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David McK (3600 KP) rated Hereward (Hereward, #1) in Books

Jan 30, 2019

Obviously the first in a planned series of novels on Hereward 'the Wake' (in this context, 'the Wake' means wary or watchful), who was a real Saxon who lead the resistance against the Norman invaders of England in William the Conquerors time.

While largely forgotten by history, many of Herewards exploits have later been subsumed into the many legends of Robin Hood - it is easy to see the parallels between the two characters and, as such, I thought that this could prove to be an interesting read.

Unfortunately, for me, much of the novel fell flat - I was never really drawn into it all that much; never really connected with any of the main characters. Starting in 1062, the novels takes place over a span of years (up to, and slightly beyond) The Battle of Hastings in 1066 with that battle (and Stamford bridge beforehand) largely glossed over - maybe only a chapter or two devoted to the both of them. Indeed, it was only in the last 70 pages or so - with the beginnings of the English resistance - that I began to be more drawn into the novel, by which stage it was too late.

While I may read the sequels, I'm not going to be looking for them.

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No Cloak, No Dagger: Allied Spycraft in Occupied France

Benjamin Cowburn

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Book

The memoir of SOE agent Benjamin Cowburn is rightly regarded as a classic of wartime literature. In...

Pat Healy recommended Army of Shadows (L'Armée des ombres) (1969) in Movies (curated)

Army of Shadows (L'Armée des ombres) (1969)

1969 | International, Drama

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Movie Favorite

"Jean Pierre-Melville was the undisputed master of the French crime drama. Here he turns his gaze on the French Resistance during World War II (of which he himself was a member) in an entirely unsentimental, unflinching portrait. It not only de-romanticizes the movement with its rigorous and austere account of the day-to-day operations in this gray world, it also indicts it. For all the good the Resistance did, its members were only human: prone to betrayal and petty revenge. The movie is so specific in its regard of the loneliness and fear of these operatives, whose everyday lives alternate between boredom and peril. Unreleased in this country for thirty-seven years, the film was an absolute revelation to me when I saw it upon its release in 2006. Already a major fan of Melville’s crime films, I loved how this one both expands and distills his unique technical skills and his ability to tap into his characters’ emotional states. What emerges is something both complex in design and deeply personal. Casablanca it is not. Melville shows us the inner workings of something so intricate and important while also asking us whether the ends truly justify the means."

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