Martin J. Dougherty

I have read a lot of books in this genre (shorts 100 about battles, guns, tanks, uniforms, aircrafts and so on) and while some were bad and most were goodish, this is clearly the jewel of its kind. First, it is not dumbed down for dummies, as I see the nowadays trend grows - so it dares to lose some potential readers (the mentioned dummies) but manages to not annoy the regulars. Second, though using only 2 pages for a battle, it still manages to convey plenty of data, and, most crucial, the show more really significant facts, supported with maps, general and tactical, well-selected pictures and snippet-descriptions and illustrations of relevant units, weapons or generals. Therefore, the whole image is way bigger than just the article itself. Even further, every battle has an excellent ”Battle Facts” abstract (who, what, where, when, why, outcome) - which in a few lines summarizes and irons into the readers memory the essence of the battle. show less

As a teenager, I was enthralled with wargaming. Though I outgrew the tendency of boys to glorify battle, I never did outgrow my interest in military strategy. Well, here is a book for battle aficionados, with a Biblical setting.

I picked this book up from the bargain shelf at a Barnes and Noble, and really, it’s a fun read. It covers battles in Palestine from 1400 BC to 73 AD. Some are in the Christian Bible and some are not. For example, the Seleucid wars will be found only in the Catholic show more Bible, which includes the deuterocanonical books about the Maccabees, and the fall of Jerusalem is predicted by Jesus but happens after the time frame of the Bible.

The authors researched the battles from multiple sources, and do not give the Biblical accounts more credence than are warranted. Biblical exaggerations are toned down in many places. However, it was still a challenge for the authors, as it’s very difficult to know how much to trust each historical source. The battle description of Masada, for example, includes Josephus’s story of mass suicide, and the battles in the time of Joshua presume a very large invading army from the exodus of Egypt.

Twenty different battles are narrated, and each battle highlights the who, what, when, where and why, before presenting the full story, accompanied by an easy-to-read battle diagram.

Whether you use this book as a coffee table conversation piece (it’s very beautiful, with full-color pictures), as a reference book, or read it all the way through as a military history of Palestine, the way I did, I’m sure you’ll be satisfied. show less

The Wars of the Roses by Martin J Dougherty is an informative overview of this tumultuous and pivotal period.

This is not, nor do I think it intended to be, an exhaustive history of the period. There are many excellent books on the details and the rationales behind the various machinations. What this book offers, and where it succeeds, is an outline of what happened fleshed out with general explanations of reasons as well as some general background to the culture and norms of the time. If you show more thought a book just over 200 pages was going to go into detail about every nuance, every player in the many conflicts that took place over about a thirty plus year span, well, I don't know what to say. That expectation is unreasonable and I think, based on the complaints I saw, disingenuous. Even the family trees are accurate, can't help some don't know how to read when a person is made a ward of a person and thus, while not blood, is indeed a branch spliced onto that tree. So much for "untrained" librarians.

While the bibliography is not extensive, anyone wanting to know more can certainly start with what is there and, armed with the information in the book, find plenty of academic works that delve more deeply into whatever aspect interests them. As for the GOT connection, if that is the main reason for reading or your only point of comparison, well, remember, this was just one of Martin's influences for the works, no one is trying to "usurp" anything. Take a pill of chill.

I would recommend this to readers who have little to no knowledge of the period, which includes those with only a GOT connection. Those who studied this in school will probably enjoy the recap but likely won't learn a whole lot new. It is, however, an accessible and pleasant read so worth the time.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Standing Together is the sequel to Standing Alone. The War for British Independence from the European Federation rages on. The Euros still occupy the southern half of England but the valiant fighting of the Brits has convinced the Americans to join their cause. But are the British dumping their Euro overlords only to be annexed by the US? The Nordic League offers Lady Elizabeth Sinclaire another option: League Protectorate. Meanwhile, "Shotgun" Mike Halsey runs a special operations unit show more answerable only to Sinclaire. And when she can drink enough whisky (or even whiskey) to drown out her guilt, she'll send him out on another suicide mission because she has no other choice.

Once again, Dougherty provides a story that's heavy on the action—even more than the first book—and bound to please military sci-fi fans. Heck, even if you like contemporary military stories or you're a World War II buff, you'll like this story. Even though meks—that tank with arms and legs on the book's cover—figure prominently in most of the battles, the tech talk is not far enough out there to alienate these audiences. There's still enough dogfights, naval battles, and infantry action to go around. Dougherty, a military history buff and defense analyst, knows his stuff. I would not be surprised if he ran war games in his basement just to validate the battles that appear in the book.

There isn't any new character development for Halsley or Sinclaire. They're the same blokes they were in the first book. Some minor characters who survived the first book make appearances and receive some more time in the spotlight. The good guys fight valiantly; the bad guys twirl their mustaches. There's little time for introspection or reflection. People are dying after all. One exception is an interesting exchange between Halsley and the Napoleonic General Lavelle during a ceasefire that stirs the sub-plot regarding Halsley's past. Dougherty also offers glimpses into the political machinations of the day; stuff that makes Halliburton's foray in Iraq seem like a picnic. But these serve more as hints of what's to come in future installments of the series.

One unfortunate move that was made was the inclusion of a Forward and Introduction. While the Forward contained some interesting information about military philosophy, I think it could've been left out or saved for an "Afterward". It delays the reader from getting into the action, which starts in the Prologue. The Introduction all but summarizes the events that took place in Standing Alone. While adding another delay for readers, it might also discourage them from picking up a copy of that book, which would be a shame.

Yes, my skepticism regarding an ascendent European Federation still stands, but it was easy enough to set aside and just enjoy Standing Together for what it is: good military fiction.

This review also appears at the New Podler Review of Books. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less