A couple of weeks ago a marketing bod from Olympia Publishing emailed me with a list of recent books to see if I wanted to read and review any of them. I asked for three that looked interesting. I’ve now read them and present to you, dear readers, the reviews. I’ve also been looking at the Olympia Publishing page, since I’ve never heard of them before I thought I’d also give you my opinion on the quality of the books and anything I’ve gleaned from reading their website.
Archives
Review: ‘When Science Collapses’, by Christopher Hivner
Author website here
Publisher’s website here
Publication Date: 31st December 2016
Published By: Writing Knights Press
ISBN: 9781541337237
Format: Paperback chapbook
Price: $8.00
My Review
Christopher Hivner contacted me a week or so ago, and asked if I’d review his chapbook, When Science Collapses and I agreed. I do enjoy reading poetry now and then. The book arrived very quickly, yesterday while I was packing my house up to move in two weeks. It managed to survive the packing process so I’ve had a chance to read it earlier than I expected.
I enjoyed the poems, although poetry isn’t my speciality. They mix personal experience with scientific concepts for affecting results. A small book of only 23 poems, each poem causes the reader to stop and ponder the connections between life events and scientific concepts.
3/5
Review: ‘Six for the Tolpuddle Martyrs’, by Alan Gallop
Published by: Pen & Sword History
Published: 5th June 2017
ISBN: 9781526712509
Price: £14.99
Blurb
In 1834 six farm labourers from the Dorset hamlet of Tolpuddle fell foul of draconian Victorian laws prohibiting ‘assembly’. Today the names of George Loveless and his brother James, Thomas Standfield and his son John, James Brine and James Hammett, who made up the Tolpuddle Martyrs, stand high on the roll of British men who have been victimised for their beliefs but stood steadfast in the face of persecution. They refused to be persuaded to betray their principles either by the promise of release or by transportation to Australia. The Tolpuddle men fought to win their freedom sustained by their passionate conviction that their sacrifices would not be in vain. Their experience and example have proved to be an inspiration for future generations and they remain icons of pioneering trade unionism.
The Author has thoroughly researched their story and the result is a fascinating and revealing re-examination of this legendary saga. Their triumph over legal persecution and abuses of power over 180 years ago is told afresh in this comprehensive and attractively illustrated book which delves deeper into their story than ever before.
More details here
Review: ‘The Crane Bag’, by Joanna van der Hoeven
I was sent this book by the publisher in return for an honest review.
(My reviews are always honest and I’ll frying pan anyone who slanders me by suggesting otherwise).
Published by: Moon Books
Publication Date: 22nd June 2017
Format: Paperback
Price: £6.99
I.S.B.N.: 978-1-78535-573-8
Review: ‘Digging in the Dark’, by Ben W. Johnson
I was sent this book by the publisher in return for an honest review.
(My reviews are always honest; I’ll bury alive anyone who slanders me by suggesting otherwise)
Published by: Pen & Sword History
Publication date: 5th June 2017
I.S.B.N.: 9781473878174
Format: Paperback
Price: £12.99
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Digging-in-the-Dark-Paperback/p/13485
Review: ‘Women at War in the Classical World’, by Paul Chrystal
Published by: Pen & Sword Press
Publication Date: 20th March 2017
I.S.B.N.: 9781473856608
Price: £25.00
Format: Hardback
Blurb
Paul Chrystal has written the first full length study of women and warfare in the Graeco Roman world. Although the conduct of war was generally monopolized by men, there were plenty of exceptions with women directly involved in its direction and even as combatants, Artemisia, Olympias, Cleopatra and Agrippina the Elder being famous examples. And both Greeks and Romans encountered women among their ‘barbarian’ enemies, such as Tomyris, Boudicca and Zenobia.
More commonly, of course, women were directly affected by war as non-combatant victims, of rape and enslavement as spoils of war and this makes up an important strand of the author’s discussion. The portrayal of female warriors and goddesses in classical mythology and literature, and the use of war to justify gender roles and hierarchies, are also considered. Overall it is a landmark survey of how war in the Classical world affected and was affected by women.
Available: here
Review: ‘The Path of Paganism’ by John Beckett
Published By: Llewellyn Worldwide
Publication Date: 8th May 2017
Edition: Paperback
I.S.B.N.: 9780738752051
Price: $19.99 (US)
Blurb
The Path of Paganism provides practical advice and support for living an authentic Pagan life in our mainstream Western culture. Witches, druids, polytheists, and other Pagans will discover an experiential guide to the foundations and practices of these deeply meaningful traditions.
For John Beckett, practicing Paganism means more than adopting a set of books, tools, and holidays. Practicing Paganism means cultivating a way of seeing the world and your place in it. It means challenging the assumptions of mainstream society, keeping those that prove true and helpful while discarding those that show themselves to be false. It means building a solid foundation from which you can explore the nature of the universe, the gods, your self, and your community while learning to strengthen your relationship with all of them.
