The Hill-arious Blame-Game Tour

(Image by Tom Stiglich)

Hillary Clinton'sBook Tour will be coming to Seattle's Paramount Theater, December 11th.

"...and there was much rejoicing." 

Just in time to get that last-minute Festivus gift.

Hillary's book and interviews are certainly in the Festivus spirit, especially with the Airing of Grievances...

(Image by Henry Payne)

There's a lot of news and issues brewing in the waning days of Summer 2017, that I could be posing about.  Unfortunately, Corrupt Queen Hillary Clinton can't let go of the past, nor accept the fact she lost to Our Grand Nagus.

It's as if, as Mark Steyn said: Hillary is acting like O.J. Simpson and "looking for the real killers."

RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel observed:  Every Clinton interview reinforced why she lost.

Judge Jeanine bangs her gavel down on Hillary's excuses.

I like Jesse Waters' opening comment:  She's working harder to sell the book than she did to win the election.

And Liz Wheeler rolled-in with a run-down on "what happened."

Fortunately, I don't have to read What Happened, because:

a. I already know what happened, and so do the folks I linked to in this post, and
b. Kate Reads Books on Twitter already did and has this "Unholy Shit!" reaction to women forcing their daughters seek Hillary's forgiveness for not voting.

One would think by now, a normal person would ask:

(Image by Chip Bok)

The silver lining in all this dreary & deluded rehash of the 2016 Presidential Campaign is that it's fodder for satire.

The Onion peeled off some layers like:

We All Made Mistakes, But You Made Most of Them, along with the follow-on What Also Happened--casting blame on her failed book tour.

Book Review: Shadow Knights

(Note:  This post appeared on my Stern Rake Studio blog three days ago)

It's been a while since I read a non-fiction book, so I think it's time to take a break from today's dreary headlines.

Nearly six years ago, Simon & Schuster started a line of books called Pulp History.  The intent was to introduce readers to some of the past's most thrilling stories.

And what could be more thrilling than British agents infiltrating Nazi-occupied Europe?

Shadow Knights: The Secret War Against Hitler is an illustrated book about some of the men and women of Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE). 

While the book touches on various aspects of SOE's existence, the focus rests on the exploits of Harry Ree, Noor Inayat Khan, and the team of Norwegians responsible for the destruction of Germany's heavy water production.

In addition to stirring accounts of survival, betrayal, capture and the occasional triumph; Shadow Knights is lavishly illustrated with maps, sidebar notes, while artist Jeffrey Smith's splash pages bring the characters to life.

I give this book a solid four-star rating, leaning more towards work of entertainment than an in-depth historical analysis of irregular warfare waged against Nazi Germany.  For the sake of telling stories of derring do, Shadow Knights "pulps over" many aspects of World War II, outside the scope of SOE's operations. 
The book has a 4.5-star rating out of 5 on Amazon.com.

Unfortunately, Simon & Schuster's Pulp History fizzled out after releasing only two books, the second being, Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America.

Both books can be found in used book stores or through Amazon.com.

Book Review: The [Un]documented Mark Steyn

As you regular Station WTFO readers are aware, I'm a fan of Mark Steyn.  His balance of acerbic wit coupled with tongue in cheek humor makes the bad news Mark comments on, along with his dire predictions of the future, makes being informed on current events tolerable and entertaining.

When I'm on duty at WA State Emergency Management, our agency's televisions are tuned to the news.  I would have paid better attention to the terrorist attack on Paris, if we weren't dealing with a wind storm event.

Anyway, when I'm off duty, I usually minimize my news intake in order to take a mental break from all the breaking bad news.  If I decide to catch up on the news, the first site I go to is Mark Steyn's.  At least I'll be able to smile, or even laugh at Mark's presentation of events-of-the-day.

Of Mark's recent books, I chose to purchase The [Un]documented Mark Steyn.  While I believe in Mark's Freedom of Speech cause against Michael Mann, I'm currently not interested in reading any book-length material on climate change.

I found The [Un]documented Mark Steyn to be like watching re-runs of my favorite TV shows, or movies.  There were some "scenes" (previously published articles) I remember vividly, some vaguely, while others I don't remember at all.  The author added some new material, along with footnotes to help new readers understand the circumstances he's written about, some dating back to the '90s.

Since I'm familiar with most of Mark's work, I'll give his "[Un]documented" edition 4-stars.  I liked it, even re-reading the articles I remember very well.

The [Un]documented Mark Steyn gets an average 4.6-star rating on Amazon.com.  The overwhelming majority of readers (79%) give the book 5-stars.  I would too if I read the articles for the first time.

A number of the less-than 4-star raters (9% total) are really put off by the author resurrecting previously published articles. 

Normally, I'm not interested in re-reading book-length novels, except for a few:  The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and Starship Troopers.  I guess I felt the articles in The [Un]documented Mark Steyn were presented in "bite-sized" nuggets that made me feel I could put the book down any time I wanted to.

Also, as a writer myself, I understand this is a tactic used by freelancers, who'll sell the same article to different magazines; along with fiction authors whose novels often started off as short stories.

I guess whether or not someone likes The [Un]documented Mark Steyn depends on how much they like Mark's work vs. whether or not they like re-reading previously published material.

Book Review: The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS

 

I don't do book reviews too often on this blog, because the books I normally read are fictional works, mostly sci-fi/fantasy and historical novels.  Basically, events that take place outside our world or current time.   In my job at Washington State Emergency Management, I spend my on-duty days bombarded by news--all of it bad.  Despite my interest in international relations and military operations, I get burned out reading/viewing today's sad state of affairs.

 

So when I'm away from work, I escape into the realm of fiction.

 

But the real world has a way of intruding on my leisure time.

 

One of these intruders is the Islamic State.  It seems like a day doesn't go by without some Islamic State minion committing some atrocity somewhere; or a "known wolf" dedicating their crime to this terrorist nation.  I use the word "nation," because unlike other terrorist groups, this "JV" team as Obama disparagingly called them, has managed to conquer a considerable swath of real estate.

 

(Image from Australia Broadcasting Company)

 

I'm also an admirer of Robert Spencer and his Jihad Watch.

 

Since I want to support Mr. Spencer's work and be better versed on ISIS, I decided to buy his latest work, The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS.

 

The book is divided into the following 10 chapters, along with an ISIS Timeline, Author's Note, Introduction, Acknowledgements, Notes and Index:

 

One--Born of Blood and Slaughter,  ISIS's founding.

Two--ISIS Comes to America, terrorist activities within the Ramparts of Civilization.

Three--Irresistible ISIS, westerners answering the call to jihad.

Four--How They Did It--and Who's Trying to Stop Them, how ISIS rose to power, and the world's response.

Five--Inside the Islamic State, a glimpse at "life behind the veil," from survivors/escapees.

Six--The Caliphate:  What It Means and Why It Matters, the impact of ISIS declaring itself The Caliphate.

Seven--The Caliphate's Bloody History, a brief look at the Muslim Conquests.

Eight--Is the Islamic State Islamic (Is the Pope Catholic?), an examination of ISIS's sole motivation--expanding Islam.

Nine--On the Islamic To-Do List, a look at what ISIS would love to do, if given half a chance.

Ten--How to Defeat ISIS--and Why We Must, a brief look at our current failed policies and attitudes, along with a general recommendation on changing both.

 

There are two recurring side-bars in each chapter:  Ostrich Alert and Not That This Has Anything To Do With Islam.

 

The Ostrich Alerts are select, politically correct (PC)-addled quotes from various leaders explaining how the latest ISIS atrocity has nothing to do with Islam.  While the Not That This Has Anything To Do With Islam, are select quotes from various terrorists explaining how there actions are completely in keeping with Islam.

 

Like Mr. Spencer's earlier works and on-line content, The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS is well-written, well researched (with 40 pages of footnotes), informative and I'd say "pleasant to read," if it were possible to use the word "pleasant" when reading about terrorist atrocities and their justifications for committing them.

 

Overall, I liked the book and had only a few quibbles about it.  First, is Mr. Spencer often repeats the same quotes.  True, this helps to reinforce a point, but it can get, well, repetitive. 

 

The second is that Chapter Nine contains extensive passages from ISIS's various e-books, such as Black Flags from Rome, along with four other e-books.  Each book is an outline on how ISIS would like to conquer various sections of the world, first by reconquering lands they use to rule over, as illustrated below: 

 

(Image from:  Express UK)

 

It's not that I have a problem reading terrorists wish lists, no matter how fanciful they appear to be, it's just that the passages Mr. Spencer uses are quite long. 

 

Finally, Chapter Ten provides general guideline defeating ISIS.  True, we have to acknowledge the religious-political ideology that's motivating ISIS followers--and that is Islam.  This is something our political rulers and news media refuse to do.  As to how to go about defeating ISIS once and for all, the only recommendation the author gives is to stick to our "cultural guns," so to speak.

 

To be honest, I don't have anything profound recommendations on  how to defeat an entire terrorist state either.  Since no one in position of authority is willing to confront the religious-political ideology of ISIS and their ilk, as the author recommends, I'm resigned to the idea that we're in for a multi-generational conflict with our jihadist enemies.

 

Now that my quibbles are out of the way, what I learned most from reading this book is how much of a big deal it is among jihadists to have a bona fide caliphate.  By declaring a caliphate--and holding territory to back up the claim--is an inspiration to jihadists world-wide.  As long as a caliphate exists in the hearts and minds of jihadi-wannabees and their supporters, they'll never pledge their allegiance to any other nation, no matter how many benefits are lavished on them.

 

The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS is a solid 4-star book.  And unlike the sci-fi and fantasy books I've read, then handed off to someone else, I'll be keeping this Infidel's Guide for future reference. 

 

I'm afraid I'm going to need it.

 

The overwhelming number of readers rated The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS higher than I did on Amazon.com, giving the book an average 4.4-star rating.  The few 4-star raters had similar quibbles to mine, while the 3-star raters felt the author's presentation was unbalanced.  The 2-star rater wrote a very supportive sentence, but still gave a low star-rating.

 

As to the five 1-star ratings; two accuse Mr. Spencer of racism, and two thought the book was poorly written and inaccurate.

 

The final one was a warning to Muslims to be wary of this book. That Mr. Spencer is a "...clear enemy of Islam..." and goes on from there about books like this should be boycotted, and blames us "...non [M]uslims who cause the problems in the first place."

 

Yeah, problems like authors exercising their First Amendment Rights, and readers exercising their freedom of choice to read the books they want to.

 

(Image found on Creeping Sharia)

 

Book Review: Willie and Joe--The WWII Years

 

With our on-going issues with Islamic terrorists, I think it's about time to honor those who've fought, and still fight, our nation's wars. 

 

I've always admired Bill_Mauldin's work, but I've only managed to read about the antics of "Willie and Joe" in a sporadic manner. 

 

Then, several weeks ago, I stumbled across a paperback copy of Willie and Joe--The WWII Years at Half Price Books for about $20.  I almost didn't buy it.  This hefty tome of life-on-the-front weighs-in at 704 pages, and just over five pounds!

 

I decided my bookshelves could stand the strain and I'm glad I didn't pass up this 5-star deal.

 

Willie and Joe--The WWII Years is chock full of drawings and cartoons, like this Pulitzer Prize winner:

 

 

Although as a former US Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) member, my personal favorite is this one of our hapless heroes at an Observation Post (OP)--attempting to call artillery fire on a target that's just a little too close for comfort:

 

 

Willie and Joe--The WWII Years, contains a wide-range of Mauldin's works, from his submissions to 45th Infantry Division camp paper, to some of the demobilization issues faced by veterans re-integrating back into civilian life.  The bulk of the work though, centers on Willie & Joe's wartime experiences.  There's a footnote for every cartoon, which provides some background information to help the reader understand the nature of each vignette, and the humor behind it.

 

A short biography of Bill Mauldin can be found in the front of the book.  Despite being a tad over 700 pages, Willie and Joe--The WWII Years, is a quick an enjoyable read.

 

The book has earned a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating on Amazon.com:  48 x 5-stars, 8 x 4-stars, 3 x 3-stars and a solitary 2-star rating.  Of the 3-star raters, one thought the book was repetitive, another thought this wouldn't "...mean much to younger people..." (and he's probably right), and the last wrote an enthusiastic review, but was going to give the book to his son.  The lone 2-star rater was disappointed in the quality of Bill Mauldin's early work.

  

But whether you find Bill Mauldin's work disappointing or not, he set the standard for another generation of military cartoonists, like the anonymous Doctrine Man to follow.

 

  

Book Review: Rise of ISIS--A Threat We Can't Ignore

Wow.  I haven't done a book review on this blog in over two years. 

 

Normally, the only book-length material I read nowadays is fiction.  I watch the news on a near-daily basis, which is depressing enough, without delving into the depths of how bad things really are.

My wife likes Jay Sekulow's articles and commentaries.  So after she read his latest book, Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore, she passed it on to me before mailing it off to one of her family members.

First of all, the title is a misnomer.  The book is about equally devoted to Hamas as it is to the Islamic State (aka "ISIS," "ISIL").  The authors justify this by comparing Hamas' actions against Israel with ISIS's actions against, well, just about everyone else. 

The book itself is derived from a study Mr. Sekulow and his team conducted for the University of Oxford.  As a result, the book's first several pages retain an "academese" style of writing. That is, books written for academics, by academics, often have a lengthy, explanatory preamble:  "This is a study on the (insert topic), and it's effect on (whoever/whatever).  First we will discuss (this), then we will examine (that), and we'll conclude with (another thing)."

Fortunately--and unlike most academics-for-academics books--once you get past the introduction, Rise of ISIS, is a quick and easy read.  I finished it in two days--and I'm a slow reader.

If you've been watching the news since James Foley was beheaded, there's little in this book you haven't seen, heard, or read before. Especially since ISIS likes to stay in the limelight by conducting mass executions and/or beheading on a regular basis then posting the gory results on social media sites. 

Oh, there are some graphic narratives, based on after-action reviews, official reports, and survivor testimonies we hadn't heard of because they didn't make into nightly newscasts.  But to many of us who're aware of ISIS's modus operandi already know it's part of the mosaic of brutality they've painted across Syria and Iraq.  

 

In each anecdote of atrocity, the authors illustrate ISIS's (and Hamas's) use of protected sites, like schools and hospitals, for military purposes; along with using civilians as human shields.  So when inevitable civilian casualties are inflicted, America (and Israel) are blamed.  Once again, this isn't new to any of us who're keeping tabs on our jihadist enemies.

 

In short:  Rise of ISIS is a good beginners guide for anyone willing to learn about two of the world's most notorious terrorist organizations. 

This willingness to learn is crucial if you're going to give Rise of ISIS to a novice on middle eastern affairs.  About 20% of the reviews currently on Amazon.com are 3-stars, or less range:  25 x 3-stars, 25 x 2-stars and 40 x 1-stars. 

However, the other 80% of readers did praise the book:  408 x 5-stars and 46 x 4-star reviews.

I haven't read a book--in either fiction or non-fiction--that has so many 5 & 1-star reviews piled on it. 

 

I suspect a considerable number these are partisan-based.  So you might want to verify someone's political/social leanings before handing Rise of ISIS off to someone.

The authors' conclusion drew the ire of some of the 1 & 2 star raters:  That the minions of ISIS (and Hamas) are fanatical jihadists that cannot be appeased and can only be dealt with by force.

I'm one of the readers who liked the book and agree with the authors' conclusion. 

 

However, while Rise of ISIS appears to be well researched, it's only enough for me to give it a 3-star rating.  If the stories of ISIS's (and Hamas's) violence and brutality were new to me, I'd give it a 4-star rating.  And if the authors focused on ISIS, instead of diverting readers' attention to Hamas, then the book would certainly deserve an additional 5th star.

Book Review: Holy Terror

It didn't take me long to read Frank Miller's Holy Terror, about a masked crime fighter and cat burglar taking on Al Qaeda after a terrorist attack.  The dynamic duo in this story, "The Fixer," and Natalie Stack, are thinly disguised versions of Batman and Catwoman. 

This is the first novel, graphic or otherwise, that earned more negative comments than positive ones.  According to Amazon.com, Miller's latest work earned 33, 3-5 star ratings while getting 35, 1-2 star ratings.  The 5-star raters were happy to see jihadists getting killed by superheroes, while the 1-star raters consider Frank Miller a crazy, islamophobe.

As for me, I give the book a solid three stars.  I loved the story, but I found a lot of the artwork hard to follow.  Most of the images were in streaky black & white, as if the action was taking place during a dark and stormy night. 

Frank Miller doesn't pull any punches and neither do The Fixer and Stack. 

Book Review: After America--Get Ready for Armageddon

Reading Mark Steyn is the "...spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down..."  And the medicine--reigning in America's debt crisis--is a dose of bad medicine indeed. 

I've enjoyed Mark's columns for several years now.  In fact, he's the only columnist I read on my days off.  At least he makes me laugh when commenting on today's grim news.  I also admire the way he manages to tie seemingly unrelated facts together and present the reader with a tapestry of western decline and rising Islamic militancy.

The only potential blemish his latest book After America--Get Ready for Armageddon , is that if you've read Mark's columns regularly, then you'll be re-reading them here.  But then again, some things bear repeating, especially since we're still on-course with a, "damn the deficit and full-speed ahead" attitude, in following Western Europe "over the falls."

 I give this book, the "sequel" to America Alone, a 5-star rating.  Published in August of last year, apparently on the day the S&P downgraded America's Triple-A credit rating, 107 reviewers agree with my assessment.  Another 19 reviewers give this book a 4-star rating.  While 7 x 3-star raters thought they've "read this all before."

However, not everyone is happy with Mark's latest work.  He's earned the ire of 9 x 2-star and 17 x 1-star raters.  Reading some of their comments, it appears to me that most of these folks are not familiar with Mark's style and After America is the first thing they've read. 

What's Mark's vision of Armageddon?

He doesn't get into specific causes, but describes infrastructure and societal decay with vivid comparisons to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.  Some critics contend that western civilization can continue the current spending spree and use the European Union (EU) bailout of Greece as an example of how to prevent countries from defaulting.

The problem is:  If America files for bankruptcy, who will bail us out?

China?

Now such an outcome, in and of itself, shouldn't plunge the world into a post-apacolyptic bloodbath.  However, it would put America in a compromising position and would put us on the receiving end of our own Suez-like Crisis.

That is, we'll be confronted with a situation--and get told to back down.  From this point on, its anyone's guess what the world will be like after America relinquishes it's dominant role.  When this occurs, us like-minded folks agree, the resulting "new world (dis)order" won't be a peaceful one.

Book Review: Currency Wars

James Rickards sounds the alarm on what may lay ahead in Currency Wars:  The Making of the Next Global Crisis.  The central theme is that nations deliberately devalue their own currency in order to make their trade goods more competitive.  Other nations, in turn, retaliate by devaluing their currency, thus establishing a vicious downward cycle until an economic crash, like the Great Depression, brings everything to a halt.

The book is divided into three parts.  In Part One, Rickards describes his role in Financial Wargame conducted by the Pentagon.  The US came in last place, in part, because the Russian players began buying-up gold reserves and refusing to accept dollars for trade payments.  The game ended before there was a collapse on the dollar, but enough of the "playing pieces" were in place to cause one.

Part Two discusses the history of the various monetary standards employed from the Classic Gold Standard (1870-1914), through "Currency Wars I, II & III," (1921-1936, 1967-1987 and 2010--, respectively). 

Then in Part Three, after discussing the technical and theoretical aspects of financial systems, Rickards speculates on what could happen next if the US continues on it's current financial course.  Basically, the three options are:  Another currency supercedes the dollar in international finance and trade, or the world goes back to some form of gold standard, or financial chaos.

I'm no economist, but I do see that our government's $15 trillion defecit, along with our trade defecit, is a danger to our economy and even our national security.  I'm also uneasy about the idea of vast amounts of money being printed, that is not tied to anything of intrinsic value, like gold.

Despite the dire possibilities of the future, I enjoyed reading the book and found it very informative.

Published just a few months ago (November 2011), 85 readers, posted reviews on Amazon.com.  An overwhelming 69 reviewers gave the book a 5-star rating.  The numbers fall off drastically from here, with 8 x 4-star reviews, 5 x 3-stars, 1 x 2-star and 2 x 1 stars.  One of the 1-star ratings was merely a ploy to get the author's attention, in order to pose a question.  I give the book a solid 4-stars.  If I knew more about economics, along with trade and finance, I'd probably give it a full 5 stars.  And maybe look into buying gold...

Book Review: The Tragedy of the Korosko

Islamic fanatics board a passenger vessel, terrorize and capture its passengers.

The Achille Loro in 1985?

No, the Korosko, a stern-wheeled paddle boat traveling up the Nile River in 1895. The Tragedy of the Korosko: A Tale of the Desert is one of Arthur Conan Doyle's works of historical fiction. In this story, 3 American and 10 European passengers are on board the Nile river boat to explore various ancient Egyptian ruins. However, their holiday turns into a fight for freedom and struggle for survival when they are captured by a raiding party of Dervishes.

As they are carried away into the desert the Dervish camels become exhausted and their supplies dwindle. the Dervish leader, Emir Abderrahman, demands either the prisoners convert to Islam--or be executed. The prisoners stall for time by debating religion with the Dervish imam until the survivors are rescued by the elements of the Anglo-Egyptian Camel Corps.

Arthur Conan Doyle, best known today for his Sherlock Holmes stories, was a prolific writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries of other stories and non-fiction works:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle

The story was written in 1898, during or shortly after the author and his first wife traveled through Egypt to help alleviate her tuberculosis. While this book can be found on Amazon.com, it is very rarely mentioned. Of the 2 reviews listed on Amazon.com, one rater gives the story 4-stars and the other 3-stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Korosko-Arthur-Conan-Doyle/dp/1934757225/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235164903&sr=8-1

Unlike other book reviews, I won't comment on Sir Arthur's literary style. (He was knighted in 1902). Keep in mind his works aren't written in today's thriller/cinematic method.
This book came to my attention in a round-about way. On 14 August 2006, two European journalists, working for FOX News were kidnapped in Gaza. To ease their ordeal they converted to Islam--at gunpoint.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/27/news/kidnap.php

A few days later Mark Steyn commented on this story and compared it to the fictional hostages of the Korosko. Steyn's concern was that giving in to the kidnappers demands of converting to Islam gives our enemies the impression their religious-political ideology is superior to ours. The two journalists were released about a couple weeks later. What the former hostages, and many other media-types, don't seem to understand is that according to Sharia Law, once someone converts to Islam they cannot convert to another religion or renounce Islam. That's considered apostasy--a crime punishable by death under Sharia.

During his short trip through Egypt, Sir Arthur keenly observed Islamist behavior that remains unchanged today.

"There is no iconoclast in the world like an extreme Mohammedan...A statue is an irreligious object in their eyes. What do these fellows care for the sentiment of Europe? The more they could offend it, the more delighted they would be. Down would go the Sphinx, the Colossi, the Statues of Abou-Simbel..." (pg 16-17).

While the Sphinx is still with us, the Buddhas of Bamyan are not, thanks to the Taliban.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamyan

And then there's this chilling description from page 92:

"The fire that smoldered in his [Emir Abderrahman's] arrogant eyes shone back at him from a hundred others. Here were to be read the strength and danger of the Mahdi movement; here in these convulsed faces, in that fringe of waving arms, in these frantic, red-hot souls, who asked nothing better than a bloody death, if their own hands might be bloody when they met it."
This description can fit any of the terrorists involved in attacks from US Embassy bombings in East Africa (7 August 1998) to Mumbai (26-29 November 2008).

Sir Arthur also noticed the uncompromising nature of an islamist. When asked about his religious beliefs, Monsieur Fardet tells the Emir "...in France we look upon all religions as good." (Page 40).

To which the Emir replies, through a translator:

"The chief says that none but a blaspheming dog and son of a dog would say that all religions are one as good as another. He says that if you are indeed a friend of the Khalifa, you will accept the Koran and become a true believer upon the spot." (Page 40).
So much for multicultural harmony.

The only differences between the Dervishes of 1895 and the jihadists of today are: The Dervishes were only able to take captives on the fringes of their desert realm, while today's terrorists form an international network with global reach--sadly, as demonstrated by the September 11th attacks.

Some readers may be put off by the author's apparent jingoistic point of view. I however, found Sir Arthur's observation of Britain's role as the "World's Policeman" rings true for the United States.

On page 17, two British and an American passenger discuss world affairs:

"If a Kurd breaks loose in Asia Minor, the world wants to know why Great Britain does not keep him in order. If there is a military mutiny in Egypt, or Jehad in the Soudan, it is still Great Britain who has to set it right. And all to the accompaniment of curses such as the policeman gets when he seizes a ruffian among his pals."

Sound familiar?

Merely substitute "the United States" for "Great Britain" and this describes the position America inherited from the United Kingdom since the end of World War II.
Which is something Sir Arthur seems to have foreseen. On the following page one of the British passengers turns to the American and says:

"And it will happen to you also."

The Tragedy of the Korosko is a 5-star book for anyone interested in getting an historical perspective of the jihadist movement that still plagues us today.

Book Review: Prayers for the Assassin

After New York City and Washington, DC are destroyed by suitcase nukes and Mecca is irradiated by a dirty bomb, the US fractures into five separate entities: The Bible Belt, with roughly the same borders as the Confederacy; the Mormon Territories, consisting of Utah and parts of Idaho, the Nevada Free State and the South Florida Independent Unaligned New Area; while the remaining states fall under the Islamic Republic of America. Another American Civil War erupts but unlike the first one, the former United States remains fragmented with an uneasy armistice in place.

This is the backdrop for Robert Ferrigno's Prayers for the Assassin (Feb 2006): A near-future thriller set primarily in Seattle, the capital of the Islamic Republic, 25 years after the "Zionist Conspirators" attack. Events are set in motion when the niece of the Islamic Republic's State Security vanishes and he calls upon Rakkim, an ex-Fedayeen infiltrator--and her lover--to find the girl. Before her disappearance Sarah Dougan was working on a controversial book that casts doubt on the official history of the Zionist Conspiracy.

According to Amazon.com's Customer Reviews, 91 readers posted their comments about this book: 39 gave it a 5-star rating and 30 gave it 4-stars; while there were 13 x 3-stars, 4 x 2-stars and 5 x 1-star ratings.

There were three main complaints about the book: First nearly all the 1-3 star raters felt an Islamic take over of the US to be highly improbable. Second was the author's apparent lack of knowledge of Islam and Muslim society. While the final grievances were based on literary short falls: Shallow character development with a lukewarm plot and tepid action, etc.Meanwhile the other 69 reviewers who loved the book felt the author accurately portrayed an Islamic society set in the not-too-distant future. Many of them said they traveled to the middle east and others seemed familiar with Islamic History.

For starters, I liked the book for the simple reason that such a story's been published. I remember the plethora of "Red Dawn" type of novels that flooded the book stores during the Cold War. Many of them were more far-fetched than Mr. Ferrigno's vision. Now in the wake of the Danish Cartoon Scandal and the Theo van Gogh murder, there's hardly a trickle of similar novels depicting a hypothetical Islamic conquest of America. Mr. Ferrigno deserves credit for at least broaching the subject.

This book will not incite hatred towards Muslims as claimed by one reviewer. On the contrary, I was quite drawn-in by, and sympathetic towards the hero and heroine--both them Muslim. I also thought the author's depiction of the average citizen's devotion to Islam to be very sensitive and deferential. It is the jihadi terrorists of the real world who crash airplanes into sky-scrapers, blow up buses and commuter trains,--rather than a piece of speculative fiction--that incites anger towards the religious-political ideology that spawn such acts.

I found the story itself to be well-written, straight-forward and entertaining: Can Rakkim and Sarah stay alive in order to discover the truth behind the attack that destroyed New York, DC and Mecca? There were several minor plot twists that kept the story from being too predictable. It was also fun to read a book set where I live. The author, a Pacific Northwest Native, struck a fine balance between detail and minutiae, giving the reader just enough detail to paint a vivid picture of the Puget Sound area.

Nor are all the characters cartoonish, "Koran thumpin' fundamentalists" either. The Islamic Republic is also populated by Jews, Catholics and moderate Muslims who maintain the country's deterioration infrastructure. This stratified society is more reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire than the dystopian settings of 1984 and Brave New World. The author lists several of his sources in the Acknowledgments, nearly all of them Islamic. So I'm assuming the "lack of understanding" of Islam is more in the form of splitting hairs on the details. (Islamic men don't wear silk shirts? Who knew?).

I did agree with some of the less-than 4 star ratings. These reviewers pointed out that Europe, with the demographic decline of non-Muslims, is more likely to evolve into "Eurabia" rather than the US--possibly within a generation. Also according to the novel's back story, as Israel was overrun Russia took in the Jewish refugees fleeing the Arab onslaught. I'm not sure it'd be possible for a country that authored The Protocols of the Elders of Zion hoax, would turn around and absorb a people they've spent centuries persecuting. But then again, humanitarian causes were never on the Kremlin's to-do list. Could it be the Russians have ulterior motives for taking in Israeli refugees?

For those who did enjoy the Mr. Ferrigno's work despite real or perceived flaws, you can look forward to two sequels:

Sins of the Assassin (Feb 2007) and the upcoming Heart of the Assassin (Aug 2009).

Overall I found the book entertaining to read and give it a 4-star rating, not 5, because I found the story more interesting rather than edge-of-your-seat exciting.