To Be Given the Greatest Gift

GIFTS
By Alex Ness

July 26, 2021

Over on Twitter a very active twitter friend asked an open question, 'What is the greatest gift you've ever been given?'. My answer was a white Matchbox car sent by my dad. But that was a short form answer. The following is a presentation of the mind explaining the more in depth answer... (Melisa Quigley, is a wonderfully supportive Twitter friend and author.)

My Auntie Ruthie was a wonderful lady. She was childless, and a divorcee, but she loved her nieces and nephews like they were her own. When she came home to Minnesota to see family, (upon graduating high school, she immediately left Minnesota, to move to California, where she pursued the American dream), she'd spoil us, and make the kids laugh. She gave us nicknames according to our supposed traits. I ate and loved pickles, so I was Picklehead. I remember the rest of the names but can't remember who was what, so I'll leave it at that. And I adored my Auntie Ruthie. She was very funny, very smart and kind.

Once when we were going to a business near our home she took a wrong turn and ended up on a test track for cars, that was an oval with crossing roads and such. She had an enormous gold Cadillac, and my brother and I had no idea what was to come, but it still makes me laugh. She was going to just turn around and go to the business, but she slowed down, said, hey boys, how about this, and she went onto the track and began following the curves, at a fairly high rate of speed. My brother and I were no older than 10 years old, (he was 2 years older than me), and we began to giggle, followed by open choruses of laughter and we could barely breathe at the end from the event. 

My Auntie Ruthie was special to me for other reasons too. She was honest but also kind, so her advice in life was well received. I nicknamed her AR, for short, and she referred to be as AN. One day, when I was coming home from first grade, for lunch, I saw a different car parked in front of my home. I thought about who it might be. It was my Grandma, AR and my cousin Karlene, which was great, and I didn't have to go back to finish school that day. It is part of the beautiful tapestry of memories I have of my auntie.

For Christmas in 1969 we had Christmas morning at my Grandpa and Grandma Wells home. I received the spacemen and the Carry Case Castle from AR. I loved knights and Robin Hood, and King Arthur since I can remember existing, and the castle was well used, and the spacemen/aliens were wonderful gifts, because they fed my mind with imagination. Those areas of interest provided fuel for many of my current works.

During summers my brother and I stayed for a few weeks, almost a month with my Uncle Leo and Auntie Joan and their kids. My cousins are so very important to me, and along with my uncle and auntie, they've truly become my real family support. As an adopted child, my feeling of family has always been one of less rigorous following of rules or concepts, as much as about the people who took me in and gave me love and support. My Uncle Leo was a highly important source of confidence and repair of my self esteem and ego. My Auntie Joan was the absolutely most kind human I have ever known. Whereas Uncle Leo built me up, she gave me hope when all I was a floundering stupid boob trying to somehow make my way through life. So those summers with them were memorable and glorious.

For my brother's July birthday perhaps age 9 for him, my dad had sent a package. He was alone, and working and living at our home 200 miles away. My mom worked for a few weeks in Minneapolis, so it was a way to give my dad a break from the kids, perhaps crack a beer or two... Anyhow, in the package for my brother, once opened, revealed that there was a small package for me, from my dad. It wasn't my birthday, so what my dad was doing was giving me something so I wouldn't feel left out. He wasn't the most kind person, and he and I were not a good match, but, I know he loved me. And his sending of this, to remind me that he was thinking of me, was a treasured memory. He had sent a Matchbox car, a Ford GT with racing stripes. I still have that car. And I want my grandchildren to play with it. The reason I mention these gifts isn't that they are evidence that I was wealthy or pampered, under nourished, or maltreated. The memories of gifts are a way to revel in our past, embrace the moment and remember the events that helped make us who we are in the present.  I'm not here to poop on my dad, I am just trying to explain the experience with honesty. He hadn't a father in his life, during the depression after he was 7 years old. During much of how he treated me, and my brother differently than me, he was learning to parent as he was doing it.

In the end he regretted much of how he had treated me. Three weeks before he had passed I drove from Fargo, ND to Wisconsin Rapids, WI where he lived, to celebrate his last birthday. I'd sent out numerous sports cards to various players and coaches to ask if they'd sign them for my father. One of my father's favorite players on his very favorite team was Bill Boom Boom Brown of the Minnesota Vikings. He'd written in purple pen, To Don Ness, Thanks for being my fan. Bill "Boom Boom" Brown. I placed the card in a Lucite block. Shortly after my dad passed I received cards from Mike Ditka and Bill Parcels, who my dad truly appreciated. Why am I mentioning the sports cards? My dad died in May after I saw him in April.  Before I left to go home, he had hugged me before I was to leave, and he asked for my forgiveness for the things he'd done or not done.  He said however badly I acted, I always loved you.  I of course said I forgive you. He refused to let go of the hug, and cried, weeping actually, and in this moment he freed me from a future of life's memories of bad times. He had allowed me to live, and my future could be happy.

But that wasn't all. Starting in 1994 my wife and I went through a nightmare experience when trying to add to our family. She'd two ectopic pregnancies, both nearly killing her. Losing those children, and later two more was extremely traumatic. At the hospital after the second ectopic event we were told she couldn't have children through natural means, any longer. My wife was a child from a family of five children. My parents adopted my brother and I, as they couldn't have children through natural means, themselves. I wasn't of the mind we wouldn't have children, we could adopt. But, my wife desperately wanted to have children with our traits, our DNA. My father and mother came to visit after my wife had healed a bit physically, and they were at our home to give support. Something happened though that was the greatest gift I've ever received. In discussing what our future looked like for children, my wife mentioned fertility treatments and how very expensive they were. My father had spent his last years of life praying for and hoping for grandchildren. While you might think what my wife said was, "woe are we, we can't afford to have children", she was just being very direct about the costs and difficulties, my father said, "I want you both to know that Shirley (my mum) and I will pay for your treatments. We want you to have your children."

My dad never made more than 30K in a year of work. He worked hard but his path was difficult. And he had spent money on homes, college for me (partially, but still a lot was covered by him) and other family expenses.  He might even have been considered cheap by people looking in from the outside.  But he wasn't cheap. He knew how to save, having grown up during the Depression. He also believed he was going to die relatively soon. (He did, less than 9 months later). His plan wasn't getting to see a grandchild before he left this world, but instead, to offer a path for my wife's fulfillment of her deepest desire. My life was given a great gift because what my dad gave us, for the rest of our lives, was a child who is the light of my life.  Because of my dad's heart being moved, the greatest gift I've ever received was having a son. Having a son was the greatest experience for me, and it came from a person who I'd burned in bitterness and regret about for most of my adult life prior to the moment. My son is my greatest happiness. My dad gave my wife happiness, and did so in the most amazing way, but I have to say even more, she was so ruined by the two ectopic pregnancies, I think we'd not have stayed married, she was so heartbroken life with me was just miserable. My dad giving her an avenue to have a child gave her happiness, gave my son life, gave me a happy wife, and taught me, that sometimes miracles happen. Sometimes gifts are fun, exciting, or new. But for me, my experience was that my greatest gift came from the heart of a man who didn't know how to express himself outside of anger. By doing what he did, he showed me that the greatest gift isn't wealth, or fun, or excitement, but an expression of love, in purest form.

About Getting Reviews from Me

First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Published Work  AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Styled Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis and other Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com

I have an email list for my poetry blog.  If you are interested please send me an email asking to join the list.  I have 3 new poems appearing daily.  When or if I have new books, the first people to know will be on the list, and I offer deals there for new products. Send an email to Alexanderness63@gmail.com to join the list.  I promise never to sell the list or share it.

LASTLY

“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white.
Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”

Lao Tzu

Email Answers and Questions

Mail Bag and UPDATE
By Alex Ness
July 19, 2021

This article has been written and deleted by accident more than once. As I've been crushed by sleep deprivation due to pain issues following surgery, I am running on vapors.  So, I apologize if this is incoherent... I do my best.

INTRO

In the time of doing some articles and recovery from surgery I've had some insights and opportunities, but I've also failed in many ways. Mostly, my failures come from trying, rather than being lost. When I can't keep thoughts in mind due to lack of sleep and overwhelming pain I fail. I therefore haven't been reading the way I wanted as having planned before surgery.

But I have received numerous emails and comments about recent works and questions about my surgery.  So I thought I'd answer and comment best as I can.

What was broken all of sudden requiring surgery of your shoulder I thought you had neck problems?

I have 2 narrowings of spinal column that are called "problematic" and need to be fixed. But the time since November's life saving surgery was spent in ever more increasing pain.  They thought I should still heal from November, but an MRI showed a tear in my shoulder's labrum. When they opened up my shoulder it turned out to be a frozen shoulder, and they went about repairing what they could.  In addition to my neck issues I have a problematic lumbar vertebrae that has been herniated since being discovered during cancer treatment in 2014. It is continuous pain. It will need to be fixed perhaps before the neck vertbrae/discs.

I REALLY liked the Swallows review.  And as you know I loved your book Autumn Painted Red that you mentioned in that review.  I would like to ask, what are the four best JTR books, and what are the worst four?

Thanks and no, I didn't know that, so thank you. I think I've read more than 30 books on Jack the Ripper and viewed a dozen or more documentaries, and I honestly have read copies of primary documents, and spoken to a number of the authors of Jack the Ripper books.  Now, fiction is one thing, but a fictional work about the Ripper isn't necessarily good or bad, but it might be a lie for the sake of a setting and characters.  So, first off, discussing the events, suspects, victims and facts in each of the killings is necessary for a True Crime book, the same isn't true, but might be, of fiction or drama.

The four top books aren't necessarily in possession of the correct set of answers to the Jack the Ripper mystery, but they do offer information that is properly given the weight it deserves. What I mean by that is found in clarity in Jack the Ripper the Final Solution by Stephen Knight. It is a brilliantly told and in a convincingly argued single volume that offers a setting, a suspect, the motives and complete reason behind all that happened. It also happens to be unlikely to be true. That is, as books go, it is very easy to believe it, because it so well done, but the theories used are not likely, beggar the question of facts and evidence, and suggest answers that are fun, or sexy to consider, but have the least likely chance of success of the more famous suspect/victim theory combinations. Jack the Ripper in this case was thought to be the royal surgeon William Gull and associates, to clean up the results of debauchery of Prince Eddy, a royal in line to the throne. It is very exciting and a spectacle of sex, blackmail, and murder.

The two books, one by Donald Rumbelow and Philip Sugden help consider the facts of the Ripper slayings, and do not necessarily name a killer, but allow the reader to gain a mastery of the knowable facts in order to do so themselves.  Rumbelow is clear minded in sharing the facts of the case, as is Sugden.  But the books, however important do less for any single argument as give a firm and necessary background for study.

In the work Prisoner 1167, JCH Tully does an amazing job at finding the most likely suspect, and giving proof for who that kind of killer would have been, including proclivities and ability to escape from the area following the killings. In particular, James Kelly, his favorite for the killings, had killed, hated women, had an independent source of money, worked as an upholstery ripper under a false name of John Miller. Of the many deviants that criminologists point towards, James Kelly is easily the best choice.

Of the four books I am about to discuss as being the worst, I should point out, the theories in them are not necessarily wrong. They are not necessarily poorly written. The problem is, they are unable to give the facts in a fashion that convinces a reader, due to weakness of theory, weakness of the writing, or the plain fact, you can't prove something happened if there are no facts to prove it. I read all four of these books more than once, and found them all maddening in terms of potential and result, and wide nets cast hoping to draw in readers who aren't able to use logic and to view historical data with a keen mind.

The book Prince Jack by Frank Spiering weaves a tale that names Prince Eddy not as a naughty man who is deviant and the need to cover up his sexual misbehavior, but that he is the actual killer. I did find this well written in a sense of, it told a dramatic story, but it wasn't factual, it wasn't truly well researched, it was essentially a tale that someone figured and told well.

The book Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell is decidedly frustrating. She picks an artist of fame, Walter Sickert as having been the killer based upon subjects of paintings, his odd sense of humor, and letters to the police and newspapers that she believes came from the hand of Walter Sickert and by the information within, the Ripper. However, she doesn't in any prove it, what she proves is that Sickert seems a deviant, and despite his being in France he could have crossed the channel and back on days of the killings. It was a book that had promise, as I think his painting absolutely demonstrates a fascination with the slayings, if not a record of the event. Cornwell is a fantastic writer, but not in this work, her writing was far more about urging one to believe than in giving one reason to believe.

Jack the Ripper the Final Chapter by Paul H. Feldman is a ridiculous work that attempts to make a hoax work, despite it being found out, and using artifacts of the events to suggest it was a hoax based on reality. It is based upon the false document of the Jack the Ripper diaries and various artifacts of the killing and wild speculations about the reasons and evidence.  I read through it more than once and while the notion of a Jack the Ripper diary has interest, it was decidedly proven false.

The work by Russell Edwards "Naming Jack the Ripper" wasn't at all poorly written and it is possible that it is true, it just used facts and possible evidence in such a way as to make any serious mind scoff at the conclusions drawn.  I don't think that the facts are necessarily wrong, but it has no scientific research message, rather, it reflects the modern idea that DNA is the key to any question being answered.  Well I've read that the science here is accurate but that the same argument could be found for almost all of the accused or speculated suspects.  I am unsure of that, but, it seems to be an argument based upon the idea of DNA rather than science facts of it.

Of the four bottom of the list to read books, particularly frustrating was Patricia Cornwell's work, since I think her thesis wasn't "wrong" as far as what could have been presented. I'm still reading it, after numerous completions, and I just find it mind numbing in her attempts to insist rather than prove or demonstrate.

Some of the prostitute and Ripper art by Walter Sickert

So, what have you read and have listened to during your time off?

As I mentioned I am dealing with a lot of issues. Some people suggest I have this problem often, maybe I do but the truth is, I have been reading a lot despite the brain fog from pain and surgery. I am just not finding most of it, since the surgery, to be rewarding.  The books I am reading are by Mark Lane, a lawyer who wrote one of the first books that seriously accused the Warren Report of being a false document, and later who the CIA and FBI were involved, if not in the shooting directly, in the cover up.  Since I found Mark Lane a vibrant powerful voice in interviews and lectures, I am REALLY disappointed in his books.  He writes in such a way that it is clear he is a lawyer, presenting only content that agrees with his thesis, and telling his story without really convincing the reader.  However, I think that the thesis argument is entirely valid, and the arguments and information shared help develop and relate an accurate view.

I have been blown away by what I have been listening to, The Sleeper Pins are a combination of Folk and Alt Rock. The lyrics are moving, deeply introspective without feeling cut off from a listener. I find that it feels highly personal, and yet speaks to deep spirituality without being directly religious in its sense of purpose. I think most people with intellect and emotions would appreciate this music, but I can see why it didn't get a lot of airplay, it is far more intelligent and emotionally deep than the average listener of radio. 
 

About Getting Reviews from Me

First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Published Work  AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Styled Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis and other Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com

I have an email list for my poetry blog, AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com  If you are interested please send me an email asking to join the list.  I have 3 new poems appearing daily.  When or if I have new books, the first people to know will be on the list, and I offer deals there for new products. Send an email toAlexanderness63@gmail.com to join the list.  I promise never to sell the list or share it.

“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. 
Neither need you do anything but be yourself.” 

Lao Tzu

COMICS FOR KIDS AND TROOPS

ComicBooksFor Troops A Wild Success Free comic books for military (July 15, 2021) In October of 2020, ComicBooks For Kids! created a sister charity called ComicBooksForTroops. In this way, comic books inappropriate for younger children or Teens could be routed to the military. In just six months, ComicBooks For Kids!/Troops had provided 13,000 comics to all branches of the military. Special Forces reached out requesting more comics quickly after the initial push and ComicBooksFor Troops was dispensing thousands of comics as quickly as publishers could donate them. Mark Weiss, president and founder said, "When the Special Forces asked us for that many comics, we knew what to do. One quick phone call to our friend Buddy Saunders, the largest comic e-tailer in the US and one of the nicest human beings on the planet and we knew we were in great shape. Buddy has been a supporter of us since the very beginning and the only thing bigger than his warehouse is his heart"  Said Buddy Saunders, "After kids, those that are most dear to our hearts are our military folks, police and other first responders. Everyone here at Lone Star Comics/MyComicShop can never do enough for them." A few days later the Special Forces received two palettes of comics, approximately 22,000 comics making this one of the largest single donations of comic books to the military at one time. Moreover, this brings ComicBooks For Kids!/Troops total to the military at over 35,000 comics for the last six months and the charity has just eclipsed over 100,000 units to both hospitals and the military since its inception. Lonestar Comics/Mycomicshop.com was the sole supplier of this initiative. Wish to donate to the cause? Email mark@comicbooksforkids.org directly.

BOOK SIX of the CURSED ELVES Series arrives

Allied in Strife The Cursed Elves Book Six

Diedra Drake
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Mythological Fiction
Publisher: Apache Creek Publishing
Date of Publication: July 30th, 2021 ISBN: 9798201968410

ASIN: B0964C1SQ5
Formats available: ebook

Book Description:

The Elves are a disaster. Raymond’s having trouble coping with death and letting go, Priscilla’s drowing in guilt, Nathan’s having a rocky Elf transition, and Nerissa’s dealing with recent trauma.

But Itta and Patrick are on the warpath,

Clothilde hates being treated like a traitor, the Woods don’t appreciate being ordered to stand down, and a fire Priscilla

lit a couple of years ago is primed to explode.

And just when everyone might be finding out how to move on, a phone call from Erasmus throws them for a loop.

In between, explore the past with a trip to Spanish Florida in 1702, and learn how Priscilla met the first Human she ever loved.

Will the past catch up with them all, or can they find a way to end the strife?

Excerpt from Book 6

“Do you think we should try adding some kind of prayer or something?” Itta wondered aloud.

“We’re not worshippers,” Patrick responded with a shrug.

“Maybe not, but we are trying to ask for a favor. It couldn’t hurt.”

“At the beginning of the month, we brought them one sacrifice a day over three days,” he said. “Today we’re trying three all at once.”

“So you’d prefer to add only one new thing at a time until we figure out what works?” He nodded.

“That’s fine,” Itta said with a smile. “It will give me time to do some research on prayers, just in case.”

“I hope that won’t be necessary, I’d like to see the Furies respond to our offering.” “As would I.”

They both watched from the side of the ruins as several Thornton Elves arranged the three mind- controlled Humans so they remained on their knees. The setting sun cast dark shadows against the grey stone, but the ruins remained adequately lit for their purposes.

One of the Elves approached Patrick and said, “They’re ready, Master.”
When his jaw tightened, Itta asked softly, “Would you like me to do it this time, Patrick?”
He shook his head. “No, my dear. I appreciate your offer, but I will handle this unpleasantness.”

Patrick strode purposely toward the Humans, and withdrew a dagger from his inner jacket pocket. Without hesitation, he ran it across the exposed throat of one Human, then stepped to the side and repeated the procedure twice more.

He handed the bloodied blade off to one of the Thornton Elves, and returned to his previous position beside Itta.

Then they waited.

One Human bled out and tipped forward, dead, their mind no longer functioning to follow the mental commands. In her excitement, Itta reached out to grip Patrick’s hand and felt him squeeze back. The second fell, and finally the third.

All the Elves went silent in the ruins, and their eyes scanned the area in hopes that one of the Furies would arrive.

Minutes passed, the shadows bent with the onset of evening, and Patrick dropped her hand to cross his arms behind his back instead, his face set with irritation.
Itta shook her head and sighed, then asked, “Do you think it could be the quality of the offerings?”

“You mean they don’t meet their requirements for punishment? That they’re too good?”

“Or because they’re Human?”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps. We may need to be willing to give more next time.”

“We have time to think on it and prepare. I’ll research in the meantime and see if I can uncover anything else that might help.”

Patrick nodded and held out his arm, which she took automatically. “We knew this might not be easy. I only hope that we can reach them before it’s too late to save your family.”

“We will,” she said confidently, ignoring the Elves cleaning up behind them as she walked with him toward the cars. “And soon the Furies will punish Priscilla and Raymond, for both our sakes.”

“Our complaint is valid, so I have to believe that they will judge them in our favor,” he said.

“I may have an idea that would allow us to succeed even if we cannot reach the Furies, but it will take some time and planning.”

“I’m not willing to put my trust in another God,” Patrick said, his tone one that brooked no argument.

Itta shook her head. “I wasn’t going to suggest it. But not that long ago, Priscilla made a lot of enemies for the Forester House.”

They reached the vehicle and he paused, furrowing his brow. “Remind me.” “The survivors of the Morales incident.”
“Ahhh. But what you're suggesting could put your own family at risk.” “Then we’ll just have to be very careful,” she said firmly.

He held her hand as she climbed into the vehicle, then said, “I’ll give you the number of someone who can help.”

** If this sounds interesting, make sure to start with Book 1 – Cursed By Furies. You can find it available in ebook everywhere. See Stores.**

About the Author:

Diedra Drake is a life-long student of mythology and history, with a particular interest in the ways that different cultures tell the same stories using name variations. She is competent in classical Latin, and enjoys reading the classics – particularly Homer, Plutarch, and Shakespeare.

For relaxation, Diedra loves to crack open a new historical romance novel or binge a new series on streaming. After a couple of decades being a business owner in the technology industry, she decided to explore her other interests through the creation of a mythic fantasy romance world.

She lives in Central Texas with her family, which includes a small cat colony and a couple of dogs, and tries to ensure she gets a daily serving of ice cream for continual inspiration.

https://DiedraDrake.com
https://Twitter.com/DiedraDrake
https://Facebook.com/DrakeDiedra
https://Instagram.com/drake.diedra
https://Goodreads.com/diedradrake
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/diedra-drake

THE WARS OF ROME

WARS OF ROME
By Alex Ness
July 12, 2021

 

 

INTRO

My history degree areas of historical research include ancient Rome. I am certainly fascinated by Rome, and confess to be more than a witness but someone obsessed with knowing how Rome was so great an empire when it had no great method of handing over power to the next emperor, which led to civil war, and despite existing in the violent time, it prospered. Also Rome had a form of military structure that took almost 300 years to develop a mobile reserve to respond to incursions and crisis along the frontier or within the borders of the empire. Over time the military drained citizens and farmers from the economy.  While they fought well, and understood their acts as being for a common good of the empire, it led to other issues. For instance, Rome had a powerful economy, but it eventually relied upon slavery as a major factor in that economy and greater workings of the state. While this form of slavery can be observed to have been considerable more humane to others both earlier in history by other cultures, and those far later upon the timeline, up to the recent past across the globe. Rome explored its world, created brick roads, aqueducts, public works and more. And while Rome was brilliant in many ways, it also suffered from the legacies of conquest and pillage, in ways that the leaders had to reward troops with new land, colonize areas that did not add to the empire, and reward leaders who held the loyal response by troops more than fidelity to the empire.  Click any image to enlarge.

HISTORIANS, ARCHEOLOGISTS and ANTHROPOLOGIST TO READ

 

Historians Adrian Goldsworthy, Victor Davis Hanson and Archeologist Peter S. Wells created excellent works that reveal the power struggles, the battles, the way Rome viewed outsiders, and how ancient Rome and Greece fought for reasons modern readers would not likely understand. The understanding of these concepts and ancient battles and events of antiquity need to be understood for any depth of study for the present. If you are one inch off target at ten feet away, by the time you are miles away the deviation from accuracy is that much more. And if you are unaware of the flaw, it forces the modern reader to view ideas based upon flaw and mistaken views.

Goldsworthy has, in my view, a view on Rome that goes far beyond knowing the past, he writes in ways that allows the reader to know with confidence what has happened in the past.  The work by Peter S. Wells focused upon the Barbarians who plagued Rome, and by knowing how the Barbarians lived, gives amazing context for knowing why these people remained resilient, and eventually became both part of the empire, and became part of the cause of Rome's fall.  Victor Davis Hanson focuses more upon Greece than Rome, but, his work reveals why people were willing to die for their neighbor's land, and for their neighbors.  They gathered for defense when the powerful Persian empire and other ancient empires had to force recruit and build armies.  The ideals of Greece that allowed her defeat Persia, also influenced all the warrior empires that followed in the Mediterranean basin.

 

GAMES THAT I HAVE LIKED PLAYING 

Caveat: I am writing about these games and offering to recommend these board games because I enjoyed having played them. But these selections are more because I played them and appreciated them, than having a great expansive experience with or knowledge of the available field of games. They were fun, and could be the best games out there, but there are vast areas of my ignorance about other games, and that is especially greater now with computer games that provide easier set up and play.

 

The Punic Wars were a brutal struggle on land in sea over the Western end of the Mediterranean  basin between Rome and Carthage.  The name people recognize is Hannibal, who was a brilliant general who invading Roman territory, and won a number of amazing victories against Rome.  Hannibal At Bay is a great game from Avalanche Press.

Queen of the Celts also from Avalanche Press is a game that recreates the Iceni rebellion against Rome.  Boudicca was a queen who should have inherited the kingdom when her husband the king had died. Instead Rome took the riches of the people, raped her daughters, and abused the queen.  That led to a disastrous event wherein the Iceni rose in rebellion against Roman troops and allies. Early London burned, and numerous battles proved that Rome might have had good tactics, but not every opponent would flee their approach. This game is fun, and shows how the deciding factors for victory were not always easy to control.

Caesar by Avalon Hill was a very fun game, that captured a battle in Gaul by Caesar and his legions.  It was originally less focused, hard to get to work, and the map was huge. But as Avalon Hill redesigned it, it became amazing.  The game features the siege of Alesia by the Romans. But as the Romans built a fortress of walls opposite of that of Alesia, the Romans soon came to be attacked from Alesia Gauls fighting outward, and the Gauls coming to relieve the siege, outside of Roman walls.  That is, it was a double siege and is the reason many readers of ancient battles think Caesar was both a great general, but also a brave and resolute warrior.  It is perhaps a fault of mine, that my interest in the battle allows me to forgive the difficulties found in playing the game, but it was so much fun playing it and winning as Gaul, while defending against a great effort by a bright friend playing as Rome, the game occupied hours of time and not one minute would I return.

Gallic Leader Vercingetorix surrenders to the Romans and Julius Caesar.

COMICS

There are educational comics out regarding history, but I have mentioned in the past that I feel history comics were not necessarily poorly done, but occupied less of an interest area in American readers than you'd expect due to two reasons.  Most comics with history as a backdrop were written to teach, and only thereafter to entertain.  I think any comics need to entertain first, because the obvious advantage a comic has is to show in pictures, paper movies really, the drama of events. 

Each the works shown here, Britannia, Murena, and Brath all entertain first and foremost, and they do that well. Britannia will seem the most interesting here for readers I think, because it involves time manipulation and consequences of an altered timeline.  It isn't truly alternative history, because it utilizes a change from a modern catalyst.  (Not going to spoil it.)  Murena is human history in the world of the early empire and is very bloody and romantic, but it does a good job with the history it is writing/illustrating about. It isn't perfect, some of the art is less dramatic as it looks posed, but I enjoyed every volume I read. And Brath?  It came out at the end of CrossGen's life as a publisher. Sadly there are no tpbs available, but I have to say, if you rewrote this work, it would take very little to remove the connections to the overarching Cross Genre and Generational concept of the sigils of power.  The art was great, the writing was amongst the best I'd ever read regarding ancient Rome or Barbarians.

About Getting Reviews from Me

First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

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“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white.
Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”

Lao Tzu