This week, I’m featuring my review of Pope Joan, the highly acclaimed novel by Donna Woolfolk Cross. I read it before my trip to Rome last year, but only now got around to putting my thoughts to the page. Better late than never, I suppose. Pope Joan is a fictional account based on the legend…
On the heels of my review of The Empty Throne, I’m offering my review of the next novel in Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series, Warriors of the Storm. The novel is another excellent installment in Cornwell’s ongoing saga about the Saxons and the Vikings in early ninth-century England. Reading Warriors of the Storm, I could…
Earlier this year, I finished The Empty Throne by Bernard Cornwell, the eighth installment in his newly renamed Last Kingdom series about England’s struggles against the Vikings in the late eighth and early ninth centuries. Here’s my review after this image of the book’s cover. When I saw the book’s title, I had assumed the…
After this season’s first episode, I wrote that “On Black Sails, the Seeds of Treasure Island are Beginning to Grow.” Having watched the season finale twice, I think my initial observation was quite accurate. Above all things, this season was about the transformation of Long John Silver into the notorious pirate of Robert Louis Stevenson’s…
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t see last week’s ending on Black Sails coming. Not at all. The queen of Nassau? I had no idea what to expect when Eleanor encountered Charles Vane in Nassau’s dungeon, and I wasn’t too surprised by her initial reaction. But by the end of the episode…
Saint Patrick’s Day is one of my all-time favorite holidays, so today I’m re-posting an article about Stephen R. Lawhead’s Patrick: Son of Ireland. I had little appreciation for the story of Saint Patrick until I began my research for Enoch’s Device. That novel begins in Derry and tells the story of two Irish monks who try to prevent…
With just two episodes left in the third season of Black Sails, I thought I’d revisit the predictions I made after the season’s premiere. The legend has been born! I was right about a few things. The seeds of Treasure Island are indeed beginning to grow and Silver has begun his transformation into the Long…
I’m pleased to once again feature a guest review by Bill Brockman. Bill is an avid reader of historical fiction, but he’s also devoted his life to public service as a Battalion Chief of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and a 31-year part-time airman in the Air National Guard. Here’s his take on this new…
I loved the season premiere of Vikings on History last week. But after the episode, I began thinking: Has Vikings started to mirror Norse Mythology? How close is Ragnar to his own Ragnarok? For anyone who’s seen the show, Vikings often makes reference to Norse Mythology, which was a primary religion for Scandinavians before their…
With Black Sails nearing its season midpoint, we have the return of Vikings on History to keep us going until the April premiere of the next season of Game of Thrones. The Official Season 4 Trailer hints at a ton of conflict, some of which should arise as Rollo tries to found what will become Normandy in France, with a…
Eleanor Guthrie, played by Hannah New, has always been one of my favorite characters on Black Sails. Last season, she sided with Flint, hoping his voyage to return the kidnapped daughter of Charleston’s governor would pave the way for Nassau’s legitimacy. She also betrayed a few people along the way, including her ex-lover, Charles Vane,…