First one that I completed was a graphic novel that had been re-released. It was originally collected in 1973, called Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser: The Cloud of Hate and Other Stories. I read all the original stories in the late 70s and early 80s, but at the time that these were out as comic books I wasn't reading fantasy for the most part, so this book was pretty fun for me. Honestly, I like the books better than this graphic novel, but even so, this was worth a look.
Next was Valor's Trial, the next book by Tanya Huff about a space marine gunnery sergeant. Another fun and quick read...I'm moving on in the series.
Then, Osprey Campaign #271: The Conquest of Saxony AD 782 - 785: Charlemagne's Defeat of Widukind of Westphalia. My knowledge of the history of Charlemagne is pretty superficial, so I found this book to be a good way to fill in some of the gaps in my awareness of it all.
Following that, I read Osprey Campaign #296: Milvian Bridge AD 312: Constantine's Battle for Empire and Faith. Having listened to The History of Rome podcast, I had already heard about much of this particular event, but reading about it by another author was still quite interesting.
Next was Osprey Warrior #157: French Foreign Legionnaire 1890 – 1914. This period seems to me to be the era that most folks visualize when they think of the Foreign Legion, and this book gives a pretty solid idea about what it was like to be a Legionnaire. Pretty good read.
Then, A Gentleman's Game by Greg Rucka. This is a novel based on the characters from the Queen & Country comic books and graphic novels, and the first in that saga. Having read a lot of authors dealing with spies and 007-style actions, I have to say that the book was at least as good as some of my favorites, and better than most. The protagonist, to put a nice twist on it, is a woman; the plot deals primarily with terrorists. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Following that, I read Yuge!: 30 Years of Doonesbury on Trump. In this, Trudeau, the author/artist collects what is supposed to be all of the strips that he wrote dealing with Donald Trump mostly to how how right he'd been all along. Some of it is pretty funny, some is scary.
Not yet content for the week, I then read Osprey Raid #42: The Swamp Fox: Francis Marion's Campaign in the Carolinas 1780. The feel of the book made me think it had been written by a British subject (though I could be wrong about that) who didn't exactly view Marion as a hero, though in my youth my teachers made him out to be one. Not bad...
Finally, Osprey Command #6: Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the saga about the son of a non-samurai rising to become a preeminent daimyo in Japan. There's a fair amount of detail for a book so short. Good read.
