The Big Book of Awesome

I've just finished looking at the most awesome book ever. It is the Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary by the good people at DK.

It's Lego and Star Wars. For a geek like me it can't fail. It also just goes to show how many Lego Star Wars kits there are as well. The centrepiece is the Collector's Edition Millennium Falcon which contains 5,195 pieces and is 84cm long. WOW. I want one, though who knows were I'd put it. But that's just a minor detail that can be fixed later.

The pictures are gorgeous and show of the models and minifigs in all there glory. A must for all kids who like Star Wars, even us big ones ...

Short Reviews

• David Wellington - Monster Island The world has been taken over by zombies. Join a UN Weapons Inspector and a team of heavily armed Somalian school girls as they take on the zombie horde in New York City. A great, fun read that flies along. Full of gore, violence and zombie mayhem.
• Erich von Manstein - Lost Victories The memoirs of one of Nazi Germany's greatest Field Marshal's. Well written and focuses on the military decisions made by von Manstein. Interesting for what it includes, discussions about Hitler as military leader, and what it leaves out, Manstein's Jewish background and his support for extermination orders in Russia.
• Peter H Wilson - Europe's Tragedy. A History of the Thirty Years War Wilson has written a very comprehensive history that shows a depth of scholarship and interest in the subject. This tome is full of detail and can be a little overwhelming in parts. All up though I found it to be an interesting read on a subject I didn't know much about.
• Batman: The Wrath This great little series deals with Batman as he fights his opposite self. A cop-killer who is as calculating and well trained as Batman himself, a man known as the Wrath. Great writing and art combine to make this a fine read.

Christianity

Diarmaid MacCulloch has undertaken a massive task, which is to write a history of Christianity. The result is the large (all 1,161 pages of it) A History of Christianity. While the title may be unimaginative the book itself is very readable.

Like it or not, the history of the Christian Church is the history of the Western World and MacCulloch shows there is a lot to discuss. Especially when your book puts itself forward as a global history of Christianity. MacCulloch discusses the big events in Europe but also looks at Orthodox Christianity, the Church in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

There is a lot to get through in this book but anyone interested in the subject will find a well written book that is a comprehensive look at Christianity. Just don't expect a book that you can just pick up and skim through, the subject and the size does require some effort from the reader.

Short Reviews

• White King and Red Queen - Daniel Johnson. An interesting history of the Cold War played out at international chess tournaments. Looks at how chess became important to the USSR which meant that the USA then had to be good at it as well, international prestige was on the line!
• Battle Cry of Freedom - James M McPherson. A great one volume history of the American Civil War. Something of a classic now and highly recommended. Weaves together political, military and economic history.
• Nekropolis - Tim Waggoner. Matt Richter is a private eye in the city of Nekropolis. He's also a zombie and the town is run by vampires. While this owes a debt to Simon R Green's Nightside series, there is enough humour and atmosphere to set it apart. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
• The Folding Knife - K J Parker. This is the story of a mistake. A mistake made by a great man Bassiano Severus. Parker is a wonderful writer and this story just enforces that fact. Well worth reading.
• Senna versus Prost - Malcolm Folley. An interesting look at an intense sporting rivalry. As a kid I loved watching Senna drive and I really enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at these two very different, yet also quite similar, men. For fans of motor sport.
• Bad Science - Ben Goldacre. I urge everyone to read this book. Goldacre looks at fads, health scares and pharmaceutical companies. Along the way you will learn a lot about running a proper scientific trial and Goldacre will give you the tools and knowledge to spot bad science for yourself.
• Rommel's Desert War - Martin Kitchen. A detailed account of Rommel's campaigns in North Africa in World War II. Marred by the authors problem with the postwar perception of Rommel as a 'military genius'. Goes out of his way to run Rommel down, without taking into account that hindsight is a wonderful thing. Heavily researched and overall well written.
• Hannibal - Theodore Agault Dodge. Recounts the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage. Written in 1891 by a veteran of the American Civil War. Fun read even if it is hagiography. Lots of maps and line drawings.

Guadalcanal

Reading first hand accounts of battles is a two edged sword. On the one hand the author has a unique insight into what went on, but on the other can get bogged down in the minutiae of what they did. Robert Leckie in Challenge For The Pacific. The Bloody Six-Month Battle of Guadalcanal never falls into the second of these problems.

As a marine of the First Marine Division Leckie was in the thick of the fighting on Guadalcanal, but he never lets that overpower his enthralling description of the campaign. Leckie gives equal time to Japanese and American Admirals as well as marines and Japanese infantrymen as he builds his detailed picture of what happened in this crucial campaign of the Pacific War.

Overall this book was an amazing read. Leckie has a deft hand and is able to let the facts speak for themselves but is also not afraid to let a dry humour come through as well. After finishing this book I felt that I had learnt a lot about the battle and now realise why it was such a big deal.

(On a separate note viewers of The Pacific may recognise the name Robert Leckie, or 'Lucky' as he was called by his squad mates, as being one of the main point of view characters in the series.)