The Wars - Volume I-II

Procopius of Caesarea is one of the more interesting characters of the sixth century. A legal scholar, he was assigned to accompany the "last Roman General," Belisarius, as an aide and secretary. His chronicles of the wars against the Persians, the Vandals of North Africa, and the Goths in Italy are touchstones of the historical record of the times. The first two volumes follow the constant provocations and invasions by the Sasanian Empire, mostly under Chosroes. Interestingly, Procopius writes about what is happening in theater despite Belisarius being absent on other missions.

The result is a fascinating look at warfare in Mesopotamia as rival armies struggle to find enough fodder and supplies, troops are dispatched with little knowledge of where the enemy is, and cities bargain to save themselves from devastation.

I hope to find the following three volumes from the same publisher, as these are excellent translations of the original Latin.

Steampunk - a review

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk_(anthology)

Four Stars. This was an interesting anthology.

A rather unbalanced collection, to be honest. Some of the stories are amazing, complete tales, while others feel like they are entry into larger stories. All of the tales are interesting and remain true to their era. But in the end, I was slightly disappointed by some of the stories.