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DOC-209

DOC-209

A little about myself:

I am a big fan of alternate history or 'counter factual' history, especially works by Harry Turtledove (my favorite Turtledove series thus far is the 'Southern Victory' series (11 books total). I am also something of a history buff too, particulary military history. I also enjoy reading other genres, including... more »
  • Swannanoa, NC, USA
  • member since November 12 2006

Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 120 reviews
  • The Guinness Book of Espionage
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This book, written in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, presents a British-centric history of espionage. The first section of the book traces the history of the 'Great Game' from the days of the Pharaoh through the rise and fall of the Romans all the way to years prior to WW1. Modern espionage, with it's myriad agencies and tacit government sponsorship can trace it's beginnings to World War One and more predominately in World War Two and the book does not disappoint, detailing some of the triumphs (the Zimmerman Note, Double Cross et al) and tragedies (the Venlo Incident) of the two wars. The book also details all of the famous incents of the Cold War, including Kim Philby and the Cambridge Four, the Soviet downing of Francis Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane, the John Walker spy ring, and the Kamchatka Incident of the early 1980's. Lastly, the book discusses modern day (ie circa 1994) spy agencies, including organization, tactics, and equipment, and then goes on to make projections about future trends (some of which have proven astoundingly accurate, especially with the advent of UAV's). Those interested in a general history of a fascinating (and little explored) field will find a lot to like in this book. It is by no means thorough but there is enough here to appeal to armchair spies everywhere. ”

    DOC-209 wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )
  • 1945: A Novel
    • Rated 5 stars

    “In a genre dominated by one or two writers, it is refreshing when a new writer comes along and spins a tale that is just as fascinating and captivating as any by the acknowledged 'master'. So it is with Robert Conroy's "1945". As with Conroy's previous works, the title refers to a year of major historical importance and how events diverge from those of real history--in this case, the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki does not compel the Japanese to surrender. Instead, militant extremists seize control of the Japanese government, place the emperor under virtual house arrest, and then vow to fight on. The United States wearily makes plans to invade Japan itself, knowing that the loss of life will be astronomical on both sides. Being a stand alone novel, the story moves a brisk pace, though this comes some cost to characterization. Most of the major historical characters--Truman, Hirohito, etc,--a all fairly accurate, while the fictional characters get very little to do (and we learn only a little bit about them along the way). Nevertheless, this is a minor flaw to a very good and very plausible alternate history yarn. (Incidentally, this book serves as something of a companion piece to Harry Turtledove's "Days of Infamy" duology and I could see the events of both that series and this book occurring in the same universe). Highly recommended for fans of alternate history.”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Friday, November 6 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Artcore Volume 3

    Artcore Volume 3

    by Various
    • Rated 5 stars

    “This book, the third volume of the Artcore series, features more erotic art and pinups from artist all around the world. As before, we are treated to a full color excerpt from the Alraune comic book series as well as a twelve page spread of nude model Jana (who models extensively for artist Drew Posada and was the cover girl image for Artcore volume two.) Featured artists include Oliver Schramm, Werner Wunschann, and Cane Hoyer. Overall, an excellent book and highly recommended for fans of pinup and the Artcore series. ”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Saturday, October 17 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hollow Men (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
    • Rated 2 stars

    “This book is a follow up of sorts to the DS9 episode "In the Pale Moonlight" (an episode that broke with Star Trek tradition and stands as one of the best episodes of the entire series). The novel picks up shortly after the events of the that episode, as Sisko and Garak are called to Earth as the Federation begins formal talks with the Romulans. Meanwhile, back on the station, a meandering sub-plot featuring Odo and a large shipment of latinium has everyone on edge. The book has some good points--the characterization of Garak is spot on and it is interesting to listen to his thoughts and internal monologues as he interacts with Sisko and the rest of Starfleet. However, the novel fails to deliver on a 'day of reckoning' for Sisko and Garak. My expectations were that the Romulans would eventually discover the truth behind the senator's death and demand punishment (or exact some of their own). Instead, we are treated to a convoluted story involving the leader of a anti-war faction who may or may not be working for Starfleet Intelligence and who was a former crew mate of Sisko's. The Odo sub-plot makes the novel feel further disjointed and could have been dropped entirely. The irony here is that all of the characterizations are well developed (a quality that has been hit-or-miss in Star Trek fiction over the years) , while the plot never fully gels. Ultimately, this book leaves me feeling disappointed--a great opportunity to tell a great continuation of a great episode is greatly mishandled here. Perhaps the writer should have followed Sisko's lead at the end of 'In the Pale Moonlight' upon completing the manuscript for this book: "Computer, delete that entire log entry."”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Tuesday, October 13 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Vivid Girls Volume 1 (No Cover Price Edition) (Vivid Girls)

    Vivid Girls Volume 1 (No Cover Price Edition) (Vivid Girls)

    by Steven Grant, Antony Johnston, Juan Jose Ryp, Marco Turini, Carlos Fernando
    • Rated 3 stars

    “This little gem, originally published by Avatar Press, features seven of the better know adult film starlets of Vivid Studios in three stories done in comic book form. The first story "Dry Heat" (written by Steve Grant and art by Marco Turini) features Sunrise Adams, Briana Banks, and Mercedez as double crossing femme fatales in a crime-noir thriller. The second story "White Light" (written by Antony Johnston and art by Carlos Ferreira) features Chloe Jones and Savanna Samson as two angels brought to earth, experiencing the mortal world for the first time. The final story and the pièce de résistance of the entire tome, is entitled "Spellbound" (written by Antony Johnston and art by Juan Jose Ryp) and features Tawny Roberts and the self proclaimed 'Queen of Porn' Jenna Jameson as bewitching enchantress in a sword and sorcery epic. Overall, these stories run the gamut from okay to really good. Of course, given the subject matter, there is very little in the way of plot or character development--all the stories essentially read as adult films done in comic book form. There is sex aplenty and while it might be hot and tempting in live action, much of it seems to fall flat when reduced to a small panel. There are some exceptions of course--Ryp's hyper detailed artwork for "Spellbound" seems to jump off the page and his art actually bears some resemblance to the 'actresses' involved. A major letdown is that all of the stories end with 'To Be Continued' and so far, no further issues of this title have been made. The book also boast three nude layout spreads of Briana Banks, Savanna Samson, and Jenna Jameson. Recommended for fans of adult comics and the Girls of Vivid. ”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Sunday, September 27 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Siege of Vraks: Imperial Armour v. 5The Siege of Vraks: Imperial Armour v. 5Warwick Kinrade
    • Rated 5 stars

    “This book, the fifth volume in Forge World's ongoing Warhammer 40,000 expansion sourcebooks, takes yet another new direction for the series, being the first of a a trilogy of books that detail siege warfare in the 41st millennium. The armory world of Vraks had fallen to rebel 'heretics', who, lead by Cardinal Xaphan, plan to launch a holy war across the Scarus sector. The Imperium cannot allow this to happen, as they are engaged with other races (primarily the Tyranids) and the planet Vraks formed a major lynch-pin in the Imperiums bastion and armory worlds; thus they make preparation to retake Vraks at any cost. Unfortunately, the planet boasts a huge arsenal of Imperial weapons and is a virtual fortress, designed to repel any outside attack. The Imperium decides to enact a massive siege, one that they calculate will last twelve years before Vraks falls. But other Forces are watching the ensuing battle and are making their own plans to intervene... As with previous volumes in this series, the book reads with an authoritative tone, as if real history is being recounted and analyzed. As before, the real highlight of this book are the pictures; they convey a realism that is often times somber and grim. With the nature of the siege of Vraks being that of prolonged trench warfare, most of the pictures seem to be inspired from similar pictures of World War One. Not surprising, given the fact that Forge World's focus this time around is on the Death Korps of Krieg, soldiers who who are experts at trench warfare and whose uniforms look like a hellish amalgamation of WW1 French and German infantry, complete with gas mask and trenching tools. Indeed, two stand out pieces of art in this book are the images detailing the equipment of a Death Korp infantryman and a Death Corp Grenadier respectively. There is also some new artwork style in evidence here as well, with several dynamic interior and exterior views of the Gorgon heavy assault transport vehicle that look to have been rendered on a computer in contrast to the somewhat static profile images that have been a hallmark of the series until now. Judging by what I'm seeing here, I can't wait to see how the battle continues in part two. Great stuff and highly recommended to fans of Warhammer 40k or fans of military history. ”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Sunday, September 27 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hornet Flight
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Set in the early days of World War Two, this book details the various triumphs and tragedies of one Harald Olufsen, a young Danish teenager with dreams of working with Niels Bohr who finds himself being pulled into the world of espionage and organized resistance. British intelligence is concerned with the loss of its bomber aircraft over Germany. They suspect (correctly) that the Germans have created a new radar network that allows them to track incoming aircraft with great precision and are keen to learn any information about it. After a chance encounter with a member of the resistance, as well as the deaths of several friends (and a close family member), Harald find himself tasked with not only obtaining the information of the German radar installation in Denmark but also getting that intelligence back to England before the launch of a major air raid. Thus Harald 'recruits' one Karen Duchwitz, the daughter of a wealthy Jewish banker whose just so happens to own a old Hornet Moth biplane. Much of the novel's suspense comes from Haralds attempting to stay one step ahead of the Danish Police (as well as the Germans) in his attempts to both collect the intelligence and get the plane air worthy again. Follet's narrative flows very well, although certain sections feel a little padded. In some ways, the book reads like an old Hollywood movie (especially with the budding romance between Harald and Karen) and had this been published during the war, it would have not doubt been made. In any case, this a good historical fiction novel and comes recommended for fans of historical fiction and World War Two.”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Friday, September 25 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Amazonia
    • Rated 3 stars

    “For some reason, this book seemed to be slow going for me. It sat on my bookshelf for over two years now (only half read no less) and I finally got tired of looking at it collecting dust. Since most of the major plot points can be gleaned from other sources (reading a few of the other reviews here will tell you all you need to know on that score), I won't rehash it here except to say that the novel seems to be a great big slice of old school style pulp fiction. Rollins story is best when he is describing the action taking place in the jungle. His story seems to lose some of its rhythm when he describes what is going on in the 'civilized' world. There are also some other influences here as well--personality wise, the hero and the villain of this tale seem to be based on Indiana Jones and his arch-nemesis Bellouq. Nevertheless, Rollins tells a rollicking action adventure that is only let down by a somewhat anticlimactic and too pat ending. Still, a great escapist novel and worth a look by fans of Rollins. ”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Monday, August 17 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Art of Masters of the Universe
    • Rated 4 stars

    “This book, published by Mattel and offered as an exclusive item at the San Diego Comic Con (and limited to 1,000 copies), boasts concept drawings, box art, and mini-comic artwork from the (various) He-Man and Masters of the Universe toyline, from the vintage toys of the early 80's all way to the 2002 series. The book progresses chronologically, starting with some of the early concepts of both the toyline and the backstory. Some wonderful concept drawings of the early characters are presented here, as well as a creepy early version of Castle Grayskull. A He-Man prototype action is shown as well (complete with horned Viking helment). This section also showcases some wonderful oil painting artwork that originally graced the boxes of various toy vehicles and playsets. Next, the New Adventures line is featured with some excellent color toy-concept drawings of the characters and their accessories and after that the figures of the 2002 He-Man is presented. The highlight of this section is the hyper-detailed action figure maquettes designed by the Four Horsemen. Finally, there is a tantalizing look ahead for the Masters of the Universe, including what are purported to be early concepts for a forthcoming live action film (I'll leave the merits of these to the discretion of the reader). However, there were two factors that lead me to give this book only four stars. One was the unforgivable absence of artwork by the great Earl Norem, whose artwork made a big impact in the world of MOTU. An even bigger letdown of this book was the price. While this item originally sold for fifty dollars, its scarcity combined with rampant speculators and a fervent fan base has caused this item to triple in price. My advice--if you can get it, then do so. It maybe a thin book and it certainly isn't perfect but there has never been one like it before and it will occupy a strange little niche in the MOTU collectors universe for some time to come. ”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Saturday, August 22 2009. ( reply | permalink )
  • Red Army
    • Rated 4 stars

    “Published in the waning years of the Cold War, this book postulates a scenario that probably kept NATO generals up at night: an all out invasion of West Germany by the armed forces of the Soviet Union. The story, told entirely from the Soviet perspective, details the various stages of the invasion both on the ground and in the air. And while the book does concern itself with the 'Red Army', it serves a scathing indictment of NATO at the time it was published. Peters NATO is hamstrung by political indecision that is reflected by it troops on the battlefield. While most of the national units (British, German, Dutch etc.,) give good account of themselves, they are ultimately defeated by their political leaders inability to act. The Soviets take full advantage of this, counting on speed and overwhelming numbers to get in behind the NATO units and keep the battlefield from 'going nuclear' by making hostages of the refuges in the cities and the army units trapped with them. Peters postulates that the varying political agenda's of NATO's members are it's ultimate undoing and (spoiler alert) allow the Soviets to emerge victorious. While the collapse of the USSR has rendered the story somewhat moot, Peters comments on NATO--both expressed and implied--make this book still relevant today. Fans of Cold War fiction or alternate history are encourage to pick this book up. ”

    DOC-209 wrote this review Wednesday, July 22 2009. ( reply | permalink )
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