BLOG TOUR - ALEXANDER THE GREAT VERSUS JULIUS CAESAR | WHO WAS THE GREATEST COMMANDER IN THE ANCIENT WORLD?

 

TITLE - ALEXANDER THE GREAT VERSUS JULIUS CAESAR | WHO WAS THE GREATEST COMMANDER IN THE ANCIENT WORLD?
 
WRITTEN BY - SIMON ELLIOTT

PUBLISHED BY - PEN & SWORD BOOKS 

PUBLICATION DATE - AVAILABLE NOW 
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They are two of the most accomplished military leaders in history and both knowingly destined for greatness from an early age, but if you’ve ever wondered exactly which of them was the best - Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar - then this book will help you decide. 

In his quest to determine just who was the greatest military leader of all time, Simon Elliott’s book draws on surviving (but often exaggerated or incomplete) primary sources and the work of contemporary historians. An introduction sets out the structure of the book - each leader’s life and achievements considered in turn - and includes notes on terminology and timeline. Despite an admitted preference for Alexander, Simon Elliott covers each leader even-handedly. Starting with Alexander, he lucidly documents the almost continual conflict that led to Philip II (father of Alexander)’s reign. 

This is history at its most violent, a time of invasions, battles and intrigues when you could lose your throne to a member of your own family at the point of a blade. There is a wealth of detail on contemporary weapons and tactics and Elliott depicts the many battles with brutal drama. Five decisive battles and/or sieges are closely examined by the author as evidence of his military prowess. Similarly, with Julius Caesar, the author provides context to the Roman leader’s life with a chapter on the violent creation of the Roman Republic, (beginning with the legend of Romulus and Remus), a concise biography and a study of his major battles and campaigns. Elliott’s depiction of Caesar’s infamous murder is brutally compelling, and contains the heartbreaking fact that Caesar’s last act was to pull his toga over his head when he saw that his friend Brutus was one of his assassins.

 

 

In a climactic round of historical “Top Trumps”, Elliott ends the book with a summing up of his findings by directly comparing the leaders on factors such as brutality, conquests, strategic skills etc, and their enduring legacies. In short order, he reaches a perfectly logical conclusion - which I won’t spoil here. The book is further enhanced with annotated colour plate photographs of artefacts, maps, locations and models of soldiers in the armour of their time. There is also a bibliography, full index, and a striking, full colour dust-jacket.

If nothing else, then Simon Elliott’s book is a fresh reappraisal of the lives and legacies of two towering historical figures, with many myths exploded along the way. Elliott freely admits that we know, or at least think we know, more about Julius Caesar than Alexander, and indeed the former has always held more of a fascination for people. Simon Elliott’s excellent book certainly goes a long way towards redressing the balance by placing Alexander the Great in a wider historical context. Displaying an unprecedented depth of research into the structure of both leaders’ armies, their battles and campaigns, this book is indispensable for military and ancient history enthusiasts.

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About Dr Simon Elliott

Dr Simon Elliott is an award winning and best selling historian, archaeologist, author, broadcaster, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology, Ambassador for Museum of London Archaeology, Guide Lecturer for Andante Travels and President of the Society of Ancients. He has published many well-received books on themes related to the ancient world, most recently the Amazon no.1 best-selling "Roman Britain’s Missing Legion", and frequently appears on broadcast media as a presenter and expert on ancient world and military themes.

RADIOHEAD - LIFE IN A GLASSHOUSE

TITLE - RADIOHEAD - LIFE IN A GLASSHOUSE

WRITTEN BY - JOHN AIZLEWOOD 

PUBLISHED BY - PALAZZO EDITIONS LTD

PUBLICATION DATE - 5TH MAY 2022 

John Aizlewood follows up his sublime book on Joy Division & New Order by turning his considerable talents towards another idiosyncratic British band, the unique and groundbreaking Radiohead. 

Written in his usual erudite, irresistibly flowing and ever-so-slightly irreverent style, Aizlewood charts the evolution of Radiohead from their early days as private school boys with potted histories of each band member, through their “a bit pants” gigs as On A Friday, onto Britpop-shunning stardom as Radiohead, and their enduring legacy as one of the most critically-acclaimed bands Britain has ever produced. 

Every album is listed and analysed, with the chapters on the era-defining “O. K. Computer” and the game-changing “In Rainbows” being especially good, but the whole book is superb. Radiohead’s rise to the top wasn’t easy and Aizlewood’s sparkling prose brings the story of their eagerness to evolve from their surprise hit “Creep” and the later ups and downs of their career to vivid life. 

Radiohead have always done their own thing and John Aizlewood’s book is a celebration of that. No surprises, this book is awesome.

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THE OUTFIT

TITLE - THE OUTFIT

WRITTEN BY - DAVID TALLERMAN

PUBLISHED BY - REBELLION

PUBLICATION DATE - 1ST MARCH 2022 

Joseph Djugashvili -  soon to be known to history as Joseph Stalin - plans to pull off the biggest bank robbery ever to aid Lenin’s revolution in David Tallerman’s “The Outfit”, a glorious romp of a novel which also features Lenin and a motley band of revolutionaries in a crazy heist story set in revolutionary Russia. This is the true story of The Outfit - think Ocean’s Eleven meets Dr. Zhivago - and how they carried out one of the most daring and brutal bank raids in history. 

I absolutely loved this book. The narrative is brisk and the action scenes are vivid and dynamic. Tallerman writes well, making the story a joy to read; it may be a short book but it has great depth, with the genesis of the revolution set against the omnipresent threat of the Tsarist secret police like a shadow over everyday Russian life. Not a word is wasted by Tallerman as he depicts the days leading up to the robbery, the heist itself and its aftermath. 

The characters are superbly realised. David Tallerman skilfully paints the calculating Stalin as someone who is at least an antihero, because it would be difficult to make a legitimate hero out of him, and yet we find ourselves cautiously rooting for him, even as his “future self” comes ever more to the fore. His crazy associate Kamo, leader of the Outfit, has some wickedly funny passages devoted to him, and his zealous desire for immediate action contrasts with the more cautious Stalin’s. However, events conspire to completely alter their relationship and the mechanics of the heist as Stalin makes a deal with the Devil. 

At turns laugh out loud funny and shockingly serious, “The Outfit” is a supremely enjoyable, well-written tale made even more irresistible due to it being true, and I devoured it in one sitting.

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STALKING THE ATOMIC CITY

TITLE - STALKING THE ATOMIC CITY

WRITTEN BY - MARKIYAN KAMYSH 

PUBLISHED BY - PUSHKIN PRESS 

PUBLICATION DATE - 7TH JULY 2022 

Beginning with a potted and putrid history of the Chornobyl accident and displaying unconcealed disgust at the creation of nuclear power which promised an Utopia but delivered Hell on Earth, Markiyan Kamysh’s “Stalking The Atomic City” screams relentlessly from the pages in vivid, honest and profane language. 

This is a story about Stalkers, a subculture of adventurers unafraid of the radiation that still permeates the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and its surroundings, described here as being the size of Luxembourg, including the infamous town of Prypyat. Kamysh, who is one of many such people, recounts his experiences as an “illegal tourist”, spending days or often weeks hiking through the Zone, sometimes with friends, camping out, getting drunk and exploring the deserted buildings. Run-ins with police, looters and wildlife, sleeping next to the remains of dead wolves and battles with the merciless Russian elements are tempered with the breathtaking sights of the Zone such as the Chornobyl-2 antennas, described vividly as “behemoths” and “titans”. In the abandoned houses, Markiyan finds peace, and considers himself to be the real deal amongst the rich hipsters who visit the Zone.

Markiyan also offers a field guide of sorts to the virgin visitor to the Zone,- what to wear, what to take - but advises us to do it not because he tells us to, but because we are degenerate; that normal people have no business even being there. He tells us about his father who was one of the original clean-up crew after the Chornobyl accident, of shepherding naive first-timers on trips into the Zone through waist-deep snow, and shares a beginner’s guide to looting. The Zone is almost like an addiction for Kamysh; he curses the Zone, hates it and swears he’ll never go back, but he always does, if only to feel the overwhelming relief of leaving it. He feels proprietorial towards the Zone, much like the titular stalker in the film by Andrei Tarkovsky; it is like a lover, the ultimate non-sexual relationship. He mourns the dismantled Chornobyl landmarks, victims of the most recent clean-up. Asked about the dangers to his health, he has no fears, taking life as it comes, his way. 

Haunting, monochrome photographs from inside the Zone, pepper the book, stark reminders captured for all time. The English translation by Hanna Lelia and Reilly Costigan-Humes of the 2015 Russian original is excellent, creating an unfussy style that is very easy to read. The writing is lean and immediate with hardly a word wasted. 

Markiyan’s story is told with a sense of freedom and irreverence throughout, and I felt a little envious of his having found joy and contentment, even in such an ostensibly awful place. We can envy him this, if not exactly the location where he finds it. “Stalking The Atomic City” is a short and affecting book that is full of life in a place of death and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

PLENITUDE

TITLE - PLENITUDE 

WRITTEN BY - DANIEL SARAH KARASIK 

PUBLISHED BY - BOOK*HUG PRESS 

PUBLICATION DATE - 7TH APRIL 2022 

Daniel Sarah Karasik’s “Plenitude” is a futuristic rallying cry for a generalisation of identity and society. These verses/passages are dense, kinetic and intelligent; rhythmic and often profane - adult trans-formational poetry for an undefined future. 

Daniel Sarah Karasik’s work is political, angry and confrontational, and it is quite breathtaking. The key poem is “trans-socialist” in which Karasik dreams of a society in which everything is, rather than one in which everything has to be something - a kind of communism (a term used with caution here) where we don’t have to worry about saying “communism” and “gender is reborn as pure play”. 

The poems are vital and sexy, in fact downright filthy in parts, often darkly funny but always screamingly honest. Karasik works hard at making you (the reader or anyone) like them and accept them, while at the same time liking and accepting themselves. Chapters are illustrated with striking graffiti art which suits the contents well. 

I know nothing about the trans condition but I like the future being created here, and I can enjoy this excellent poetry for what it is.

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RENAISSANCE

TITLE - RENAISSANCE 

WRITTEN BY - AMY CLENNELL 

PUBLISHED BY - CHERISH EDITIONS 

PUBLICATION DATE - 16TH MAY 2022

Poet Amy Clennell has overcome cerebral palsy and its associated disabilities to achieve major goals in her life and to take up writing, and “Renaissance” is her latest volume of poetry. There is certainly plenty of evidence of strength and determination in these wonderfully affecting poems.
There is a strong sense throughout the opening poem “Morwenna” of someone refusing to be beaten by their own imperfect body, but in “Ready To Fly” we get a harrowing glimpse of an unhappy childhood, and yet that inner strength shines through. 
Amy’s joy at a baby brother in “Sisterly Love” is heartwarming (even though she really wanted a sister) is followed by another show of that glorious f-you attitude in “Blessed” as Amy “duets” with singer Lemar at a concert in spite of an audience’s disapproval. Both angry and funny, when a poet rhymes “lackey” with “wacky baccy” you know you’ve discovered a rare talent! 
“My Alfie” is Amy’s heartfelt plea for connection with her autistic son, a stark and concise poem that hits hard. “The Elephant in the Classroom, “Special School”, Coundon” is a touching eulogy to a lost friend which displays Clennell’s poetical and linguistic skill at its very best. “Fringe of the Grove in Sunlight” and “Salvage” and “Sunflower Seeds of Hope” are a trio of cryptic verses with a lot of vivid and ethereal imagery. 
This continues in the series of poems inspired by paintings by artists such as Millais and Degas, and the short story “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde. These are all very firmly rooted in the traditional poetic form yet there are glimpses of a cheeky frivolity in “The Jovial Jibes of the Swing” and “A Tragedy in Floriography” - Clennell isn’t being entirely serious here, despite the romantic and flowery language. “The Launderer’s Lament”, inspired by Edgar Degas’ painting “Women Ironing”, is the rhythmic, kinetic and funny inner monologue of a woman ironing rich men’s shirts. The “Sleeping Beauty”-inspired “A Gothic Romance” employs a clever acrostic device and is extremely vivid and windswept, while in “Courage and Kindness” Cinderella takes an uncertain step towards a new future, a poem that could be taken as an allegory of the courage Amy has shown in her life. 
Nature poem “Duel At Dawn” vividly conjures up the onset of winter. It’s the hallmark of a good poet if they can describe the unknowable power of the seasons. Violent death permeates “Postmortem” and “Lesson Learnt”, the latter depicting the drowning of a child by some kind of sea creature in lucid (and lurid) language, which shocks more due to its present-tense urgency. One of my favourites in the collection, “A Modern Troubadour”, all the more effective due to its conciseness, tells of a resolute minstrel unable to escape the inevitable end of his wandering existence. 
“Hope For Winter, A Story Of Dolphins”, inspired by the two “A Dolphin Tale” films, is an intense long-form poem about a dolphin enduring torment yet ultimately finding hope. “Evelyn Rose” is the titular pandemic baby, born uncertainly yet determined to survive; once again the overarching theme of survival against the odds is skilfully invoked.
The beautiful “In My Fairy Glen”, one of the true highlights of the book, shows how the simplest of things can conceal magic, while in the playful “Backyard Critters” relates a charming encounter with a baby turtle. “Fat Club” is a humorous snapshot of the temptations laid before a dieter, and the three “Limericks” that follow it, all about canine misadventures, are hilariously cheeky. 
Terrorism, London traffic and a headlong rush towards a TV appearance all combine in the heartwarming “An Unkindness of Ravens”, while in “Something To Do With Cake” Amy shares her joy at her brother’s wedding. “Sometimes The Grass Is Greener” is a tale of two people slowly becoming one, told through the metaphor of two horses, and is extremely touching and organic. 
This stunning collection is rounded off with the funny “What A Pantomime” about a panto Dame with a cheeky yet honest aspiration, and finally the colourful and vibrant “Renaissance”, a tribute to the Phoenix, and once again a metaphor for endurance against all odds. It is a magnificent end to an astonishing book. 
Simple yet apt artwork accompanies the poems while fragile haikus punctuate the text, acting as a palette cleanser. 
Amy Clennell has found a refuge in writing, and her readers will find a refuge in Amy Clennell’s writing. Gutsy, inspiring and uplifting, “Renaissance” is the best collection of poetry I have read for a long time; I am floored by Amy’s skill with words and emotions. I was put through the wringer but I loved every minute of it!

STALIN'S LIBRARY

TITLE - STALIN'S LIBRARY 

WRITTEN BY - GEOFFREY ROBERTS 

PUBLISHED BY - YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, LONDON 

PUBLICATION DATE - 8TH FEBRUARY 2022

A voracious reader, Josef Stalin had his own library of some 25,000 books, for which he employed the services of a librarian. He developed his own classification system and ex-libris stamp, and was fond of annotating and marking the books he read. He was a great respecter of books, if not of the people who wrote them. Whilst Stalin despised his political opponents, he paid close attention to their writings. 

A surprising portrait of the infamous Russian leader emerges from the scholarly pages of “Stalin’s Library” by Geoffrey Roberts - that of an intellectual and deep thinking bookworm and autodidact who revered books, even berating his own children when they treated them poorly. Roberts discovers a tantalising (though not a complete) insight into the real Stalin by analysing the way he read his books and the marks he made in them. It is also an attempt to provide a verifiable biography of Stalin, debunking many “conspiracy theories” and incorrect yet widely believed facts about him. 

Stalin was, conversely, shy of allowing books to be written about himself, vetoing many biographies and pamphlets, and those that were published were vigorously marked up if he disagreed with them. However, Stalin was more enthusiastic about the creation of his collected writings, a popular publication running to thirteen volumes until they were halted by Khrushchev. There is a revealing chapter on these books, their legacy and the unpublished final volumes, and very interesting details of the specific genres of books that Stalin favourited and the historical attempts to study his library. The longest chapter in the book is devoted to an rich and illuminating study of Stalin’s “potemki”, the marks, annotations and sometimes angry crossings-out that he added to many of the books he read. 

Geoffrey Roberts has written a very readable and intelligent book; ostensibly pro-Stalin only in regard to establishing a factual biographical life of the man, and thoroughly researched. While there is much about Stalin’s library itself and its legacy and how his reading influenced him as a political leader, the book is also a history of Stalin’s rise to power and beyond. While this does create something of an identity crisis at times, this book is excellent throughout and is highly recommend to anyone searching for a slightly different take on Stalin’s life and times.

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IN THE CITY OF PIGS

TITLE - IN THE CITY OF PIGS 

WRITTEN BY - ANDRE FORGET 

PUBLISHED BY - DUNDURN PRESS

PUBLICATION DATE - 12TH JULY 2022

Dundurn Press’ imprint Rare Machines has produced some impressive left-field novels in its short life, and André Forget’s “In the City of Pigs” joins that list with inscrutable aplomb. 

Forget has a succinct style that is a joy to read, and the novel has an air of clinical intellectualism. His descriptive writing is vivid and rich as he describes the sights and sounds of Toronto. A knowledge of Toronto would probably add another dimension to the story, as it is very much a love-letter to that city, it’s history and present, but non-residents can read the book and easily immerse themselves in a city so well described. 

As to the story itself, the book deals largely with an underground avant-garde music collective, complete with modern agitprop Twitter posts and anonymous videos in abandoned warehouses; an exciting premise which evokes the rave culture of the ‘90s with a postmodern sheen. But Fera Civitatem’s plans are more far-reaching than that, demanding a kind of reimagining of society itself. Forget’s depiction of one of their secret concerts is visceral and brutal, the atonal lovechild of a philharmonic orchestra and the Jim Rose Circus.

Undoubtedly the book is pretentious in parts, and in many ways cold and lacking emotion, but not in a way that I could take seriously. In fact, the pretentiousness seemed almost to be played for laughs. Readers with a love of classical musical will find much to enjoy (and, no doubt, hate) in the book. 

Characterisation is a little hit and miss, with only Alexander really standing out amongst a mostly indistinguishable supporting cast made up of unlikeable arty types. Chapters are generally short, maybe some a little too short, but it all seems just right, and the storytelling is brisk. 

Part contemporary fiction, part exposé of economic divisions, part musicological thriller; I would call the book intellectually absurdist, and despite its pretension, has a strong thread of irreverence and imagination running through it. While not precisely unputdownable, I did find myself picking up the book often for just one more chapter. It is definitely not for everyone, but I am comfortable with novels that are unconventional, and I enjoyed this one very much.

 

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

TITLE - THE VELVET UNDERGROUND 

WRITTEN BY - CHRIS ROBERTS

PUBLISHED BY - PALAZZO EDITIONS LTD

PUBLICATION DATE - 7TH APRIL 2022 

Chris Roberts has created a small but perfectly formed biography of The Velvet Underground, one of the most inscrutable bands ever. Loud, rough, atonal; influential and iconoclastic. There aren’t enough words to do the band justice. 

Having personally met and interviewed Lou Reed three times, and even once accidentally sat on Nico’s coat, Roberts is eminently qualified to write this book, and it is an informative and sometimes shocking joy to read. 

Contemporary photographs and ephemera set the scene, whilst archive and personal interviews with the band, many conducted by the author, offer an insight into the minds of the band members - Lou Reed (grouchy), Cale (Welsh), Moe Tucker (sensible), Sterling Morrison (the quiet one). 

There is no shortage of books about The Velvet Underground, but few are as enjoyable as Chris Roberts’ one - it has the feel of a work by an insider. Knowledgeable, drugged-up and funny as heck, this book is indispensable.

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