On Reading Naval History

Laid low as I am by this foul sickness, I’ve occupied my bed-ridden time by watching Tudor costume dramas (The Tudors and Elizabeth: The Golden Age; expect a post on both in the next day or three) and reading naval history. Specifically, the Age of Fighting Sail. So, roughly 1600 to 1850. I’m not sureContinue reading “On Reading Naval History”

On Shore Leave 2006, Day Two

Ah, the second day of Shore Leave. Today looks to be exciting and jam-packed. The panel I’m most anticipating today is at eleven–“The Original USS Enterprise, the early American Navy, and the Life of Horatio Hornblower.” I don’t know what this is, but I know that, just from the panel’s topic alone, I’ll be gluedContinue reading “On Shore Leave 2006, Day Two”

On Temeraire

I ordered from Amazon’s UK division recently Naomi Novik‘s debut novel, Temeraire, the first book in an alternate history series that posits that alongside Nelson’s Navy and Wellingon’s Army Britain fought the Napoleonic Wars with a dragon Aerial Corps. I was impatient. I could have waited and bought the novel’s American paperback, entitled His Majesty’sContinue reading “On Temeraire”