This is the second book in Lawhead’s “Pendragon Cycle“. Since I’m reading the series in sequence, I’m not going to post details until I’ve read more.
Author Archives: Rob
“Taliesin”
Stephen R. Lawhead
This is the first book in Lawhead’s “Pendragon Cycle“. Since I’m reading the series in sequence, I’m not going to post details until I’ve read more.
“Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India”
William Dalrymple
Dalrymple profiles nine Indians who participate in the several religions — Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, etc. — of India in different ways. It’s an interesting peek into the colorful but opaque-to-oustsiders worlds of Indian faith and practices.
I read this before my recent trip to India, and I may reread parts now that I’ve experienced the country.




“The Habsburg Empire: A Very Short Introduction”
Martyn C. Rady
The Habsburgs are an endlessly fascinating topic (I can hear readers’ eyes rolling), a topic that’s probably too large for the “very short introduction” format. It’s not a bad book, but, like “The Habsburgs” didn’t quite scratch my Habsburg itch.
“River of Bones”
Taylor Anderson
This is the thirteenth novel in the “Destroyermen” series. I enjoy them (obviously, because I keep reading them), but I do wish Taylor would spend more time advancing the plot and a little less time enumerating everything in his world in endless detail.
“Death’s Bright Angel”
J. D. Davies
Davies’ hero, Matthew Quinton, tries to prevent the Fire of London. I enjoyed this book — it’s nice to see the series back on track.
“The New Testament: A Very Short Introduction”
Luke Timothy Johnson
This is a good, concise introduction, but I was hopping for more of a history of the New Testament than an overview of its contents.
“Kaleidoscope City: A Year in Varanasi”
Piers Moore Ede
Varanasi (formerly Benares) is a city on the Ganges in northern India. It’s an ancient city, continuously inhabited for thousands of years, and is considered a holy city by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists. The previous sentence is a pretty dry description; this book — which I read before visiting Varanasi — reveals a lot about the life of the city. But nothing can compare to being there: it’s chaotic, colorful, dirty, loud, and beautiful. From a boat on the Ganges you see people doing laundry, people engaged in ritual bathing, and cremation fires, all over a fairly short distance. I’d recommend “Kaleidoscope City” to anyone with the least interest in India or its religions. Now that I’ve been to the city, I may read the book again.
“The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction”
Eric H. Cline
The title is a good description of this book. It’s more a long encyclopedia article than a book, but despite its brevity it provides a good overview of what’s known about the Trojan War from literature, history, and archaeology.
“The Quantum Spy”
David Ignatius
This is a weak spy novel, far less interesting than Ignatius’s “Agents of Innocence” or even his “The Director“.