This is my fifth overall flash history book, and my second from this author. So far I have read the histories o84 pages (Kindle) publication June 2015
This is my fifth overall flash history book, and my second from this author. So far I have read the histories of China, Cuba, and the USA in 50 events from one author (Henry Freeman) and from this author (Stephan Weaver) I read his 50-event chronicle of Russian history and now this one.
This is... meh. I'm fairly knowledgeable about British history, and yes, it is impossible to encapsulate the entirety of British history in 50 events, but there were several mistakes and typos in here that I found to be quite jarring.
I think flash history can be a fun way to introduce someone to the basics of history regarding this subject or that, but this particular one was not that well-written. It could have really used some polishing. 2/5 stars....more
This is a chonky book (about 800 pages for the paperback) that covers quite the range of topics in Africa. Not just the people or countries, we get a This is a chonky book (about 800 pages for the paperback) that covers quite the range of topics in Africa. Not just the people or countries, we get a fair amount of geography and biology as the author goes into pre-hominid Africa... it's honestly fascinating... the title of this book is Africa: A Biography of the Continent, and boy howdy, it REALLY is a biography of the continent.
I learned about some cool ancient African civlizations I had not heard of before and some surprising parts of African history and how it was tied to other parts of the world and such. This is defiitely a book for the history buffs, the subjects and histories in here are extensive.
It's by no means a complete, 100 percent history, but as someone who reads a lot of history books, I can say i'm happy to have purchased this for my personal library. It's a good jumping board if you want to learn more about a specific area of African history, and there's a lot to choose from! Like, there's all these wonderful African kingdoms/tribes/civilizations that all merit their own books, but this is a great introduction.
This book was published in 1997 and I read this in early 2025. There's a lot that has happened politically and geographically in Africa since the publication of this book so it would be interesting for the author to make commentary on that....more
I had to read this for class and it is... very dense. The best way to enjoy this book and learn from it is to NOT do all the exhaustive assignments thI had to read this for class and it is... very dense. The best way to enjoy this book and learn from it is to NOT do all the exhaustive assignments that the book recommends. I've seen other people rate this book poorly because of the work they had to do in class and I don't blame them.
This book is more enjoyable simply being read, with the assignments being optional if the readers finds one of the chapters particularly interesting and wants to study it more....more
This set of books by itself is a solid part of the Vampire Chronicles. Currently, as far as I know, there are now 14 or 15 books in the series, but thThis set of books by itself is a solid part of the Vampire Chronicles. Currently, as far as I know, there are now 14 or 15 books in the series, but the last few I read were pretty meh. This quartet can be read on its own, and represents some of Ms. Rice's better work. My favorite would have to be Queen of the Damned, but they're all pretty good (up to and including Blood and Gold)...more
I have mixed feelings about this series. Anne Rice started off so well with the first few novels, pulling us into a world with a realistic backstory fI have mixed feelings about this series. Anne Rice started off so well with the first few novels, pulling us into a world with a realistic backstory for vampires as well as scientific laws governing the weaknesses and strengths of vampires. I think that's one reason these books were so popular back then, because of the well-developed/reasoned backstory. When the stories branched out to explore other vampires (i.e. Pandora, Armand, Vittorio) I found that interesting as well. For me, the last really good book was Blood and Gold.
Blackwood Farm is when things started to fall apart, and Blood Canticle was just a huge clusterfuck of wtfery between the Vampires, Mayfair Witches, and Taltos.
Since Blood Canticle, which Ms. Rice had intended to be the last Vampire book at that time (when she was going through her Christian phase) there have been two new Vampire books, centering on Lestat, Atlantis, and aliens. Yes, you heard right. Personally, as far as Ms. Rive's Vampire books go, I think you should stop at Blood and Gold, but that's up to you....more
Ordinarily, for a book I enjoyed so much, I would give it five stars. The Legend of the Twins was actually my favorite story arc in Queen of the DamneOrdinarily, for a book I enjoyed so much, I would give it five stars. The Legend of the Twins was actually my favorite story arc in Queen of the Damned, and the Twins are two of my favorite characters. Infact, I'd say that this book is my favorite in the entire Vampire Chronicles.
But the reason I take away a star is due to the abrupt ending. It is clear that Akasha is deluded in her thinking, and that what she believes is good for mankind is not. But I wonder after 6000 years of sleep, she would have the wisdom to see a better path, unless these 6000 years spent in silence (except for exceedingly rare occasions) served to warp and twist her mind. This in itself is an entirely believable character.
However, the very ending left me flat. I had to read the last chapter several times to make sure that I hadn't missed anything. I wish that Ms. Rice had put more of Mekare in future books, perhaps learning about modern society and getting used to her new role as Queen. The ending was far too abrupt and not well-thought out for a tale that was incredible....more
M.M. Strawberry
>
Books:
5th-millennium-bce
(11)
Loading...
