Realm Of Ice And Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, And History's Greatest Arctic Rescue, Levy - B

          This book "is a serial history of the aerial explorations to reach the summit of the earth."  The first attempt was made by Chicago newspaperman and explorer, Walter Wellman, whose dirigible, America, set sail from Spitsbergen on Sept. 2, 1907. The vessel had been built in Paris, shipped north by sea, and assembled in the Arctic. The amount of supplies and equipment Wellman gathered to build, fuel, and protect the 185 foot long dirigible massively exceeded the usual sail and sled approach to polar exploration. Within hours of its start on the 700 mile trip to the North Pole, America crashed on a glacier. Wellman, his men, and the airship were rescued and returned to Spitsbergen. Two years later, the airship again failed the first day. This time, the crew settled into the sea and were rescued by a Norwegian ship. Later that summer, both Cook and Peary claimed the Pole, and Wellman knew his quest was over. His last attempt at fame was a trip across the Atlantic that foundered about 1,000 miles east of the US coast. He was acclaimed for the longest flight in history.

           Legendary explorer Raold Amundsen announced in 1924 that he would fly from Norway to the Pole and on to Alaska. On May 21, 1925, the six men of the Amundsen-Ellsworth Expedition took off in two custom built planes. One faltered about 150 miles from the Pole. The entire team returned to Spitsbergen in the other plane. They were soon back with a 350 foot rigid dirigible built in Italy and renamed Norge. Also, they faced competition from Americans, Floyd Bennett and Richard Byrd. Byrd and Bennett took off first, and returned 15 hours later claiming the Pole. Under the command of the Italian designer and builder Umberto Nobile, the Norge circled 90 north on May 12, 1926. After seventy-one hours and 2,700 miles, they landed in Alaska. Amundsen then announced his retirement. He and one of his colleagues, Omar Wisting, had been to 90 south fifteen years previously.  Many feel that Peary's proofs were inadequate, and that Amundsen actually was first to both Poles.

         Umberto Nobile, desirous of fame and glory for Italy, convinced his government to build the Italia and finance an Arctic exploration. The 350 foot dieigible safely flew to the Arctic, took a preliminary flight along the Soviet coast, and on May 24, 1928,  circled the Pole for a few hours. A day later, multiple malfunctions in difficult weather caused the Italia to crash. The survivors rigged a radio and sent out an SOS. Two weeks later, their radio received the response that an Italian naval vessel was on the way. 

        Amundsen felt, based on the explorers creed, he too should search.  A crew of six took off in a large flying boat on June 18th, and the greatest polar explorer of all time was never seen again. The Last Viking was gone, and all of Norway mourned.

       Soon, a Swedish pilot landed and began ferrying the Italia survivors back to Spitsbergen. On July 12th, a Soviet icebreaker finished the task. Mussolini's government harshly criticized and censured Nobile. Only in 1945 was his rank and reputation restored. Nonetheless, the era of polar exploration by airship was over. Ironically, a century later, various entrepreneurs are building and testing massive modern dirigibles. Fun read.

The Dark Hours, Jordan - B+

        Julia Harte retired from the Garda as a Detective Inspector five years ago and moved to a quiet town on the Irish Sea. She is known throughout Ireland for her solving of a serial killer case thirty years ago. When a copycat case arises in Cork, she and her old Chief Inspector are called in. The scene flashes back and forth between 2024 and 1994. Julia remains haunted by the events surrounding the case decades ago, when the killer murdered her partner, put her in the hospital and came close to killing her husband. This time, the patterns are the same and thankfully, are satisfactorily resolved. This is an excellent and recommended read, a page turner focused on fear.

War of the Roses - Ravenspur: The Rise of the Tudors, Iggulden - B+

        In 1470, with significant help from the King of France, the Lancastrian forces head back to England, where they once again free Henry VI from the Tower. Warwick leads the army when they go north to find Edward IV. Caught unawares, Edward and a handful of men flee to the Channel and on to Flanders. The following spring, he returns with 1600 mercenaries, lands at Ravenspur, and marches inland. He deftly avoids Warwick at Coventry, and races to, and enters, London. Edward once again imprisons Henry, has himself crowned a second time, and returns to the field to fight Warwick. They clash at Barnet just north of London. Edward of York prevails again, and this time Warwick is a casualty. Edward IV sets out after Queen Margaret and the Prince of Wales, who have just retuned from France. At Tewkesbury, he prevails as his forces kill many, including the Prince. In London, Henry VI dies upon hearing of his son's demise. York has prevailed and England is his. 

      Eleven years later, Edward IV keels over at a party at Westminster. Before he dies, he asks his brother Richard to look after his sons. Richard moves young Edward and Richard to the Tower for their protection. He declares them to be illegitimate, soon the princes mysteriously die, and Richard is now king. Within a year, his wife and only son are dead, and France decides one more time to interfere. The slimmest of Lancaster hopes is Henry Tudor, a distant descendant, through his mother, of John of Gaunt. They meet at Bosworth Field and Richard III falls in battle.  Thus, Henry VII brings peace and the Tudor line to England. Magnificent historical novel and series.

Lost Souls: Soviet Displaced Persons and the Birth of the Cold War, Fitzpatrick - B

               This is the story of the approximately one million Soviet refugees who refused to return home and the Allied resettlement of them outside of Europe. They were known as Displaced Persons (DPs). Almost all came from the states incorporated into the USSR under the 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, primarily the three Baltic countries. Also included were many stateless Russians, those who had fled after the 1917 Revolution, and Poles whose communities were made part of Belorussia and Ukraine. Additionally, British hostility to Jewish immigration to Palestine added tens of thousands to those stranded in Germany. Eventually, UNRRA, which attempted to manage the millions of displaced, was succeeded by the International Refugee Organization whose mission was resettlement not repatriation. The IRO was American managed, focused on refugees, and in was opposition to the Soviets, who vehemently insisted on the return of all of its citizens. The establishment of Israel and the passage of a US law welcoming refugees, opened the gates for many to leave. The US and Israel joined Canada, Brazil, and Australia as the optimum destinations. As the Cold War began to take form, the West stopped looking at what people did during the war, and focused on their anti-communist beliefs. Indeed, "a principled repudiation of communism" became mandatory. There clearly were many who had collaborated with the Germans, and worse, who told tales and escaped the continent. As they settled in around the world, a few opted to return to Europe and decades later, many were extradited as war criminals. All in all, the UNRRA and IRO programs for the DPs were a success.

               

Mask of the Deer Woman, Dove - B-

               Carrie Starr, a Chicago detective, seeks revenge on a drug dealer after her daughter's death. There is no proof; nonetheless, the CPD asks her to resign and leave the state. She winds up as the marshal on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma where her dad grew up. Completely without resources, drinking constantly and smoking weed daily, she is faced with a missing young woman. As she begins to dig, she realizes she's dealing with a serial killer. Facing her own demons and a very deep prejudice against outsiders, she pulls it off.

The Last Equation of Isaac Severy, Jacobs - C

            Sitting at her grandfather's funeral, Hazel opens a letter she just received from him telling her that he would be murdered and that she should destroy everything in his office except one equation. As it turns out, the great mathematician had devised an equation with the ability to predict events in the chaos of the world. Hazel delivers it to the right person, an Italian professor who will use it to do good. This very confusing debut novel peaked in the prologue.

Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years, Fredriksen

                 The origin of Christianity is "less linear" than perceived. This book's "goal is to introduce the reader to the complexities and ambiguities, the ironies and surprises, the twists and turns of this richer story." Christianity came from a Jewish world that was different than its contemporary pagan religions in that it was based on an "imageless worship" and a "god who demanded that he be the sole recipient of his people's worship."

                 The concept of a Kingdom of God arose out of Jewish prophecies, and its word was spread to non-Jews by Paul. Christianity's offer of redemption and an afterlife attracted  pagans. Notwithstanding Judaism's role in developing Christianity, two theologies unfriendly to Judaism became an integral part of Christianity. By the third century, Christians blamed the Jews for killing Christ, and demoted the god of Abraham to a lower place than Jesus' God the Father. By the 4th and 5th centuries, anti-semitism abounded in Roman law, custom, and daily life. "Legally, socially, religiously, Jews within a now Christian society retained an ambiguous status and experienced an unstable and inconstant tolerance, one that would follow them into the Middle Ages and beyond."

              Very early on, there was a diversity of opinion about the meaning of many of Christ's teachings. "Christianity as we see it emerging in the second century sponsored many genuinely different and competing visions and versions of the gospel, with all sides condemning the others." The fourth century adoption of imperial Christianity led to the establishment of an orthodox, universal church. "Religious uniformity, ... now become a concern of the state."

             "By opting out of traditional Mediterranean observances, by insisting on worshiping only one god and no others, gentile Christians sometimes drew down on themselves the negative attention of their pagan neighbors." In the 3rd century, the state too joined in the persecution of Christians. When Constantine adopted Christianity as the religion of the empire, tolerance prevailed. He also brought some sense of "concord and unity" to the feuding sects, and directed the Council of Nicaea to address these issues. The Nicene Creed would become "the touchstone for imperially recognized orthodoxy." A sixth century mosaic portrayed Christ as a Roman soldier, confirming the "church and empire coming together as one."

         In conclusion, the question is "how did the apocalyptic Jewish messianic movement, with its odd outreach to pagans in the face of the world's imminent end, transmute within three centuries into an arm of the late Roman state?" Edward Gibbon offered five reasons: 1, the "inflexible and intolerant zeal of the early Christians," 2, the offer of life after death, 3, the miraculous powers ascribed to the church, 4, the austere morals of the early Christians, and 5, the union and discipline of the Christian republic. The author suggests it was the organizational skills of the church's bishops and the adoption of Christianity as the empire's official religion that assured the church's success. 

         This brief, but intellectually challenging and demanding book is incredibly interesting and insightful. Nonetheless, I cannot remeber reading anything this difficult in a very long time.

Hang On St. Christopher, McKinty - B+

               While in Belfast for one of his six days of work per month, Duffy is dragged into working "a straightforward little homicide." Of course nothing is ever easy in Belfast and the decedent appears to have had some connection to the the IRA. A trip south, some reluctance on the part of some to talk, and assistance from a local Republic cop confirm that the decedent was a player, perhaps an assassin, in the IRA raising the likelihood of it being murder one and certainly not a carjacking. When Sgt. McCrabban finds a hit list at the decedent's home, it's apparent that this matter is well above the pay grade of the Carrickfergus RUC, and is turned over to Special Branch. Duffy is told he's free to go home to Scotland. Not capable of letting it rest, Duffy tracks down the killer. He finds him in Virginia because he works for the CIA. A long chat leads to Duffy flying home knowing that he peace process and the end to the Troubles could be on the way. Once again, a great read.

The Winner, Wayne - B-

            Conor is having a helluva summer studying for the bar while giving tennis lessons at an exclusive, gated community on the Cape. Pretty soon, a gorgeous 49-year old is paying him for wildly satisfying sex after lessons. However, he happens to fall for an age appropriate woman on the island, before he realizes that she, Emily, is Catherine's daughter. He juggles this ball for about a month when Catherine threatens him, starts hitting him and he accidentally delivers a fatal counter. The police investigation and the conclusions they come to fall flat as this novel stumbles toward its end.

London Rules, Herron - B+

            On the day terrorists kill a dozen innocents in a village that dates to medieval times, someone tries to run down Slough Houses's own Roddy Ho. Although all wonder if they'd have preferred his demise, they recognize it as a threat to them all, and they begin to tail him. And lo and behold, a second attempt is made at Ho's house and Lamb saves the day. MI5 determines that whoever attacked Ho was behind the Abbotsford bombing. Lamb realizes that the terrorists are following an old MI-5 template for destabilizing hostile nations, and if Ho is somehow part of a leak, Slough House could be in trouble. As the next step in the secret plan is to assassinate a populist politician, the slow horses divide up to keep an eye on the two likeliest candidates. Tragically, the newest slow horse, JK Coe, inadvertently kills one of the targets. When the slow horses capture the girlfriend to whom Ho leaked the information, they and MI5 headquarters narrow the search. The bad guys are N. Korean and not the usual suspects. While the security services focus on an attack at the memorial service in London, Shirley Dander and JK Coe head to the site of the first attack and stop the terrorists in their tracks. Once again Headquarters would like to shut down Slough House but cannot do so.

The Ghosts of Rome, O'Connor - B-

                  This novel is the second in a series based on a real life hero, Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty, an Irish diplomat assigned to the Vatican. He and the fictional Contessa Landini manage the 'Choir,' a system of escape for downed airmen, escaped prisoners, and anyone running from the Gestapo. In the spring of 1944, Berlin puts a vast amount of pressure on the local SS officer to end the escape line or suffer the consequences, and he in turn escalates the pressure on all in the Eternal City. Thrust and parry by both sides as the Germans close down streets, raid buildings, and sweep up a few, but there are so many in hiding, the process of moving them out of the city continues until the liberation.

                  Unlike its predecessor, this book has a stream of consciousness feel to it that I'm not comfortable with. Historians have estimated that O'Flaherty saved 6500 souls from the Nazi's.