I can’t believe the time has gone so fast! I still have to finish one of my February books, but the line up for March is already done, and here we go.
Edges by Linda Nagata. I meant to read this author for long, long time, but I was undecided about what I should start with. Eventually, I picked this (very recent) one, and, people, it is absolutely great. “Deception Well is a world on the edge, home to an isolated remnant surviving at the farthest reach of human expansion. All across the frontier, other worlds have succumbed to the relentless attacks of robotic alien warships, while hundreds of light years away, the core of human civilization—those star systems closest to Earth, known as the Hallowed Vasties—have all fallen to ruins. Powerful telescopes can see only dust and debris where once there were orbital mega-structures so huge they eclipsed the light of their parent stars.” If accurate space opera is your thing, grab a copy!
Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher de Hamel. This is a non-fiction book about why medieval manuscripts matter and how stunning some of them are. The blurb says “an extraordinary and beautifully illustrated exploration of the medieval world through twelve manuscripts, from one of the world’s leading experts. Winner of The Wolfson History Prize and The Duff Cooper Prize.” And the illustrations are absolutely stunning.
Augustus: From Revolutionary to Emperor by Adrian Goldsworthy. This is one of the best biography dedicated to Augustus I’ve read, also because they are not that many. Strangely enough for a man who built a political entity (the Roman Empire) that lasted centuries, Augustus didn’t attract historians (and biographers) favour as much as his famous uncle, Caesar. Lack of charisma, or different kind of political abilities? I’ve always been a die-hard Octavian (this was his name before he became Augustus) fan since high school, and I’m glad this biography gives his genius justice.