Unholy Night (Seth Grahame-Smith)

It's been a long time since I read a (standard-length) book in one day.  But, the 381 pages flew by today, and I thus conclude that Unholy Night is another winner by Seth Grahame-Smith, who produces another enjoyable, fast-paced thriller on the heels of his bestselling Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Like the book on Abe, Unholy Night is a "factasy"- a fact-filled fantasy tale- a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, horror, biography, even religion in this case.  As before, Grahame-Smith takes a historical event and throws in an obvious fantasy twist.  In Unholy Night, three men barge in on Joseph and Mary shortly after the birth of Jesus.  But, unlike the Biblical accounts, these men aren't wise men- they're robbers on the run.  After seeing the fruits of Herod's edict to kill all male babies in the region, these criminals sympathize with the young couple, and decide to aid them in their flight to Egypt to save the baby's life.  Along the way, they must evade pursuing Romans and an increasingly incensed Herod, but somehow miracles keep occurring that deliver them.  It's almost enough to make one of the criminals- who keeps having visions in addition to witnessing these miracles- believe.

While I enjoyed his previous tale immensely, I approached Grahame-Smith's Unholy Night with a touch of trepidation, for two reasons:
1) The story concerns the birth of Christ, which can be a flashpoint for controversy
2) I'm much more familiar with this historical event than I was with Abraham Lincoln's life; thus, I feared finding a bunch of historical errors (fantasy element aside) that would lessen my enjoyment of the yarn. 

I must admit, my fears were largely ill-founded.  The author impressively manages to avoid offending Christians- I don't think he's a believer, but Christ is not derided here- and he gets most of the story correct, according to Biblical accounts.  Certainly some things are altered- and some points of history are erroneously claimed- but he gets the most important elements correct (in spirit, at least).  You come away with the idea that this child is special, He's protected by supernatural means, and His arrival will shake the world to its core and change lives.  As a Christian, I couldn't ask for more when reading a tale of this nature.  In fact, I enjoyed the historical fiction element of this- contemplating what those first weeks must have been like, fleeing Herod's edict through a vast, harsh desert.  I also enjoyed the fantasy element here- though it can be a bit gory and heart-wrenching at times. 

All in all, this is a tale worth reading.

Rating: A

Bath, Lacock, Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Oxford

The 4th of July holiday gave many Americans a long weekend, and we decided to take a mini road trip "down south."  It ended up being even shorter than we anticipated- more on that in a moment- but it was fun.  The overall route looked as shown below:

The Ground Covered

Day 1
We left Yorkshire in the afternoon and drove to Cheltenham, to meet friends for dinner.  Cheltenham is a nice town, for those who haven't been, but our itinerary allowed only a quick stop here, so after the meal we went on to our B&B outside of Bath, where we retired for the evening.

Day 2
The main tourism objective of the day was Bath.  An old Roman town, Bath is home to the Roman baths, an abbey, and pretty downtown riverfront area.  It also boasts a circus and royal crescent (homes laid out in a circular pattern).  I may just be jaded from constant travel, but you can see everything worthwhile in Bath in a half day.  A pretty town, to be sure.

Bath: The Royal Crescent

Bath: Abbey

Bath: The Circus

Bath: River View

Bath: Roman Baths

Bath: Town Center

Having done Bath in a half day, we didn't know quite what to do with our afternoon.  Thankfully, my wife remembered someone recommending Lacock- a quaint village and abbey just 13 miles east of Bath. We headed there, and were glad we did.  Lacock Abbey is an anomaly- a former abbey turned into a manor home.  Part of the building felt like a standard abbey tour- and then suddenly you were in a residence.  It was quite nice, and as an aside, Harry Potter film fans will recognize a room or two.  Outside of the Abbey, Lacock is a very small village- four streets- but quaint and often used for period films in the Jane Austen vein.  If you're in the Bath area, Lacock is a recommended stop.

Lacock Abbey from a Distance

Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey

Lacock Abbey

Lacock

Our day two ended unexpectedly.  We had a minor emergency that left us stuck with little local currency, so we decided to cut our trip short and head home the next day, after seeing a few things.  It would cut two nights off our trip, but such is life.

Day 3
We checked out of our Bath B&B and headed south, knowing that a long day was ahead of us.  First up: Stonehenge, one of the most touristy, and underwhelming, sites you'll see in the UK.  It wasn't bad, by any stretch . . . it just wasn't amazing.  Crowded beyond all get-out, it's something you look at for 15-20 minutes, say "huh," and go.  A succinct summary of Stonehenge: it's old, and nobody knows exactly what it was used for, but it lines up with the sun on the solstices.  There.  Okay, now on to Salisbury.

Stonehenge

Just a 20 minute drive south of Stonehenge is Salisbury, with its stunning Cathedral.  Ken Follett, author of the masterful Pillars of the Earth, modeled the fictional cathedral in his bestseller after the one in Salisbury.  Built amazingly quickly for a cathedral (it was completed in just 38 years- 1220-1258), its uniform gothic architecture is beautiful to behold.  It also houses one of the few surviving original copies of the Magna Carta.  The town of Salisbury is nice, but being used to European "nice towns," we saw the cathedral, enjoyed lunch, and left.

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury "Front Doors"

Our original trip itinerary had us spending the evening in Salisbury.  Had we done so, we may have swung by nearby Wardour Castle ruins (17 miles west of the town).  As it stood, though, we started the long drive home (250 miles to our home in Yorkshire). I was a little bummed about cutting two nights off of our trip, but the only thing left on our itinerary was Oxford, so we were "missing out" on only one thing . . . or were we?

Right on the way home, about 70 miles north of Salisbury, is Oxford, and we decided to stop in.  We arrived about 3:30pm, so we didn't have long, but frankly, it was enough.  Here's what I wanted to accomplish in Oxford:
1) Stop by the Eagle and Child, the pub where Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and others meet to discuss their works-in-progress.  A very confined place, it was fun to swing in for a pic.  I couldn't have a pint . . . there was still 180 miles to drive.
2) Stop in the Oxford University Press bookstore (website here).  I enjoy the Oxford editions of many classics I read, and I wanted to stop in the "mother store" and see if I could soak in some wisdom.  It turns out I couldn't, but I could take advantage of the 3 for 2 deals on all Oxford World Classics . . aww yeah.
3) Walk around the various colleges.  Like Cambridge, Oxford features numerous colleges, many with beautiful architecture and charm.  We huffed it around a few of them, marveling at how "urban" Oxford seemed compared to Cambridge.  It wasn't bad . . . but, frankly, it wasn't as nice as Cambridge.

Oxford

Oxford

Oxford

Oxford: The "Famous" Eagle and Child

Oxford

Oxford

After our whirlwind tour of Oxford (we were there about 3 hours, including dinner), we made the long drive home, stopping at just about every rest stop because of my daughter (who's potty training) and my son (who decided to have a bowel movement every 30 miles).  We eventually made it home, though, and in one of life's enjoyable twists, we decided that we were happy the trip got cut short.  We saw what we wanted and spent only two nights (vs four) in hotels. 

Final Thoughts
This trip ended up being a "blitz" tour experience for us, and frankly, we didn't mind.  Everything we saw was nice, but nothing wowed us . . . which is becoming increasingly true the more we travel.  As a friend said to me recently (who's also lived in Europe for 5+ years), "the awe is gone."  Not because things aren't beautiful- but because we get so used to beauty that it loses its impact on us.  Shame on us.

Area Rating: A

Death or Victory: Tales of the Clan Maclean (Fiona Maclean)

I'm one of many Americans who claim Scottish/Irish ancestry, and so my curiosity regarding family history has been piqued while living in the UK.  I have Maclean blood in me, and so that clan is of particular interest.  To that end, Fiona Maclean's Death or Victory: Tales of the Clan Maclean is right up my alley.  A quick read (99 pages with many sketches), it recalls some tales of interest pertaining to the history of the clan- from its founder (Gillean of the Battle-Axe) to present day.  Written with a younger audience in mind, it's difficult to know fact from legend here, but it's entertaining nonetheless.  Recommended for all of Maclean descent, you can order it here.

Rating: B

Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)

On many "Top 100" lists, Heart of Darkness is a tale of Africa and the darkness one man finds in it.  The story is told by Marlow, a former steamboat captain who had worked on a river in Africa for an ivory trading company.  He's since moved on, and is recounting his Africa experience with his current crew members.  In his time on the river, he was exposed to the horrors of the African interior- the darkness within- evil white traders exploiting the natives, cannibalistic local tribes, etc.  Most of the book involves his quest to find Mr. Kurtz, a legendary ivory trader who's posted a few hundred miles upriver, and has fallen ill.  Marlow & co. take two months, but finally find him, surrounded by 'savages,' as Marlow puts it, and they take Kurtz back downriver, but he passes away on the journey.  Kurtz gives Marlow some papers to deliver to his fiancee, and his last words are the famous "The horror!  The horror!"  lines, which pretty much sums it up.

I thought this was okay, but not nearly the classic people make it out to be.  Some worthy topics are explored, like the human darkness and savagery within, but they're not really fleshed out- just touched on and accepted in a fatalistic way.  Chinua Achebe (author of Things Fall Apart) didn't like how Conrad portrayed the natives as savages without principles, and I see his point, although to Marlow, they probably appeared as such.  All in all, there are better works that relate the horrors of the colonial conquest of Africa.

Rating: C

Photographer's Guide to the Canon PowerShot S95 (Alexander White)

This is a rather odd review, but here's a fact: we have no idea just how powerful our personal electronics are nowadays.  Smartphones, cameras, iPods, etc  . . . each are capable of amazing things, but if you're like me, you rarely take the time to learn them above what you need for your daily routine.  I decided to change that when I recently purchased a Canon S95 point-and-shoot camera, so I purchased this guide by Alexander White on how to get the most out of my device.

In this book, White walks you through each menu on the camera, and explains each choice as he goes.  It all seemed rather informal, in a way- almost like a friend was walking you, menu-by-menu, through your new camera, explaining some background as he goes- and I enjoyed that tone.  It's a good supplement to the official instruction manual, which is very informative but dry.  White throws in his personal preferences, too, like a friend would- telling you which options he finds the most (and least) useful.  You don't have to read it all the way through- just pick and choose sections that are relevant to you.

While this particular book will interest very few of you, I'd encourage you to "read up" on your camera (or other electronic device) to learn more about what it can do.  You might be surprised how powerful it is- and you may just appreciate it that much more as a result (not to mention, you may get better pictures).  After reading, I learned a few tips that made me enjoy (and get better use of) my camera.  All in all, it was worth it.

Rating: B

Yorkshire: A Very Peculiar History (John Malam)

Walk into any popular tourist attraction in North Yorkshire, and chances are you'll see Yorkshire: A Very Peculiar History for sale.  In 180 quick pages, John Malam gives the layperson an introduction to this historic and scenic part of England.  He covers prehistoric, Roman, Viking, and Norman peoples, discusses major events like the War of the Roses and Dissolution of the Monasteries, and finishes with a Yorkshire miscellany.  As the title implies, the book is extremely Yorkshire-focused; so, for example, the War of the Roses covers only the battles that were fought in Yorkshire.

If you live in Yorkshire, or plan an extended visit here, I'd recommend this book.  It's an amazingly fast read, and gives a good overview of things.  Anyone familiar with history won't find much new here, but the Yorkshire focus may bring a few things to light that seasoned history enthusiasts didn't know, and at the very least it may give a better awareness of the myriad of local sites.

Rating: B-

Arthurian Reading Suggestions

Some time ago, I posted on the world of Arthurian literature (link here).  There, I briefly discuss the legend of King Arthur, and hint at its various re-tellings over the centuries.  This post is a more thorough treatment of the subject.

The King Arthur legend, being centuries old, has taken on various forms in various ages.  From his initial mention in writing in the 800s, his legend has grown to mythical proportions.  The most popular takes on him have him as English, standing for Christian ideals at his round table in Camelot, as he rules his land with truth and justice, only to be betrayed by his wife Guinevere and knight Lancelot, and eventually fall in battle with Mordred, his relative.  Over the years, many authors have weaved their own takes on the legend- there are hundreds of Arthurian books out there (300 choices for you are here).  But, at its core, we know almost nothing about him.  This begs the question: how did this all come about?  Why such attraction to a man about whom so little is known?  And, are the few depictions we have accurate?

A brief history lesson on Arthurian literature is as follows.  Nennius, around 800 AD, mentioned an Arthur in his work Historia Brittonum.  After 300 years of silence, we see him again in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136).  We get a lot more background in Geoffrey's pseudo-historical work, and that's believed to be the basis of popularity.  Things really take off, and gain a romantic element, with Chrétien de Troyes, a Frenchmen who penned Four Arthurian Romances in the 1170s.  This is probably the foundation of the modern Arthurian romance, though Mallory (mentioned shortly) gets more credit.  An unknown author released Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the late 1300s, and around 1400 we have the alliterative Le' morte d'Arthur.  But what gets the most publicity, and is used most frequently as the basis for subsequent works, was Sir Thomas Mallory's Le’ morte d'Arthur (1485).  Interest waned in the post-Medieval world, but in the mid-late 1800s, Alfred, Lord Tennyson rekindled interest when he published his epic verse The Idylls of the King. In the 1900s, there's been an explosion of Arthurian literature, everything from Howard Pyle's The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (1903) to T.H. White's The Once and Future King (1940s) to the last thirty years, where Arthurian literature has grown beyond easy cataloging. 

Since Arthur works are so prevalent, several guides have been written to help navigate the field.  If you are a moderate Arthurian enthusiast, Alan Lupack's The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend is a good book to reference.  If you're a fanatic, and you believe you exist solely to study Arthur, The Arthurian Annals (by Nastali & Boardman) is for you.  The latter is a two-volume set that looks at everything written in English about Arthur from 1250-2000, and can set you back £150 if you buy it straight from Oxford here.

Which depictions of Arthur are accurate?  Did he even exist?  And, if so, who was he?  Military leader, great king, minor lord?  There are many things we don't know, and never will.  Still, historians have been able to conclude some things, and most agree that if there was an Arthur, he existed in the 480s-500s timeframe, when the Romans had left Britain, and the Anglo-Saxon tribes were invading.  Unlike most legends, then, Arthur was not Christian, and most decidedly not English- he was a Briton in the "native, tribal" sense- effectively, the current Welsh.  There would have been no shining armor, and few (if any) castles.  This image of Arthur is very different than the prevailing tales of the man today.

Some, however, claim that all historical attempts to find Arthur are hogwash.  Noted historian Marc Morris says, in his book on King Edward I (review), that "Arthur himself never existed.  Beyond any reasonable doubt, the legendary 'king' began life as an elemental figure or demi-god - a sort of low-grade Thor or Wodin . . . Arthur was not historic, but had been 'historicised.'  That is to say, a number of earlier medieval writers, at different times and for different reasons, had taken the legenday or god-like figure and written about him as if he had been a real person."  Morris blames Geoffrey of Monmouth more than any, calling his work (mentioned above and listed below) "the most brilliant and audacious literary hoax of the Middle Ages."

Whether or not Arthur existed is perhaps not as relevant as who he has become in our culture.  He is the image of the ideal earthly king- bound to honor and justice, capable of glorious feats, tortured by intimate betrayals.  He is both above us and one of us- ideal and real.  To that end, many Arthurian works have been and will continue to be produced, as humanity grasps for examples worthy of emulation.

Update (from June 2017): originally, I concluded this post with a list of Arthurian works.  I've moved that to my main Arthur page.