2024

Missive #382 Published 7 November 2024

The author’s son wrote an introduction to the book’s edition that I read explaining his father’s motivation for writing One Man’s West. The son says his father was “doing more than creating a personal memoir. He is describing a period of time and a way of life that he felt was disappearing rapidly yet was worth attempting to preserve.”

Missive #381 Published 4 November 2024

India, 1803. Sergeant Richard Sharpe witnesses a murderous act of treachery by an English officer who has defected from the East India Company to join the mercenary army of the Mahratta Confederation. In the hunt for the renegade Englishman, penetrates deep into the enemy's territory where he faces temptations more subtle than he has ever dreamed of.

A another historical fiction novel by a master of the genre. This is only the second book in the series so I have a lot more to read.

Missive #379 Published 2 November 2024

Hector Lynch and his companions are in the Caribbean, diving to plunder a wreck on the notorious Vipers reef, when they are spotted by a passing Spanish ship. To prevent news of their activities getting out, they cripple the Spanish vessel by burning her sails — an act of piracy — and then head for their base in Tortuga. There Hector's wife Maria awaits, for she and Hector are planning a better life for themselves — this time on the right side of the law.

This is another entertaining book in the series with one more remaining. My only criticism is the author has worn the play rather thin with how many times Hector gets locks up and manages to escape.

Missive #377 Published 31 October 2024

After twelve gloriously scandalous Flashman novels, the incomparable George MacDonald Fraser gives us a totally hilarious tale of derring-do from a different era.

This is an entertaining book but not 'totally hilarious' as touted by the book promo. I liked the Flashman humor better.

Missive #376 Published 29 October 2024

I didn't like this book very much. It is autobiographical but only up to just before the Civil War in Spain and WWII. He made a passing reference to his friendship dissolution with Hemingway but did not indicate that it was due to a dispute over the Civil War. The Best Times were the years when he was a Socialist and his books were held in high esteem. After leaving Spain he moved to the right and his writing was no longer looked upon favorably by his old friends or by publishers. This was the last book published before his death four years later; perhaps he planned on a second memoir book that covered the rest of his life?

Missive #374 Published 26 October 2024

Adams has a tendency to name-drop constantly without fully fleshing everything out to the reader. As such, while reading this, it got to a point where I simply couldn't keep track of all the characters and locations (many of which are just mentioned without being further explained or explored anyway)…An enjoyable instalment, but just consistently "pretty good" without reaching the heights of the first two.