Category Archives: historical fiction

The Blooding

Posted on April 5, 2021 by smellincoffee

Master of War: The Blooding© 2013 David Gilman512 pages Thomas Blackstone is a free man, a stonemason who learned his trade alongside his deaf-mute brother Richard.  When Richard is accused of raping and killing a young woman,  the price for … Continue reading →

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The Rebel Killer

Posted on April 3, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Rebel Killer© 2019 Paul Fraser Collard432 pages Jack Lark is a defeated man. Soul-scarred after the campaign in northern Italy, he came to the United States desiring nothing but to deliver a letter from a mortally wounded comrade to … Continue reading →

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War Lord

Posted on December 2, 2020 by smellincoffee

War Lord© 2020 Bernard Cornwell352 pages As a boy, Uhtred saw his father and brother slain by an invading enemy, an enemy who took his home from him. Unwilling to turn and run, the boy Uhtred attacked these ferocious warlords … Continue reading →

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The Afghan Campaign

Posted on November 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Afghan Campaign: A Novel© 2006 Steven Pressfield 368 pages Afghanistan, 330 B.C. Alexander the Great, having toppled the Persian Empire and won eternal glory for himself and his men, now looks with hungry eyes to India. The way to … Continue reading →

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V-2

Posted on November 19, 2020 by smellincoffee

V-2: A Novel of World War 2 © 2020 Robert Harris320 pages The Wehrmacht is being pushed from western Europe, and the Waffen-SS is reeling in eastern Europe. The Luftwaffe flies no more. And yet Germany fights on, and the … Continue reading →

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Any Approaching Enemy

Posted on October 6, 2020 by smellincoffee

France roils in revolution, its armies are opposed to most of Europe, and on the seas the Royal Navy is hunting its prey. A large French fleet is out and about — doing what, no one is sure. But they’re … Continue reading →

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COVID Reviews #2: Afghans and Turks and Austrians, oh my!

Posted on September 30, 2020 by smellincoffee

Khaled Hosseini’s third book is also his most unusual. His previous two books followed friendships which which were forged, broken, and tested over the years as Afghanistan reeled from one chaotic event to another. And the Mountains Echoed is more … Continue reading →

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A Thousand Splendid Suns

Posted on September 16, 2020 by smellincoffee

A Thousand Splendid Suns© 2007 Khaled Hosseini372 pages “There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don’t teach it in school . . . Only one skill. And it’s this: … Continue reading →

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To Wake the Giant

Posted on June 21, 2020 by smellincoffee

To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor © 2020 Jeff Shaara 528 pages In To Wake the Giant,  Jeff Shaara returns to World War 2, this time with a curveball.  Unlike most of his other novels,  Wake the … Continue reading →

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The Lion at Sea

Posted on May 30, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Lion at Sea © 1977  Max Hennessy/John Harris 368 pages The atmosphere was electric and exultant. They were sailing into history at thirty knots. But what history? Defeat or victory? Kelly McGuire never consciously intended to follow his old … Continue reading →

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