Protagonists of War

Protagonists of War
Author: Raymond Fagel
Publisher: Leuven University Press
Total Pages: 389
Release: 2021-10-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 946270287X

Julián Romero, Sancho Dávila, Cristóbal de Mondragón, and Francisco de Valdés were prominent Spanish military commanders during the first decade of the Revolt in the Low Countries (1567–1577). Occupying key positions in this conflict, they featured as central characters in various war narratives and episodical descriptions of the events they were involved in, ranging from chronicles, poems, theatre plays, engravings, and songs to news pamphlets. To this day, they still figure as protagonists of historical novels: brave heroes in some, cruel oppressors in others. Yet personal, first-hand accounts also exist. Archival research into the letters written by these commanders now makes it possible to include their perspectives and the way they describe their own experiences. Looking through the eyes of four Spanish commanders, Protagonists of War provides the reader with an alternative reading of the Revolt, contrasting the subjective experiences of these protagonists with fictionalised perceptions.

The Character of War in the 21st Century

The Character of War in the 21st Century
Author: Caroline Holmqvist-Jonsäter
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2009-12-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1135183562

This edited volume addresses the relationship between the essential nature of war and its character at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The focus is on the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, situations that occupy a central role in international affairs and that have become highly influential in thinking about war in the widest sense. The intellectual foundation of the volume is Clausewitz’s insight that though war has an enduring nature, its character changes with time, space, social structure and culture. The fact that war’s character varies means that different actors may interpret, experience and, ultimately, wage war differently. The conflict between the ways that war is conceptualised in the prevailing Western and international discourse, and the manner in which it plays out on the ground is a key discussion point for scholars and practitioners in the field of international relations. Contributions combine insights from social theory, philosophy, sociology and strategic studies and ask directly what contemporary war is, and what the implications are for the future. This book will be of much interest to students of war studies, strategic studies, security studies and IR in general. Caroline Holmqvist-Jonsäter is currently completing a PhD in the conflation of war and policing in international conflicts at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. Christopher Coker is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He is the author of 11 books on war and security issues.

The Deed of Paksenarrion

The Deed of Paksenarrion
Author: Elizabeth Moon
Publisher: Baen Publishing Enterprises
Total Pages: 1136
Release: 2001-10-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1618243055

Complete at Last in a Single Hardcover Volume ¾the Finest Trilogy of Epic Fantasy in a Decade Paksenarrion, a simple sheepfarmer's daughter, yearns for a life of adventure and glory, such as was known to heroes in songs and story. At age seventeen she runs away from home to join a mercenary company and begins her epic life . . . Book One: Paks is trained as a mercenary, blooded, and introduced to the life of a soldier . . . and to the followers of Gird, the soldier's god. Book Two: Paks leaves the Duke's company to follow the path of Gird alone¾and on her lonely quests encounters the other sentient races of her world. Book Three: Paks the warrior must learn to live with Paks the human. She undertakes a holy quest for a lost elven prince that brings the gods' wrath down on her and tests her very limits. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). "Engrossing . . ." ¾Anne McCaffrey "A tour de force . . ." ¾Jack McDevitt "Worldbuilding in the grand tradition, background thought out to the last detail." ¾Judith Tarr "Superlative . . ." ¾Booklist "Brilliant . . . the excitement of high heroic adventure . . . will enchant the reader." ¾Bookwatch

The Story Grid

The Story Grid
Author: Shawn Coyne
Publisher: Black Irish Entertainment LLC
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2015-05-02
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1936891360

WHAT IS THE STORY GRID? The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult). The Story Grid is a tool with many applications: 1. It will tell a writer if a Story ?works? or ?doesn't work. 2. It pinpoints story problems but does not emotionally abuse the writer, revealing exactly where a Story (not the person creating the Story'the Story) has failed. 3. It will tell the writer the specific work necessary to fix that Story's problems. 4. It is a tool to re-envision and resuscitate a seemingly irredeemable pile of paper stuck in an attic drawer. 5. It is a tool that can inspire an original creation.

Crier's War

Crier's War
Author: Nina Varela
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 379
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0062823965

From debut author Nina Varela comes the first book in a richly imagined epic fantasy duology about an impossible love between two girls—one human, one Made—whose romance could be the beginning of a revolution. Perfect for fans of Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Curse as well as Game of Thrones and Westworld. After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will. Now Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death…by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier. Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly, before she met Ayla. Now, with growing human unrest across the land, pressures from a foreign queen, and an evil new leader on the rise, Crier and Ayla find there may be only one path to love: war.

The Changing Character of War

The Changing Character of War
Author: Hew Strachan
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 575
Release: 2011-05-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199596735

The Changing Character of War unites scholars from the disciplines of history, politics, law, and philosophy to ask in what ways the character of war today has changed from war in the past, and how the wars of today differ from each other. It discusses who fights, why they fight, and how they fight.

The Quiet War

The Quiet War
Author: Paul Mcauley
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 522
Release: 2009-12-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1616141166

Twenty-third century Earth, ravaged by climate change, looks backwards to the holy ideal of a pre-industrial Eden. Political power has been grabbed by a few powerful families and their green saints. Millions of people are imprisoned in teeming cities; millions more labour on Pharaonic projects to rebuild ruined ecosystems. On the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the Outers, descendants of refugees from Earth's repressive regimes, have constructed a wild variety of self-sufficient cities and settlements: scientific utopias crammed with exuberant creations of the genetic arts; the last outposts of every kind of democratic tradition. The fragile detente between the Outer cities and the dynasties of Earth is threatened by the ambitions of the rising generation of Outers, who want to break free of their cosy, inward-looking pocket paradises, colonise the rest of the Solar System, and drive human evolution in a hundred new directions. On Earth, many demand pre-emptive action against the Outers before it's too late; others want to exploit the talents of their scientists and gene wizards. Amid campaigns for peace and reconciliation, political machinations, crude displays of military might, and espionage by cunningly wrought agents, the two branches of humanity edge towards war...

War of the Rats

War of the Rats
Author: David L. Robbins
Publisher: Bantam
Total Pages: 514
Release: 2009-12-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307575373

For six months in 1942, Stalingrad is the center of a titanic struggle between the Russian and German armies—the bloodiest campaign in mankind's long history of warfare. The outcome is pivotal. If Hitler's forces are not stopped, Russia will fall. And with it, the world.... German soldiers call the battle Rattenkrieg, War of the Rats. The combat is horrific, as soldiers die in the smoking cellars and trenches of a ruined city. Through this twisted carnage stalk two men—one Russian, one German—each the top sniper in his respective army. These two marksmen are equally matched in both skill and tenacity. Each man has his own mission: to find his counterpart—and kill him. But an American woman trapped in Russia complicates this extraordinary duel. Joining the Russian sniper's cadre, she soon becomes one of his most talented assassins—and perhaps his greatest weakness. Based on a true story, this is the harrowing tale of two adversaries enmeshed in their own private war—and whose fortunes will help decide the fate of the world.

Noble Cause

Noble Cause
Author: Jessica James
Publisher: Jessica James
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2015-02-17
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0979600057

"Noble Cause is a riveting piece of historical fiction, very much highly recommended reading." - Midwest Book Review Noble Cause: A Novel of the Civil War, is the winner of the 2011 John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction and the Next Generation Award for Regional Fiction. It was a Finalist in both the Romance and Historical Fiction categories. The award-winning historical fiction novel Shades of Gray now has a new happily-ever-after ending in this special edition entitled, Noble Cause. This is the tale of Colonel Alexander Hunter, a dauntless and daring Confederate cavalry officer, who, with his band of intrepid outcasts, becomes a legend in the rolling hills of northern Virginia. Inspired by love of country and guided by a sense of duty and honor, Hunter must make a desperate choice when he discovers the woman he promised his dying brother he would protect is the Union spy he vowed to his men he would destroy. Readers will discover the fine line between friends and enemies when the paths of these two tenacious foes cross by the fates of war and their destinies become entwined forever. Author Jessica James uniquely blends elements of romantic and historical fiction in this deeply personal and poignant tale that, according to one reviewer, “transcends the pages to settle in the very marrow of the reader’s bones.” Winner of numerous national awards, James has received critical acclaim for this page-turning story of courage, honor, and enduring love. Destined for an honored place among the classics of the American Civil War, Noble Cause is a book to read, and keep, and remember forever.