The Pope who Quit
By Jon M. Sweeney
Published February 2012
304 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 3/5


The Pope who quit is a popular history of Pope Celestine V / Peter of Morrone.


Peter of Morrone was a Christian hermit monk and mystic who lived a hard and simple life. Because of papal infighting, he was named pope in 1294. He proved to be an incompetent pope, because he was more concerned with his spiritual life than he was the papacy. He only was pope for a few months until he retired, and died 10 months later.


I really enjoyed reading about the hard and simple life of medieval hermits. The extreme devotional behavior s shocking - displays of fortitude, pain endurance, and rigor.


It is always interesting to learn about the internal politicking and conflicts of the 13th century.


I recommend this book to people studying the Middle Ages. It is an interesting case study that neatly intersects with the rest of my research about the period.

​The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
By Thomas Asbridge
Published in March 2011
784 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4/5


This “authoritative history” of the crusades is a fairly extensive historical account of all nine Middle Eastern crusades.


I recommend this book, but only to people already interested in the history of the period. The numerous names, events, and details sometimes make it difficult to keep track of who is doing what. That, however, might be something to be expected considering the length and broad scope of the book.


There are many interesting details that really surprised me. For example, I already had a vague notion that the crusaders came as disorganized bands of soldiers from a wide variety of factions. I hadn’t realized the extent to which the crusaders operated in the vacuum of a traditional state or government as we understand it today. Constant internal conflicts, rogue mercenaries, and factionalism plagued the crusaders. During sieges, the army was so insubordinate that besieging generals routinely crated incentive systems for soldiers. In one siege, the besieging general paid soldiers 1 coin per stone from the wall they brought back.


Asbridge also downplays the role of religious fervor, instead highlighting the wide variety of secular interests motivating both sides. His view contrasts that expressed by Jay Rubenstein in “The Armies of Heaven.”


There is a lot of information and mythology about the first, third, and fourth crusades. It is the many other crusades that are less well known. By far, the best thing that this book does, is talk about the other crusades. I had never heard about Louis the 9th’s heroic battles in Egypt, or the cunning Mamluk Bahris.


I recommend this book highly to amateur historians, but do not necessarily recommend it as an introduction to the crusades.

Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Heaven
By Jay Rubenstein
Published in 2011
424 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4/5


Armies of Heaven is a narrative account of the First Crusade. What is so interesting about this book is that it doesn’t tell the story of the crusade from the perspective of modern historians, instead it tells it from the perspective of someone at the time hearing about it. For example, it just assumes that all reported miracles are accurate. When witnesses report angels and ghosts, Rubenstein does too.


Prior to reading this book, I had a vague understanding of the First Crusade. I learned a lot about specific people and details I had never heard of before. I particularly liked the story of Peter Bartholomew, a soldier and follower of Peter the Hermit. Peter Bartholomew has visions, and finds the Holy Lance. After finding it, he becomes an important figure in the crusades. Many begin doubting him, so he decides to subject himself to a trial by fire. He dies 12 days after entering the fire.


Because this book is written from such a unique perspective, it gave me many insights into the mindset and ideology of the crusaders. Most crusaders truly believe that the apocalypse was near, and that they were God blessed holy warriors. Even the most seemingly cynical and power hungry crusader lords were forced to play lip service to the Holy War.


Although this book is fairly simple, I do not recommend it for the majority of people. It is, however, a must read for anyone interested in the crusades or Medieval history.

Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland
By Bryan Sykes
Published in 2007
336 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4/5


Saxons, Vikings, and Celts is a narrative of how Bryan Sykes did a study to determine where people in Britain came from. The book does a great job at explaining the science behind genetic studies like this.


The book begins with a history of scholarly understanding of where people came from. This history covers a lot of ground ranging from the 19th century doctors to the classical authors of the Greek and Roman world.


While going through this history of the science, he explains different key concepts. I especially found the story about the discovery of blood groups during the World Wars to be particularly informative.


He attempts to relate his own research to the research of scientists before him, explaining key concepts like the Khan effect, mDNA, ancestral groups, etc…


Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in studying the history of Britain as well as genetics.

Darth Plagueis
by James Luceno
Published in January 2012
379 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 1/5


After reading Cloak of Deception, also written by James Luceno, I had high hopes for Darth Plagueis. Cloak of Deception was a fantastic book which explored the deep geopolitics and economics of the Star Wars universe. Darth Plagueis was a (bad) attempt at creating a history research book set in the Star Wars universe.


Because I don’t recommend the book, I will include many spoilers.


The book started off very strong. It begins with Palpatine who has just murdered Darth Plagueis. The first chapter had me hooked - Palpatine briefly recalls Darth Plagueis’ pursuit of immortality, and wonders if he has really succeeded in murdering Plagueis. He reveals that he senses something powerful in the force, and worries that Plagueis’ spirit may have survived and remained to haunt him. The story then cuts to Plagueis murdering how own master decades earlier.


What followed was a clunky mess.


The biggest problem was that the book tells rather than shows the story. It also assumes readers are completely familiar with the surrounding background story / Star Wars lore. There are too many awkward  references to plots from comic books, other novels, and video games. The plot relies on confusing side narratives that aren’t very well explained.


Furthermore, the characters aren’t part of the action, and are usually just hearing about it. This shouldn’t have been a problem, however in this case, it was. Instead of hearing about how characters learn something, more often than not we hear that a character has done something.


In Luceno’s older novel, Cloak of Deception, the off-screen action is handled really well. You learn about events in real time as the characters learn them. For example, chancellor Valorum is told by an aide that he has been involved in a corruption scandal. Valorum’s reaction highlights his anxious and weak personality. You then hear Valorum ask advice from other characters, and debate possible ways of dealing with the situation. Although the audience knows how the debacle will end because they have watched the movie, learning about how things unravel is really fun and exciting.


For example:


Valorum looked pale and grim, but he was sitting up in bed, his right arm, from wrist to shoulder, encased in a soft tube filled with bacta. A transparent, gelatinous fluid produced by an insectoid alien species, bacta had the ability to promote rapid cell rejuvenation and healing, usually without scarring. Palpatine often felt that the wondrous substance was as key to the survival of the Republic as were the Jedi.
“Supreme Chancellor,” he said, approaching the bed, “I came as soon as I heard.”
Valorum made a gesture of dismissal with his left hand. “You shouldn’t have bothered. They’re releasing me later today.” He motioned Palpatine to a chair. “Do you know what the guards did when they brought me in here? They cleared every patient from the emergency room, then emptied this entire floor, with scarcely a concern for the condition of the patients.”
“The security was warranted,” Palpatine said. “Knowing you would be brought here if they failed, the assassins could have stationed a second team in the admitting area.”
“Perhaps,” Valorum granted.


In Darth Plagueis, this is handled very differently. Because the novel spans more time, you are often told about past events. For example, one character is described like this:


Notorious for his gambling, Treblanc owned the Galaxies Opera House on Coruscant. Why Jabba chose to associate with gamblers and other lowlifes was a mystery to Plagueis. In some ways the Hutt’s illicit empire was the inverse of Hego Damask’s, where, if nothing else, the criminals were at least politicians, corporate honchos, and financiers. His coming to Sojourn was both uncharacteristic and unexpected.


This book could have been really good, but it failed. I do not recommend its even to Star Wars fans.

​Star Wars: Cloak of Deception
by James Luceno
Published in May 2001
342 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4/5


Cloak of Deception is a novel that takes place roughly a year before the Phantom Menace (Star Wars Episode 1). The novel covers the behind-the-scene political machinations that threatened the Galactic Republic, and eventually culminated in the Trade Federation siege of Naboo.


Roughly half of the book covers the political intrigue over taxation and trade policy. As a professional in the real world SEZ industry, I found it very entertaining to real about these issues as they pertained to the Star Wars universe. I will definitely read James Luceno’s other books in the Star Wars universe.


As a teenager, I read a lot of Star Wars fan fiction, and greatly enjoyed a lot of it. In the last year, I picked up two books, only to be disappointed. This book has restored my faith in the genre. It is a must read for any neckbeards out there.

Charlemagne: from the Hammer to the Cross
by Richard Winston
Published in 1960
418 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 3/5


Another kinda dull biography of Charlemagne. This is the 3rd or 4th I’ve read, I can’t keep track of them. Charlemagne’s reign is very… dull. Far from my favorite period in history.


I don’t know why, but for some reason I always have trouble keeping track of who is who and what is what when studying Charlemagne.


This book focuses especially on one interesting aspect of Charlemagne’s reign: how he slowly went from a warrior into a Christian figure.


The book highlights several key tragic events which, Winston argues, lead Charlemagne to become a pious Christian.


First, the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, where Roland and all of Roland’s knights died fighting the Arabs. Later, the death of his wife and children sent Charlemagne into a deep depression. When he emerged, he had become a die hard Christian. He took the religious institutions which he had built up to bolster his reign, and became a die hard believer.


I can’t say I recommend this book, but it’s not bad by any means.

The Forge of Christendom: The End  of the World and the Epic Rise of the West
by Tom Holland
Published in 2008
512 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 3/5


The Forge of Christendom is a book that covers the tumultuous period surrounding the year 1000. An ancient Christian prophecy had predicted that the world would end 1000 years after the life of Jesus. Many Christians during the early Middle Ages took this prediction literally, and imagined that the world would end exactly on the year 1000.


Making these predictions more poignant were several details which seemed to materialize: a Roman  emperor would return, and fight the forces of Gog and Magog. Several men had claimed to restore the Roman Empire, such as Charlemagne or King Otto I. Christendom had numerous enemies, which were variously identified as Gog and Magog: Pagan Hungarian horse archers, Saracen Muslim pirates, or Viking raiders.


Time, and time again, prominent Christian scholars made predictions that the end of the world was near. Inevitably, these ecclesiastical figures found that their predictions fell flat.


I didn’t read this book at the right time - I thought that this book would primarily cover the conversion to Christianity from Paganism, but instead it covers the year 1000 AD. I should have waited to read this book after I had finished books about the period preceding it.


That being said, I had a hard time contextualizing a lot of the historical events, because I wasn’t very familiar with the period, and hadn’t eased into it.


I might have appreciated the book a lot more if I had contextualized it better.

Politics
by Aristotle
Published in the 4th century BC
411 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4/5


Politics, by Aristotle, is a series of recommendations made by Aristotle about how a city should be run. His prescriptions range from political to familial, with recommendations ranging from how to organize states to how to run and manage households. He also includes many chapters giving recommendations about how to raise children.


This book formed the intellectual cornerstone of Western civilization for the greater part of two millennia. Many later political thinkers based their ideas and own recommendations on Aristotle’s prescriptions. His text became something more than a political manifesto - over time it evolved into a divine prescription, and his work was treated as an infallible and immutable religious text.


Aristotle was definitely a genius, although I am still perplexed as to why his work had such enduring power. Many of his recommendations are not particularly interesting, and strike me as being very specific to city states rather than timeless. I greatly enjoyed reading this book as a historical text by  which I gleamed insight into the minds and politics of the Greek city states.


This is definitely one of the must read books of Western civilization, although I didn’t find its contents to be nearly as mind or earth shattering as Plato’s Republic.

​Snow Crash
by Neal Stephenson
Published in June 1992
480 Pages
Thibault’s Score: 4/5


Snow Crash is a fascinating depiction of life in an anarcho-capitalist world, although it can be tacky at times.


The premise is that, after a wave of hyperinflation, the US government was forced to privatize all of its assets. The result is an anarcho-capitalist world where small enclaves and micro-governments have parceled out America.


The setting of Snow Crash is really interesting - I absolutely loved reading about the numerous factions and corporations that have replaced the government. I especially liked that the depiction of these groups was generally positive rather than negative, but didn’t hesitate to highlight potential flaws. The early 2010s technology, as imagined by the author in 1992, was also really interesting. The plot is very interesting, and has fascinating religious overtones.


However, this book falls short in many ways. It is full of corny action. The hero, called Hero, fights using Katanas. None of the characters are particularly interesting, and they all could be considered “Mary Sues” (even the male ones). There is a cringy sex scene, however that cringe doesn’t come near to the cringe of the even worse action scenes.


If this book hadn’t had such an interesting setting, I would have given it a much lower score - probably a 2 or a 3. I don’t really recommend reading this book for the plot, but instead for the universe. I will check out Diamond Age, the sequel, at some point in the future.


This is a book which will have a lot of interesting elements for anarchists, but doesn’t have much appeal for the general population that isn’t interested in anarchism.