a classic...especially with a new film version  due out later this year.

Incidentally I've never seen the 80s film which I'm told is either terrible or genius.  My nerdy friends were shocked I hadn't seen this or Highlander.  I remedied the Highlander issue recently when it was on TV... it was... erm.. very 80s...

It's always a bit risky revisiting something good from the past but this held up really well.  You can see the influence it has had on lots of books and films.

The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

And much the same thing goes for this one.  I've read the Lord of the Rings several times but probably not for over 30 years.  ThankfulIy I found it surprisingly readable and lighter than I was expecting.  I always especially enjoyed the parts of the story set in the Shire as the sense of menace grows and the hobbies are still relatively unaware of the dsngers they're being drawn into... I even have a soft spot for Tom Bombadil.  I'm now part way through the Two Towers.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I'd never read this although I have good memories of the BBC TV adaptation and the Radio 4 version. A really good read set in a strange version of London.

Queen of Storms by Raymond Feist

The 2nd in Feist's latest series of fantasy novels this is everything  you'd expect... long lost heirs to a throne, hidden magic powers, mysterious assassins and pirates.  It ought to be terrible but somehow its a good, entertaining read.

Reading Update

 Back in May, during Lockdown #1 when I had little gaming news to report, I posted an update on books I'd been reading.  Since we're now in a similar position for the next few weeks here in England, here is another list of books I've been reading (thank goodness for Goodreads or I'd never remember which ones I'd read!)...

Wiffle Lever to Full!: Daleks, Death Stars and Dreamy Eyed Nostalgia at the Strangest Sci Fi Conventions by Bob Fischer

An odd book...like a lot of.my reading this was a 99p special on the Kindle and is an account of the author attending various science fiction conventions.  It avoids being too mocking and if you've ever attended a con you'll recognise lots in the book.  My only experience of conventions was attending a couple back in the mid 80s in Glasgow.  They were great fun and I got to meet one of my favourite authors, Harlan Ellison, but I have an abiding memory of a group of us being chased out of a screening of Star Trek 2 by a mob of angry Trekkies for laughing during Spock's funeral scene (apologies for the spoiler!)... somehow we lived to tell the tale!

Eastern Horizons by Levison Wood

A really good travel writer, this is an account of his first big overland trip through Eastern Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and into India.

Rogues edited by George RR Martin & Gardner Dozois

This is one of those collections of short stories which can be very hit and miss... on balance there were a few clunkers but mostly the stories were pretty good, especially the Neil Gaiman and Joe Abercrombie stories.   There were also a few writers I hadn't come across who I really should follow up on.

White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s by Joe Boyd

If you're a fan of late 60's/early 70's British psychedelia and folk music you'll have come across Joe Boyd.  He ran the UFO Club in London and produced bands like early Pink Floyd, the Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention and Nick Drake.  His accounts of the era are fascinating as well as his stories of organising tours with a range of Jazz and Blues artists in the 60s.

Written in History: Letters that Changed the World by Simon Sebag Montefiore

This takes historical letters from figures throughout history and attempts to use them to offer insights into the events or the people involved.  Sadly the letters quoted are often very short with little context and really tell you nothing about the person or the times.   I can't help feel this could have been done much better and it felt like a real wasted opportunity.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

It's ages since I've read a Pratchett book so I decided to start working my way through the Night Watch books.  I was at uni when a friend mentioned this new book he'd read called The Colour of Magic and I've been a fan ever since... I could go on for ages about the many layers in a TP book as well as the gentle Wodehousian humour, the philosophy and the insight he had into so many aspects of life but I'd better stop now!

The Green Man's Heir by Juliet E McKenna

My best friend recommended this (another Amazon 99p special).. an interesting take on traditional British myths and legends in a contemporary setting.  I guess it has a similar vibe to the Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London books (which I can highly recommend)...this isn't anywhere as good but was still an interesting read

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Imagine Scooby Doo or the Hardy Boys once they've grown up and are trying to deal with the PTSD impact of all those mysteries as youngsters.  Now add in a dollop of the Cthulhu mythos and you have Meddling Kids.  An entertaining romp that avoids being a complete Scooby Doo spoof and is more a tribute to all  those children's books and tv series... the setting is appropriately in the Blyton Hills, by the Zoinks River... good fun.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

A book I knew relatively little about other than vague memories of the 80s tv adaptation. Absolutely fantastic and definitely one you should read!  A not totally unkind look at  a fading world, written in the 1940s when it seemed that the aristocratic world might not survive the huge changes of the war.

The Last of the Romans by Derek Birks

Another 99p Amazon deal... 99p too much!  I've always found the Arthurian/Late Roman period fascinating and thought this might be a good Cornwell-esque romp.  It isn't.  Shockingly bad... an unlikeable character who can single-handedly slaughter his way through hundreds of enemies, sustaining serious wounds that he later shrugs off, while spouting terrible, terrible dialogue and a complete lack of characterisation.   Perhaps I should come off the fence and say what I really think...

Normal People by Sally Rooney

A recent tv series on UK tv (which I missed) I was recommended this as having a similar feel to Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City books (which I loved).  It charts the twists and turns of 2 people's relationships at school and then at university.  To be honest I gave up part way through as I simply didn't care about any of them. 

The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell

An attempt to re-dress the balance after reading the dreck  that was 'The Last of the Romans'.  I think this is probably the best of Cornwell's books... an attempt at a 'realistic' Arthurian book, given that we really know very little of this period.  It's a great read and the trilogy is worth checking out if you haven't read it.  The only  downside is that it reminded me that I find the whole  Arthurian myth very depressing... everyone betrays everyone else and there is an inevitable sense of doom as the story progresses... or is it just me?

The Worlds War by David Olusoga

A Father's Day present from my son. this is a really interesting look at the black and minority ethnic soldiers from parts the British Empire who fought in the First World War.  Some really interesting insights into the huge contribution made by soldiers, especially from India, whose experiences are often overlooked or unrecognised

Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky is one of those authors whose books I've seen on the shelf in bookshops and the library but not really looked at.  I picked this up (yes...another cheap Amazon deal) and really enjoyed it. To be honest the setting and background does read like something he'd knocked up for a role-playing campaign (and it turns out he's a LARPer and role-player so perhaps I'm right!) and when describing it to others it sounds a bit rubbish... different races/peoples with aspects of insects in a fantasy world.  So, for example there are Beetle-people who are engineers, Dragonflies and Mantis people who are warriors, Mystic Moth people etc. And then there are the Wasps who are basically insect-Nazis, set on conquering the world and bending everyone to their will.  Despite this slightly dismissive description of the setting it was a really entertaining book which I rattled through in no time at all.  One of those books where you finish a chapter and then think...maybe I'll just read the next one...  highly recommended although I was a bit put off when I discovered that that there are at least 10 books in the series!

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

A really interesting take on the world situation (admittedly pre-Covid) and how our understanding is based on a very slanted world view and not necessarily on fact.  It also looks at how using data can shine a light on how things really are...often in a more positive way than you might imagine.  This was recommended during a presentation at work by our Data Team and I then discovered my son had a copy which he lent me.  Recommended... especially at the moment when actual facts and data are being misused so frequently

Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith

If I was to say, why not read a book about octopuses and their brains you might think 'it's ok, Ill pass', but this is a simply fascinating look at how brains and consciousness have evolved and how cephalopods may be the closest thing we have to a different form of consciousness and intelligence. A journey through evolutionary biology and philosophy in a very accessible way this is highly recommended although it my put you off eating calamari for life!!

No painting but lots of reading!

Not a lot to report on the painting and gaming front not surprisingly, especially since I have been doing some 'proper' painting in the living room and dining room over the last 2 weeks.    It's amazing how much rubbish and tat we have acquired over the years so there has been a  massive clear out of stuff before we could get started and as our local recycling centre has very limited slots available that have to be pre-booked m back garden now looks like a scrapyard!  The painting is pretty much done now and I must admit it has been worth the stress and aches and pains to get it all done but I don't plan on doing any more for a while.

 Since I don't have anything game relates to report, I have taken inspiration from the excellent 'Thoughts of a Depressive Diplomatist' blog and thought I'd do an update on books I've read over the last few months.  Luckily I keep track of my reading on Goodreads so it wasn't too hard to track them down, so here goes...

The 1st book of the year was Any Human  Heart by William Boyd.
I've only recently discovered William Boyd but thoroughly enjoy his books.  He has an interesting knack of taking a fairly unlikeable central character and have you rooting for him by the end.  This follows the (fictional) life of a writer and art critic through the 20th century, tying him into historical figures and events. It's also worth looking out for The Ice Cream War (set in WW1 East Africa) and A Good Man in Africa, a darkly funny tale set in late-colonial Africa.

Sapiens:a Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
This is a fascinating walk through how homo sapiens became so dominant, exploring biology, anthropology, philosophy and economics.  Go and read it, it's great!

Frigates , Sloops and Brigs by James  Henderson
I started reading this when I was painting up ships for Black Seas.  It's a very readable account of 'small ship' actions which I find more interesting than big fleet battles.  If you've been tempted by Napoleonic naval games this is well worth looking up.

Tarantula by Bob Dylan
A Christmas present from my son...I'm a huge Dylan fan and we both went to see him in concert in Hamburg last year (see here for the details of the trip).  Compared with his autobiography which I read last year (which is great) this is a collection of pretty dense poetry/rambling lyrics which I struggled with.  There are odd flashes of his lyrical talent but a lot of it is very imcomprehensible.

Murder on the Orient  Express by Agatha Christie
I'd never read an Agatha Christie book and haven't really watched any of the various tv series or films based on them and thought I ought to.  I'm sure there are good and bad places to start with her books but I thought I'd plunge in with one of the best known...luckily I'd never seen the film so didn't know whodunnit.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and will probably read more.

Marshland: Dreams and Nightmares on the Edge of London by Gareth E Rees
A psycho-geographical exploration of London and especially Hackney.  I am a fan of Iain Sinclair who I think does this sort of thing much better... this was ok.

The Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Sometimes you just need a bit of trashy fantasy.  I'd never read any Robin Hobb...I have a theory that if you look on a library or book shop shelf they will always have volumes 2 and 3 of her epic trilogies but never vol. 1.  I discovered my local library have a load of her books available to download so tried the 1st of the Liveship Traders series, Ship of Magic.  Essentially it's pirates, dragons and living magical sailing ships.  To my surprise I really enjoyed it and have now read all 3 books.

Another Planet: a teenager in suburbia by Tracey Thorn
I'm a big fan of Everything But the Girl's music and this memoir by singer Tracey Thorn is a great read.  An exploration of her teenage diaries it's all about growing up in the 70s and especially about the nature of suburbia.

The Five: the lives of Jack the Ripper's Women by  Hallie Rubenhold
This is a relatively new book on Jack the Ripper which caused a bit of a stooshie among 'Ripperologists' (yes, apparently they're a thing).  The main complaint seemed to be that a) Hallie Rubenhold is a woman (gasp!) writing in a very male dominated field, and b) she focused on the lives of the 5 victims rather than on JtR, exploring them as people rather than simply as 'victims'.  Each section explores what is known of the 5 women's lives and stops just before the point they were killed.  It's a really fascinating look at Victorian social history and well worth reading.

Equoid, Down on the Farm and Overtime by Charles Stross
I'm a big fan of Charles Stross' Laundry novels... think Cthulhu meets John le Carre... and this is a fun collection of 3 novellas.  If you haven't read the main series, go and check them out.

Darien by Conn Iggulden
I'd read quite a few of Conn Iggulden's historical books (the Wars of the Roses series is especially good) but wasn't sure about this step into fantasy.  It took me a while to get engaged with it and it is very much the opening book in a series so there is a lot of scene-setting.  I enjoyed it more than I expected though and would read the next one.  It's set in an unusual fantasy setting with large set-piece battles, magical style abilities and an odd mix of the usual fantasy medieval setting with handguns thrown in.

The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
This is the 3rd in the Magicians series (which has also been televised although I haven't seen that). It's a kind of adult Harry Potter meets Narnia with more sex, drug and violence than you'll get in either of those books!  Again, it must be good because I read all 3 books!

Reamde by Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson is one of those authors whose books make great doorstops as they're really, really thick.  I loved some of his other books like Cryptonomicon (really...go and read it!) and Seveneves, but struggled with his more historical set books such as Quicksilver (although I really tried to like it it was just too huge!).  I initially thought Reamde was going to be a sci-fi style book as it features a MMORPG designer and I was expecting it be based around the game.  It is, but actually it's much more of a conventional thriller.  Well worth reading.  I might even go and give Quicksilver another go (for the 3rd time!)

The Complete Father Brown Mysteries by GK Chesterton
Another author I'd never read but I quite like the rather cosy tv version that is shown on BBC1 in the afternoons at the moment (featuring the excellent Mark Williams). This is a collection of all 53 short stories which I've just started reading... all very short and quite different to the tv version so far.