“Blackhearts: The Omnibus”, by Nathan Long

768 pages, The Black Library, ISBN13: 978-1844165100

Fantasy is at its best when theres a few rough edges on things, and Nathan Long’s aptly-named Blackhearts omnibus is a perfect example. With a cast of unrepentant (yet sympathetic) villains and a series of nightmare scenarios full of twists, turns, and rampant episodes of backstabbing-for-fun-and-profit, Long creates a thoroughly engaging storyline that more than fills the three books (and two short stories) that comprise this omnibus. In his introduction, Long alludes to the obvious similarities between his trilogy and The Dirty Dozen – condemned military prisoners offered a nebulous pardon in return for performing suicide missions – but those similarities are only skin deep. The diverse characters who make up the titular “Blackhearts” are unique individuals, and their conflicting personalities and quirks make for some fun (and occasionally tragic) character interaction in between the requisite pulse-pounding action sequences.

As with most of the Black Library’s tie-in output, action is paramount (plot-over-plod), but Long manages the not-so-easy trick of making the reader care about these largely disposable characters with only a limited amount of space to work with. Also, his deft use of several ongoing subplots help to fully flesh out the thoroughly unpleasant world his characters inhabit. And it’s a world that is familiar to any aficionado of Games Workshop’s output, but Long doesn’t stint on the backdrop as some writers might be tempted to. Instead, he incorporates as much of the “local color” as possible into things in order to firmly anchor his contribution into the greater meta-story-arc of the Warhammer Fantasy Universe (which is no bad thing, because as fantasy universes go, it’s an fleshed-out one). 

All in all, Blackhearts: The Omnibus is well worth the cost, and I recommend it to any fan of dark fantasy.

“The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise and Fall of an Empire”, by Gregory Fremont-Barnes and Todd Fisher

352 pages, Osprey Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-1841768311

This omnibus volume in Osprey’s relatively new Essential Histories line combines four previously published entries on the Napoleonic Wars in the series: The Rise of the Emperor, 1805-1807; The Empires Fight Back, 1808-1812; The Peninsular War, 1807-1814; The Fall of the French Empire, 1813-1815. Todd Fisher, the Executive Director of the Napoleonic Alliance and Chief Executive Officer of Emperor’s Press (which specializes in Napoleonic history), is the author of the first two parts; Gregory Fremont-Barnes, who is a Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (and who also wrote the French Revolutionary Wars volume in the Essential Histories series) is the author of the final two.

Each “book” follows a general format: opening with the background to the war, followed by a description of the comparative situations and characteristics of the armies involved-the French, the Austrian, the Russian, the Prussian, the British, etc. This is followed by a narrative history of each campaign, and finally a description of the situation at the end of the campaign. Short descriptions of peripheral actions (i.e., usually, except for the Peninsular War section, those where Napoleon was not present) in other theaters are also included. In addition, each “book” includes one or two “portraits”, short, self-contained biographies of soldiers and civilians. One of the portraits by Fisher, for example, is of Philippe-René Girault, a soldier-musician who served during both the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Another is of Louise Fusil, a French actress caught up in Napoleon’s retreat from Russia. Fremont-Barnes chooses a couple of politicians to profile-Canning and Castlereagh, as well as a common soldier and an artillery officer. Fremont-Barnes also presents an essay on the effect of the Napoleonic Wars on the arts, and also a conclusion giving the consequences of the wars and detailing Napoleon’s legacy.

The nature of the book dictates that it will be written with broad strokes and generalizations characteristic of a survey-type work. Armies are often described with national stereotypes-the French fight with élan, the Austrians conservative, the Russians doggedly stoic, etc. But it is unfair to compare a work like this to monographs detailing a specific battle, campaign, army, etc. Both authors present their narratives in a readable manner. Fisher is generally more sympathetic towards the French, while Fremont-Barnes leans towards the Allies, especially the British, somewhat balancing each other. But some might criticize the emphasis on the French and British as short-shifting the other participants. Fisher tends to emphasize those battles under Napoleon's purview, while in the Peninsula “book” Fremont-Barnes emphasizes those where Wellington was present. Fremont-Barnes makes greater use of contemporary quotations than Fisher does.

As is to be expected from an Osprey book, the work is generously peppered with illustrations and maps- including contemporary prints, paintings, etc. Maps of battles and campaigns aid the reader in following the action, but the volume lacks the highly detailed situation maps one has grown accustomed to with Osprey's battle histories. Oddly, for example, there was no map of the battlefield of Austerlitz included, though there was one for the campaigns up to and following that pivotal battle. The reader should not expect startling new theories about the Napoleonic Wars. Osprey books are not the proper venue for propounding new, controversial theories or focusing on political, diplomatic or social history. Osprey knows its customers and the focus is squarely on the military, and the audience for this book would mainly be the reader with a casual interest in the subject or the novice just starting out studying the era.

“Eiffel’s Tower: And the World’s Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count”, by Jill Jonnes

368 pages, Viking, ISBN-13: 978-0670020607

Eiffel’s Tower: And the World’s Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count is not just a biography of Alexandre Gustave Eiffel or the incredible tale of the building of one of the world’s most magnificent architectural wonders; it is so much more.

The setting is 1899 Paris, it is the time for creating the magic for the new World’s Fair, but the story begins in 1897 with Eiffel’s dream to design a magnificent, modern the tower as the centerpiece of the upcoming fair. This is an absorbing story of how one man fought against many people who were opposed to the building of the tower and how he persevered to win the prestigious slot to use his dream tower to be the showcase of the future Paris World’s Fair. Revealing to us the engineering feat of what it took to design and pull off this ingenious iron marvel, the book is simply fascinating; I learned a tremendous amount of how the Eiffel Tower was constructed and of the many talents and physical demands of the men who strived to make Eiffel’s dream come true. Interesting, too, are the little biographical tidbits that the author intersperses around the long lived years of Eiffel’s life and of his many other astounding achievements (he had a hand in other major engineering projects around the world that readers will certainly recognize, never realizing he had been involved with their development).

As the Eiffel Tower slowly soars skyward, the author also pulls together various stories of the menagerie of famous and prominent people that also exhibited and entertained the many millions of tourists who flooded Paris with their enthusiasm to see the newest wonders of the world. Alternating between Eiffel’s daily setbacks and conquests involving the erection of the tower, are delightful snippets of enchanting characters such as: Buffalo Bill Cody; Annie Oakley; Thomas Edison; Charles Otis; Vincent Van Gogh; Paul Gauguin; James Whistler; and many others besides. Jonnes paints an evocative panoramic picture of what it was like to bring the World Fair’s exhibits to fruition. 

The biographical sketches of Annie Oakley and Thomas Edison in particular were very captivating as we learn many more interesting facts about each of their lives and talents that I doubt most people are aware of. I thought the author did a sensational job of developing the story of Paris’ Victorian year of extravagance, giving the reader a fun and informative book of mechanical marvels, innovative scientists, inventors and engineers, and outlandish artists and prominent celebrities that at the time, dazzled every household around the globe. Eiffel’s Tower was an engaging and delightful read that will be enjoyed by all lovers of history, Victorian era fans, World’s Fair enthusiasts, and especially by all engineers and inventors. To view Paul Gauguin’s Tahiti Paintings, to see Edison’s new phonograph, to listen the blood curdling whoop and holler of the American red Indians of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and to hear the daily newsboys hawking “Read All About It” as news of the fair and tower progress, had me feeling I was right there in Paris taking it all in, walking the faux streets of Cairo, boarding the trolley train, swaying to the music as Javanese dancers mesmerized the crowds, and ending the day by boarding an elevator 1000 feet up in the air to the top of Gustave Eiffel's electric lit crowning glory. Reading this book was a memorable experience that allowed me to feel I had stepped back in time.