In this robust sequel to A Sailor of Austria, young Lieutenant Otto Prohaska of the Austro-Hungarian navy continues to narrate his adventures during the early years of this century, as he careens across Eastern Europe and parts of Asia, buffeted by lovely ladies, tyrannical lords and world events. Prohaska volunteers for flight training only to be shot down over a royal picnic, allowing him to spend time with both the Kaiser and Archduke Ferdinand, the latter of whom will shortly be assassinated, plunging Europe into WWI. When a lusty lady intrigues him, he finds himself in danger of execution. Up one mountain and down the next, by air, land and sea, the doughty lad wends his way, enduring shipwreck, pirates, battle and a Turkish dungeon. Skillfully mixing derring-do with tragedy as well as stringent wit, Biggins offers a vivid catalogue of world history 1909-1918. Sometimes there is so much history, in fact, that Prohaska seems more like a teaching aid than a living character, but overall this is engaging fare-reminiscent of George M. Fraser’s Flashman series, but darker-that is likely to increase Biggins’s following.
Kapcsolódó könyvek
Angus Konstam - British Napoleonic Ship-of-the-Line
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars encompassed a period when rival European fleets vied for naval supremacy, and naval tactics were evolving. The British Royal Navy emerged triumphant as the leading world sea power, and the epitome of Britannic naval strength was the Ship-of-the-Line. These 'wooden walls' were more than merely floating gun batteries: they contained a crew of up to 800 men, and often had to remain at sea for extended periods. This book offers detailed coverage of the complex vessels that were the largest man-made structures produced in the pre-Industrial era.
John Keegan - The Face of Battle
The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at the "point of maximum danger." Without the myth-making elements of rhetoric and xenophobia, and breaking away from the stylized format of battle descriptions. John Keegan has written what is probably the definitive model for military historians. And in his scrupulous reassessment of three battles representative of three different time periods, he manages to convey what the experience of combat meant for the participants, whether they were facing the arrow cloud of Agincourt, the musket balls at Waterloo, or the steel rain of the Somme.
Megan Shepherd - Her Dark Curiosity
To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.
Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.
As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.
As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.
With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.
Danielle Steel - Echoes
The summer of 1915 was a time of prosperity and unease for the Wittgenstein family, and for their eldest daughter Beata it was also a time of awakening. By the glimmering waters of Lake Geneva, the quiet Jewish beauty met a young French officer and fell in love. Knowing that her parents would never accept her marriage to a Catholic, Beata followed her heart - and as the two built a new life together, Beata's past would stay with her in ways she could never have predicted.
As the years pass, Beata must watch in horror as Europe is once again engulfed in war, threatening her life and family - even her daughter Amadea, who has taken the vows of a Carmelite nun. But Amadea is forced into hiding and as family and friends are swept away without a trace, she begins a harrowing journey of survival. Taking on daring missions behind enemy lines, she finds a man who will help her discover her place in an unbreakable chain between generations... between her lost family and her future.
An intricate tapestry of a mother's love, a daughter's courage, and the unwavering faith that sustained them - even in history's darkest hour.
Ken Follett - Fall of Giants
This is a huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women. It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family, is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution. In a plot of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, "Fall of Giants" moves seamlessly from Washington to St Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty.
Balla Tibor - A Nagy Háború osztrák-magyar tábornokai
A XX. század őskatasztrófájának tartott, 1914–1918 között lezajlott Nagy Háború osztrák–magyar tábornokainak neve és sorsa a legtöbb olvasó számára ismeretlen. Nem véletlenül, hiszen az összesen mintegy 1200 fős tábornoki testület tagjainak életútjáról és háborús szerepéről máig nem született tudományos igényű, tárgyilagos összefoglalás. Balla Tibor, a budapesti Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum Bécsi Levéltári Kirendeltségének vezetője, az első világháború ismert kutatója ezt a hiányt pótolja jelen kötetével. A közel tízéves kutatómunka után elkészült, a magyar és a nemzetközi szakirodalomban mindeddig egyedülálló könyv az első világháborús császári és királyi tábornoki kar legmagasabb rangot elért 178 tagjának – akik között 25 magyar is található – pályafutását és világégés alatti tevékenységét foglalja össze lexikon formájában. A mű bevezetőjében a szerző elsőként vállalkozik a generálisok életrajzi adatainak történeti-statisztikai és szociológiai vizsgálatára, melynek eredményeként átfogó értékelést ad a tábornokok születésére, halálozására, nemzetiségére, vallására, családi viszonyaira, származására, iskolázottságára, nyelvismeretére, hazai és külföldi kitüntetéseire, adományozott címeire és rangjaira, hadjáratokban történt részvételükre, előmenetelükre, beosztásaikra, az általuk írt írásművekre, valamint háború utáni sorsukra vonatkozóan, új vonásokkal egészítve ki az Ausztria–Magyarország katonai elitjéről kialakult képet. A Monarchia altábornagyi és vezérőrnagyi rangú generálisainak életrajzai jelen munka folytatásaként, további kötetekben látnak majd napvilágot.
Adolf Hitler - Mein Kampf
A Mein Kampf (Harcom) Adolf Hitler nemzetiszocialista vezető egyetlen, még az életében kiadott könyve, melyet landsbergi fogsága idején kezdett el írni, miután 1923-ban az ún. sörpuccsban való részvételéért börtönbe zárták. A könyvben áttekintette addigi pályafutását és megfogalmazta világnézetét, valamint politikai programját. A mű a nácizmus ideológiai alapvetése lett.
Hitler magát a könyvben nem politikusnak, hanem programadónak (Programmatiker) ábrázolta. Eszerint „a programadó feladata nem az, hogy az ügy teljesíthetőségének különböző fokait megállapítsa, hanem, hogy az ügyet mint olyan megvilágítsa: másként szólva: kevésbé kell törődnie az úttal, mint a céllal.” Továbbá: „[a programadó] jelentősége csaknem mindig csupán a jövőben mutatkozik meg, mivel ő nemritkán az, akit „világidegen” szóval illetnek. Mert ha a politikus művészete valóban megfelel a lehetséges művészetének, a programadó azokhoz tartozik, akikre áll, hogy az isteneknek csak úgy tetszenek, ha a lehetetlent követelik és akarják.”
Hitler ezzel az írással egy átfogó elméletet kívánt a nép elé állítani a marxizmus ellenében. Emellett úgy kívánta bemutatni addigi pályáját, mint ami pártja és az egész nép ideális vezetőjévé teszi őt a zsidóság, mint közös ellenség elleni összefogásban. Megerősítette az NSDAP 25 pontos programjának érvényességét. Megállapította, hogy a nemzeti szocializmus egyik elődjének számító Völkisch mozgalom sikertelen maradt és ideje lejárt; ezzel szemben az NSDAP modern, céltudatos gyűjtőmozgalommá vált, amely sikerrel tömörítheti a weimari köztársaság nacionalista és antidemokratikus erőit.
Hermann Róbert - Illustrated Military History of Hungary
Ehhez a könyvhöz nincs fülszöveg, de ettől függetlenül még rukkolható/happolható.
Scott Westerfeld - Goliath
Alek and Dylan are back onboard the Leviathan. The ship is ordered to pick up Tesla, a Russian inventor who has created a machine he claims can destroy half of the world, which he is using as a threat to impose peace. Alek wants to end the war, so decides to back Tesla politically, as do the Darwinists. Meanwhile Dylan is still pretending to be a boy, though Alek has figured out her true identity, and promises to keep her secret. With stops in New York, California and Mexico, Dylan and Alek encounter adventure and intrigue at every turn, but when a secret German plan to sabotage Tesla's machine leads to a heart-stopping stand-off, as Tesla threatens to fire his weapon, it's up to the two of them to stop him - or face the end of the world for real...
Dr. Csonkaréti Károly - Benczúr László - Haditengerészek és folyamőrök a Dunán
Hogyan kerültek hadi tengerészek a Dunára? Milyen szerepük volt az első és a második világháború harccselekményeiben? Milyenek voltak a magyar folyami hadihajók?
Ezekre, és még sok más, a Dunaflottillával kapcsolatos kérdésre is választ ad e mű, amely egyidejűleg hadtörténelem, haditechnikatörténet és a harcok szemtanúik által történő hiteles leírása.
A szerző a Budapesti Tengerészeti Különítmény megszületésétől követi nyomon a magyar folyami hadihajósok történetét. A Dunaflottilla, és a Magyar Királyi Folyamőrség fennállása alatt két világháború rázta meg Európát. E mozgalmas, háborúkkal tarkított időszakot, a magyar tengerészek és folyamőrök hősies helytállását közreadó mű az érdeklődők számára eddig ismeretlen területet tár fel. A sok, ez idáig sehol sem látható korabeli fénykép, valamint a hadihajók felépítési rajzai pedig mindenki számára egyedi élményt nyújtanak.
Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan
It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.
Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure… One that will change both their lives forever.
Ismeretlen szerző - Magyarország az első világháborúban
A Romsics Ignác szerkesztette kötet neves szerzők tanulmányain keresztül mutatja be Magyarország részvételét a különböző frontokon folyó harcokban; a hátországbeli életet; a Monarchia tengeri és folyami ütközeteit; a hadifogság és a háború után megkötött békeszerződés részleteit. A fotókkal és mellékletekkel rövid életrajzokkal, dokumentumokkal kiegészített keretes anyagok segítenek átfogó képet alkotni a 20. század e vérzivataros éveiről.
Michael Farquhar - Behind the Palace Doors
Spanning 500 years of British history, a revealing look at the secret lives of some great (and not-so-great) Britons, courtesy of one of the world’s most engaging royal historians
Beleaguered by scandal, betrayed by faithless spouses, bedeviled by ambitious children, the kings and queens of Great Britain have been many things, but they have never been dull. Some sacrificed everything for love, while others met a cruel fate at the edge of an axman’s blade. From the truth behind the supposed madness of King George to Queen Victoria’s surprisingly daring taste in sculpture, Behind the Palace Doors ventures beyond the rumors to tell the unvarnished history of Britain’s monarchs, highlighting the unique mix of tragedy, comedy, romance, heroism, and incompetence that has made the British throne a seat of such unparalleled fascination.
Featuring:
• stories covering every monarch, from randy Henry VIII to reserved Elizabeth II
• historical myths debunked and surprising “Did you know . . . ?” anecdotes
• four family trees spanning every royal house, from the Tudors to the Windsors
Susan Crandall - Whistling Past the Graveyard
In the summer of 1963, nine-year-old spitfire Starla Claudelle runs away from her strict grandmother’s Mississippi home. Starla hasn’t seen her momma since she was three—that’s when Lulu left for Nashville to become a famous singer. Starla’s daddy works on an oil rig in the Gulf, so Mamie, with her tsk-tsk sounds and her bitter refrain of “Lord, give me strength,” is the nearest thing to family Starla has. After being put on restriction yet again for her sassy mouth, Starla is caught sneaking out for the Fourth of July parade. She fears Mamie will make good on her threat to send Starla to reform school, so Starla walks to the outskirts of town, and just keeps walking. . . . If she can get to Nashville and find her momma, then all that she promised will come true: Lulu will be a star. Daddy will come to live in Nashville, too. And her family will be whole and perfect. Walking a lonely country road, Starla accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman traveling alone with a white baby. The trio embarks on a road trip that will change Starla’s life forever. She sees for the first time life as it really is—as she reaches for a dream of how it could one day be.
Stan Sakai - Usagi Yojimbo 12. - Grasscutter
Forged in heaven, it is called Kusanagi, the Grasscutter--the lost sword of the Gods. This legendary blade could potentially tip the scales of power for the shadowy Conspiracy of Eight in their quest to overthrow the Shogunate and reinstate the Emperor. With the help of a witch and the souls of dead warriors, they plan to recover the lost sword and bring the Shogun down. But when the fates place the Grasscutter in the hands of masterless samurai Usagi Yojimbo, the ronin rabbit becomes the focus of a deadly struggle for possession of the dread blade. And this crisis pales beside the dark possibilities should the sword come to the demonic warrior, Jei!
Winner of the 1999 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series, Grasscutter is Stan Sakai's longest and most ambitious Usagi tale to date, a sweeping epic showcasing one of comics' most individual artistic voices at the peak of his creative skills.
Owen Matthews - Stalin's Children
On a midsummer day in 1937, the young Commissar Boris Bibikov kissed his two daughters goodbye and disappeared into the official Packard waiting outside. It was the last time his family ever saw him. Arrested by Stalin's secret police, the loyal Party man confessed to a grotesque series of crimes against the Revolution. His wife, an Enemy of the People by association, was sent to the gulag, leaving the young Lyudmila and Lenina alone to face separation in a world turned suddenly cold. Lyudmila grew up a fighter, and when she fell in love with a tall young foreigner in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, she knew there would be further battles ahead. Naively infatuated with Russia, Mervyn Matthews had embarked on a dangerous flirtation with the KGB. But when finally asked to work for the organisation, he refused. Revenge came quickly: Mervyn was thrown out of the country; Lyudmila lost her job. For six years, stranded on opposite sides of the ideological divide that shaped their generation, they kept their love alive in a daily stream of letters – some anguished, some funny, but all suffused with a hope that they would eventually be reunited. Decades later, Owen Matthews pieces together his grandfather's passage through the harrowing world of Stalin's purges, and tells the story of his parents' Cold War love affair through their letters and memories. Interspersed with the story of his family is his own journey as a young reporter in nineties Moscow. This is a raw, vivid memoir about a young man's struggle to understand his parents' lives and the strange country which 'made us and freed us and very nearly broke us.'
Tite Kubo - Bleach 4.
A new reality-show craze is sweeping the nation, garnering legions of screaming fans (the majority of them being teenaged girls.) But this program comes with a supernatural twist-the host, a media-savvy spiritualist, travels to local hot spots and perform exorcisms, live on national TV! Surly Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki has his doubts about this prime-time prima donna, and his assumptions are about to be put to the test-the show is heading straight for his neighborhood. What effect will this unprovoked media presence have on the fragile balance between Earth and the spirit world? Find out more in the fourth action-packed volume of Tite Kubo's mega-manga hit Bleach.
Patrick O'Brian - The Nutmeg of Consolation
Shipwrecked on a remote island in the Dutch East Indies, Captain Aubrey, surgeon and secret intelligence agent Stephen Maturin, and the crew of the Diane fashion a schooner from the wreck. A vicious attack by Malay pirates is repulsed, but the makeshift vessel burns, and they are truly marooned. Their escape from this predicament is one that only the whimsy and ingenuity of Patrick O'Brian—or Stephen Maturin—could devise.
In command now of a new ship, the Nutmeg, Aubrey pursues his interrupted mission. The dreadful penal colony in New South Wales, harrowingly described, is the backdrop to a diplomatic crisis provoked by Maturin's Irish temper, and to a near-fatal encounter with the wildlife of the Australian outback.
Patrick O'Brian - The Letter of Marque
When Jack Aubrey is unfairly deprived of his commission in the Royal Navy, Stephen Maturin comes to the rescue, purchasing the captain's former ship and outfitting it as a privateer, to be commanded by... Jack Aubrey. Soon the Surprise is off to sea, on a mission that Aubrey hopes will redeem his good name. The author's grasp of period detail is astonishing as ever--and so is his gift for pure entertainment.
Patrick O'Brian - The Reverse of the Medal
Ashore between cruises, Captain Jack Aubrey is persuaded to sink some money into an investment scheme. Soon this innocent decision enmeshes him in various criminal and even treasonous enterprises, which threaten to destroy his entire career. Bad luck? A deliberate plot? Read this latest installment of the Aubrey-Maturin saga to find out.