The Battle of the Atlantic

Well, I did say I'd read three, didn't I? :) This was the most recent one I read, in fact, I've only just finished it. Admittedly, I have read an awful lot of other books in the period between the book I just reviewed and this one that I haven't written about yet, but I think this one is worth posting about. Just to clarify, this book is by Bernard Ireland.

First off, I have two complaints that could easily have been rectified with a little forethought, problems that are particularly unjustifiable because Pen and Sword is supposed to be a military history specialist. There were absolutely no footnotes, endnotes, or even a short bibliography. In short, although the blurb claims it draws on a wealth of source information, there is absolutely no evidence that this is the case. There aren't even suggestions for further reading. The only sources given were a number of statistical charts and tables (which I confess I rather ignored, as they interrupted the flow of the writing, and the information was also given in the text). The second complaint is this: typos. Not a huge number, certainly not as many as I'm liable to make in a first draft, but again something that I think is somewhat inexcusable and could be rectified with decent proofreading. One or two made sentences hard to understand as the grammar was dodgy, the rest were just irritating.

That aside, I have a mixed response to the book. It was, again according to the blurb, supposed to be somewhat revisionist, suggesting that the Battle of the Atlantic was never really up in the air. In fact, the suggestion seemed more that after America entered the war the ultimate result of the Battle of the Atlantic was never in real doubt, something which I certainly wouldn't class as all that revisionist. The main reason I got the book out the library was because I was expecting a nicely controversial, well-argued alternative to what we've been given in class (to be fair to John, he has told us about the alternative view point but I agree that the Battle of the Atlantic could have been decisive prior to America's entry into the War). Instead, I found a book that was mostly of mediocre quality, did not talk all that much about Ultra (again something touted in the blurb which attracted me to the book), and had an over reliance on acronyms, which you were told about once and which then popped up much later in the book when you couldn't quite remember what they stood for. The referral to Germany as 'the enemy' was also confusing, as in some contexts it sounded at first like the author was talking about Britain as Germany's enemy. Certainly there was nothing all that new in the first few chapters, although the narrative was quite interesting and I determined to finish the book.

I was glad that I finished it, it must be said. The last three chapters were excellent, covering the end of the war (these chapters being significantly longer than the chapters in the previous book, I know three chapters doesn't really sound like a great deal) in the Atlantic, after the battle was technically won. The use of aircraft is covered excellently, something I hadn't realised was lacking in the BBC version. In fairness, the BBC version did not cover this period of the campaign in any sort of detail at all. The new technologies and the German attempts to counter them were well written, and the hunting down of u-boats was, again, something that fell outside the scope of the previous books I'd read. In short, while the first part of the book was mediocre, I found the second part particularly fascinating. However, on the basis of the flaws mentioned above, I would still recommend the BBC book above this one, for the simple reason that the main part of the campaign is better covered in the other book, with only the ending being well covered in this one. And, of course, there is still the issue that not a single source for this information is given.

In short, the blurb did an excellent job of making me want to read the book, but most of it was average rather than outstanding. The omission of any references and the typos could, I'm sure, be easily rectified to improve the book in general, but the writing was, to be honest, not as great as in the BBC account of the same title. I was disappointed with all but the last few chapters, which gave a detail and balance that I had previously been unaware with, in terms of how the ultimate hunting down and persecution of u-boats was conducted. Flawed, but still interesting. Perhaps worth getting out the library and just reading the last three chapters.

The Battle of the Atlantic

Yes, I know I reviewed a book with the same title not so long ago (well, okay, a fair while ago but I've not been posting for a while because I've been busy at college), but it seems to be a popular title. I have actually now read three books with this title, this being the second, and I would class this as the best history of the campaign as a whole from the three.

It's the BBC version, written by Andrew Williams, and proved not only informative with regard to both sides of the story, but also liberally filled with first hand accounts which brought the campaign to life. It's a well produced book, with good organisation of chapters, an excellent section on Enigma, and I didn't notice any typos which is always encouraging. Very readable and enjoyable, it was also informative enough that I used it as a reference source for an essay plan on British incompetence and lack of resources 1939-1941. I was particularly impressed with the focus on the intelligence battle and on the information about the u-boat service from crew members through to the command systems. An enjoyable read as a book and not just as a history book on a campaign you should probably know about, I was certainly impressed. Where it lacks is that it relegates the last two years of the war, after the battle was won, to a single chapter. Certainly understandable, it in no way detracts from the excellent narrative of Autumn 1939-Spring 1943.

In short, if you want to learn a little about the Battle of the Atlantic, a battle vital to keep Britain fighting in World War Two as the island was hugely dependent on imports both to feed the population and to provide raw materials for the war industry, this book is the right one to get. There're good explanations of the important technical points, and a welcome reluctance to use obfuscating terminology that makes you rely on a technical dictionary to understand the text. It's also an interesting read as a book.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (book)

An absolutely fantastic book, my only regret is that I didn't read it sooner. Oh, and that I haven't yet managed to find the next one along at the library. But other than those slight handicaps, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written, enjoyable, far more depth and intrigue than in the film. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to be writing an essay on this book, about how classical things (in this case, classical mythology) are still popular in modern books/movies. Either this or Clash of the Titans, which looks really exciting. Any rate, the characterisation was part of what made this book so great, along with a fascinating plot. Much better than the movie, although I certainly enjoyed it. To be honest, I would recommend you watch the film first so that the book doesn't spoil the film--the book's too good to be spoilt :).

Bloody April

Bloody April: Slaughter in the skies over Arras 1917 is an absolutely fantastic book. Gripping, well argued and with a great use of primary sources to build the arguements, it depicts how 'Bloody April' when the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) suffered huge percentage losses primarily due to using inadequate machinery while still pursuing an aggressive policy were not the result of 'lions led by donkeys', but rather the losses were acceptable in the face of what they achieved. He describes an aspect of the air war that I previously knew little about--that of the photographic reconaissance missions and how this was crucial to the ground planners. He argues that it is important while looking at the air war to never forget that it was largely dictated by conditions and necessities created by the ground war and does a great job of putting it into context. In fact, if you're interested primarily in the land war of WWI I would still highly recommend this book as it puts the whole of Allied strategy in early 1917 under scrutiny and does not just deal with the RFC but the linked issues of gunnery and ground offensives. The dogfights are covered within the larger picture, but I suppose if you're looking for a book primarily on the scout fighters, that's not the largest portion of the book. However, it does give a good explanation of the procurement of aircraft (they must have been so angry that striking workers delayed new aeroplanes significantly and meant that pilots had to go up with inferior aircraft), and dogfights are described in the words of those who flew in them, as well as the growing number of kills attained by the Red Baron, the problems with claims made by pilots (apparently, the Germans were far better at checking kills than the British and many British aces may have had somewhat inflated scores while the Red Baron's kills have almost all been matched up with losses from the RFC). In short, there's a very comprehensive coverage of just about every aspect of the RFC and the RNAS during early 1917 in the Arras sector.

Not only, however, is this a book with a good line of argument and a good use of supporting evidence, it's also utterly gripping as a reading book. I read it in (pretty much) one sitting on the ferry back from France, and apparently my mum tried to tell me that we were sailing past some battleships but I was so engrossed I wasn't even aware of this. It's not often that non-fiction is quite that unputdownable, and while I suspect the fact that I do have a greater than normal interest in this period played a part, it cannot be denied that this is a great book. Even if you're not particularly into aircraft. Balanced and enjoyable.

The Battle of the Atlantic

A well written and interesting account of the battle, it had one major flaw. Admittedly, it wasn't really the books fault--the information was only declassified after this book was published--but it does highlight the problems of using books published only a short time after the events they describe (I guess I count fifteen years after the end of WWII a short time in this case). In fact, if there's a more recent edition with an extra chapter or so and some modification to the rest of the text, I would highly recommend getting it. The classified information absent from this book was the cracking of the Enigma code, which had a huge impact upon the Battle of the Atlantic. In this account, the use of Enigma was hidden under that of High Frequency Direction Finding equipment or Huff-duff, which enabled u-boats using their radios to be detected. As radio was a key part of the wolf pack tactics, it was obviously of use, but the ship-based ones were difficult to use and not introduced until later in the war.

It describes in detail the tactics used by both sides, and illustrates with interesting examples of convoys sunk in convoy. A great book, with the exception that it's not quite complete. Read in conjunction with a book on the Enigma code (like Station X, more on that in a sec or two), it does give a useful account of the Battle of the Atlantic--one of the most vital campaigns in WWII. Without success in the Atlantic, Britain would be starved out of the war, without success in the Atlantic, Britain could not be turned into an oversized military camp prior to D-Day as there was no way troops could be sent across an insecure Atlantic. Thus, without the Allies winning the Battle of the Atlantic, Britain would have been completely unable to fight on. Interestingly at the start of the war, despite the success achieved by German u-boats in WWI, nobody seemed to grasp that the u-boats would be a threat once more. The British believed that the use of convoys (introduced this time right at the start of the war, rather than when shipping losses all but crippled the country) and Asdic would nullify the threat posed by the u-boat, and Hitler didn't really seem that fussed about the Navy at all and particularly not about the u-boat arm. It was only when he saw the spectacular success of the sinking of the Royal Oak in harbour that he allocated a greater amount of money to build more u-boats.

A very disappointing model

Well, as you've maybe noticed I enjoy building model aircraft, and I'm a member of the official Airfix Club. I came to build the second of the three club models I got sent this time, and am now incredibly disappointed with the quality of their offering. It's a Wildcat with Royal Navy markings, an interesting aircraft to build. However, the quality of the parts leaves something to be desired. The two fuselage halves do not fit properly, there is a random hole in the bottom, the holes for some pieces are not drilled in quite the right places. Worst of all though, the kit did not have the clear parts for this model in it! And this is supposed to be their exclusive limitted edition kit. I was quite pleased with the Seafire that was the first of the three models I built, it looks rather impressive although the hook mechanism did not fit particularly well it only took a little sanding to get it in fine. In fact, the Seafire is probably one of the most professional looking models I've built. But the quality of the Wildcat is incredibly disappointing, because not only are there all those faults with the pieces, there's a lot of extra cack on all the pieces too which has to be peeled off. So I'm quite disappointed, as I won't be able to finish it properly. I might have to build it with battle damage, in fact as I don't have a cockpit cover it would be impossible not to. So maybe I give hte little man a parachute and have him dangle out the aircraft turned upside down with the cockpit blown off so he can escape... That could be quite an interesting one, but it shouldn't have to be done as the model should be decent enough to build it properly. I might write to Airfix and get them to send me the cockpit lid. Although it would be a good model to try out the battle damage techniques on since it's a bit naff...

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (film)

I don't often watch a film that's based on a book without having read the book, but the film looked so good and there weren't any copies left in the library that I couldn't risk missing it. So I went and saw it in half term (gosh, I really am behind--it's the Easter holidays now!) with my brother. Great film, judged separately from the book. If you've not read the book yet, I suggest you actually go and see the film first. It doesn't follow the book much at all, but it is a good film in its own right. Impressive graphics with the monsters, and I found the plot gripping given that I'd not read the book. Does have a rather different ending and middle than the book, and I really don't see how they'll swing it enough to film the second given the differences, plus they made a lot more of the romance (don't they always) which barely exists in the book. But like I said, it was an enjoyable film. Can you tell I don't review films as often as books? What do you write about, camera angles? Well, it seemed to flow fine, and I was peeved when it ended because I'd enjoyed it. The book (which I read later) was certainly better, but the film was enjoyable and probably more so because I'd not read the book.

The Lazarus Strain

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this book yet. I must be about a million bazillion books behind! Well, I'm in a bit of a productive mood just now, I might manage a couple more reviews tonight. And I've read several more by this author because I really enjoyed it.

A fascinating medical thriller, it features ex-Special Forces medic Stephan Dunbar in the slightly obscure government department SciMed. Its brief is to investigate problems involving science and/or medicine, as the police force cannot reasonably be expected to keep up to date with all the latest advances in science and medicine, and sometimes a spot of spare expertise is helpful. Fascinating twists and turns, along with a brilliant plot involving terrorists, biological weapons, animal rights activists, and a diabolical plot to wreak havoc with Western political systems. Added to a great main character who doesn't read like a cardboard cut out of a stereotypical hero, and plenty of action, it's a gripping read. Very glad I picked it up despite the fact I'd never read anything by him before--I don't often buy books if I've not read something by the author previously. I don't have the space any more to just buy anything that takes my fancy--it has to be something I'm likely to read again. But I took a chance because it sounded interesting, and I'm pleased to say the chance paid off.

Highly recommended, I've read a couple in the Steven Dunbar series and not yet been even slightly disappointed, although I've not tried any of the ones not in the series yet.

Operation Kill Ike

Okay, so it was another trashy novel that most English Lit teachers would turn their nose up at, but I enjoyed it. Wasn't feeling well, didn't want a complicated plot to follow, so I figured why not try the book I picked up from a market stall for 10p? Operation Kill Ike was not particularly politically correct in parts (the word 'wog' which caused quite a calamity when used off air was frequently used to describe a character), but it had the down to earth honesty that's quite nice to find in a thriller. The characters were all real, desperate characters, formed into a band called 'The Destroyers' in order to do stuff that you couldn't send normal troops to do. Good action, a more complicated plot than I expected... Goes to show that as with the Batman one, you just can't judge a book by its cover. I actually really enjoyed it, I'll be looking out for more books by the author. Unfortunately, books that you pick up for 10p tend to be books that're actually really hard to find because they're tatty little paperbacks that probably haven't been republished (can't imagine that they'd republish it, but you never know... Just checking on Amazon :) Oh! I've actually got some of his non-fiction! And there seems to have been a couple of the books republished in large print in 2003. So I might be in with a chance). Any rate, I have to recommend the book. And I should perhaps get round to reading a couple of his non-fiction books which I've bought but not read yet.

Batman: The Stone King

Yes. I read a Batman book. I actually picked it up at the same time as a couple of 'classics' and got a strange look from the librarian at my selection. Ended up managing about four pages of Jack Kerowack (or however you're supposed to spell that name), but absolutely loving the Batman book. Brilliant. I was actually nearly late for history because I was reading it in the library at college. I also (have to admit) was reading it before English, but hid it as soon as my teacher came in. I don't know whether her opinion of my status of 'well-read' would survive seeing me read what looks like a pretty trashy paperback based on a comic book. It was very well written, very exciting, and the characterisation was fantastic, particularly of Batman himself, but also of the other superheroes. I have to recommend this book, even if it does necessitate hiding it from English Lit teachers...

Batman is the only one of the superheroes who does not possess a superpower, only the power of his own determination which has made him strong. But when a new super villain rises with the sole intent of ending life as we know it and turning humanity into his slaves, Batman is the only member of the Justice League who escapes his clutches. With the help of an empath whose powers have suddenly taken a terrifying turn away from the familiarity of just reading people's emotions into seeing visions of the horror the Stone King wants to unleash, Batman has to not only rescue his colleagues, but stop an evil presence from the past coming to dominate once again. Action and characters are both fantastic, don't be put off by the fact that it's a novel based on a comic book. Highly recommended.

Blocking the Light

What's between you and the light today? On Thursday, I got my Dad to put up some model aircraft that I'd built. One of the ones I put up was given to me for Christmas by a friend. It started life filled with chocolates, which I ate, and now it's hanging from my ceiling. It's a lovely little biplane, and it looks really good hanging up there. However, while I was pointing to where I wanted my Dad to put them, I was being a bit incautious. It's now hanging between my ceiling light and my desk, so although I have a desk light the light on me is not great while I'm sat here. It's being blocked. The aircraft itself is great, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just the position I've put it in.

Sometimes life gets a bit like that. We have things that, in themselves, are fine, perhaps even great. But when we put them in the wrong place, they block out the light and leave us in shadow, unable to enjoy the full benefit of what God's got for us. I need to climb up on my ceiling and move it. There are sometimes things we need to do that in our life with. We've put them in the wrong place, and it's stopping us from enjoying the full fruits of life. So in order to get back into the full light, enjoying the full benefits of God's provision, God's grace and God's faithfulness, we need to shift them out the way. I'm going to be asking my Dad to help me, cos I'm not overly fond of clambering on things and waving my arms around. Maybe we all need to ask our Heavenly Dad to help us shift a couple of things about in our lives, in order to be able to see properly.

Oops...

I'm quite behind with book reviews. Well, more than quite behind. I've been reading a lot recently. As in, seven last week, then another four today and yesterday. Which is quite a lot of books to review. I don't know that I can physically manage to review that many books. I have an entire series to review (minus the most recent one which I've not yet got hold of) for goodness sake! Okay, admittedly that's only four books, but still. That was the oops part of my post.

Went to Lytham yesterday. And St Annes too, because they're basically next door to each other and St Annes has a really neat library. Lytham's a great place, have to say, and not just because I know a bunch of people who live there. For a start, there's the Windmill Bookshop just as you're heading into the town. I don't think I've ever seen a place quite so stuffed with books. No particular order to them, other than them being generally sorted into fiction, children's, and then the non-fiction was kinda sorted too. At least, most of the history stuff was together. Lytham itself is a nice place to walk around too. We stopped at a lovely cafe called the Source (there seems to be about a million cafes in Lytham...), had coffee/hot chocolate and cake (the coffee being for my parents, the hot chocolate and cake being for me :) ). Yeh, just generally had a nice day out. Oh, and visited the libraries, which somehow despite being technically smaller than the Harris library in Preston have contrived to get a better selection of books in. Or maybe that was more because I've read most of the interesting ones that the Harris has in. Any rate, there were good teenage sections in both libraries, so although I haven't taken out any stuff that was technically teenage for a while I've got a bunch out now to read, and some of it's really good. Then came home and read. First Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, next Act of Treason (not a teenage book, but very good all the same). Today was Changeling Blood Wolf and Fever Crumb (a prequel to the Mortal Engines series). I've still got a fair stack to go at though, so I might go and read some more... Then I'll have even more catching up to do, but never mind.

Dragon Keeper

Wow. That's my first statement, the only thing I can really think to say about this book. Wow. I was expecting a fantastic piece of fantasy, but Robin Hobb just gets better and better with every trilogy she releases. It was a stay up until two in the morning sort of book, despite the fact I wasn't feeling well, and was absolutely shattered. I couldn't bring myself to stop. The first one she's done in third person, but none of the richness of the characters is gone. Nor have the settings suffered. In fact, I expect this will be her greatest trilogy yet (though out of my love for Night Eyes and Fitz I have to say that the Farseer trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy are both awesome). But this just took the experience to a whole new level. It's in the same world, set after the Tawny Man trilogy, but it's a whole new set of characters. And wow. I know I keep saying that, I'm sorry, but if you read this book you will completely understand why I describe it as a wow book. It's a broader book than her others have been, spreading over a period of several years and encompassing a vast swathe of characters.

The dragons have hatched, the first set of dragons in living memory. But all is not well. They emerge from their cocoons as broken scraps of creatures, not a single one free from defects. And so they remain, sat at the bottom of a city. A handful of lives are picked out from the world in which they inhabit, lives that have been changed by the dragons.

Absolutely amazing. I can't recomend this book enough. Although I supply one warning (other than the fact that it'll keep you up until you've finished it). The third book of the trilogy is not out yet. The second has only just be released (though I've seen it in the Harris library! yay!). Actually, looking at Amazon, it appears that there might just be the two this time... Any rate, I'm convinced that Robin Hobb is just about the greatest fantasy author ever.

The Hurt Locker

I nearly missed a book club to go watch this film. In the end, the film club was postponed a week, so I managed to go to both. But I can say this now for certain, although I enjoyed the book club, the film was worth missing a week for. The Hurt Locker won a couple of Oscars, and it certainly deserved them. Probably the best war film I've ever watched. It felt real, from the intense moments of action, to the tension as bombs were defused, through the drinking and the characters' interactions to each other, right down to the ending. Loved it from start to finish, and I was really surprised when it finished. Fascinating and engaging, it dragged you right into the action and the tension during a long scene of silence, when the soldiers were trying to out wait insurgents, could've been cut with a knife. I was surprised by how many people there were at the film club to be honest--I wasn't expecting many others to go 'oh that's my sort of film', although to be fair I've never been before so I'd no base line to compare it to. But I loved this film and I'll certainly be watching it again. I believe the college library has a copy, I may have to reserve it for a weekend and enjoy it again.

Minor Rant

A while ago I believe I reviewed the book 8th Confession by James Patterson. I was grateful for the fact that the rather pointless side plot that has been going on through several of the books and involves Lindsay fancying two men at once was finally at a close. Having looked at the blurb for the ninth book, it appears this side show surfaces again. I can all but promise I won't be reading the newest one if that's what's going to happen. It's almost as annoying as the side plot in the otherwise brilliant (or at least, the three that I've read are otherwise brilliant) Steven Dunbar thrillers by Ken McClure (more on that later) which have a different and rather pathetic female character showing up in the side lines for the main character to talk to and express his frustration at the case with etc. Why is it that writers seem to think they need to throw in such an extensive side plot, which has nothing to do with the main thriller plot line? I can understand it, I suppose, in the Ken McClure ones. It really is just a side plot, and it's not too bad. But the James Patterson side plot is growing to ridiculous proportions. Enough already, just let Lindsay marry the man of her dreams and get on with life. Or stop wasting space on the romance side altogether. There does not have to be a love interest in every single story. I acknowledge freely that most books do have some sort of romantic thing going on in the sidelines, but do they really have to start leaping into bed with people at every turn?! Thinking about it, I will confess that I've only written one story which has absolutely no love interest for the main character. However, in the vast majority of my own books it does not take centre stage (except for the historical romance, for obvious reasons...).

I'm sick to death of James Patterson's obsession with sex. You find it in the vast majority of thriller books to be honest. And I can't even get away with just reading older books, because then you end up with really really pathetic women characters. So there we go. My rant about the state of thriller books is now over. But you can (I hope) see why I'm annoyed. When I started reading adult books--ran out of children's ones--I discovered that some of these books were in the adult section for a very good reason, and actually found it quite embarrassing. One thriller writer who has not used sex or even much romance (worries me that I can only think of one off hand... oh, no, I can think of two): Matthew Reilly, and David Gibbins. There we go. I said the rant was over... It is. Promise :)