On the Verge of Lunacy

Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed Morrigan from Dragon Age Sgt. Foley from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 War from Darksiders Zhao Yun from Dynasty Warriors

This comprehensive book on the chariot is comprehensive, engaging, reader-friendly, and well-organized. Casual readers need not worry about the names and events mentioned in the book because the author provides the necessary information. While students will find the notes and references section helpful for further studies. The book covers three continents and historical events and mythological scenes of the three epics, Iliad, Mahabharata, and Ramayana. It has eight chapters and several illustrations. The author discussed the possible origins of the chariot; its uses; modifications and variations of the chariot in each region; impact of the chariot on warfare; the use of weapons, armor, and;domestication of animals used for pulling, the formation of the armies in consideration of the chariots; the symbolism of the chariot; and finally the gradual decline of its use.  The following are the chapters included in this volume: I. Chariot Battle II. The Rise of the Cha...

du Picq gives insightful ideas on some ancient battles and the campaigns he witnessed during his lifetime. The book, which is both a commentary as well as a treatise on tactics in ancient and modern war, is divided into two major sections and includes a supplementary section of the author's related works. The first part is about ancient battles. du Picq highlights the major battles of Hannibal and Julius Caesar by differentiating the battle formations and the value of morale. However du Picq's main focus is the importance of understanding man's mind under pressure. The second part is more technical. It discusses combat methods, weapons, cavalry and infantrymen. This part of the book might be confusing to the reader not familiar with the battles and names in du Picq's time. The book does not focus on technical stuff like the correct battle formations, weapons, and others. The author emphasized several times that although the weapons and times have changed, even ...

Jay Williams gives a narrative version of the history of the Crusades in this nine-part book. The contents can be divided into three major parts. First is the introduction of the feudal knight which will help the reader understand his characteristics, the changes he undergoes in the wars, and his motivation, besides religious obligation, in the crusades. Second is the recollection of the major campaigns and figures, notably King Richard I of England and Sultan Saladin of Egypt and Syria. Lastly, the change of methods and weapons used in the wars and the impact of the crusades in culture and government. Unlike the usual informative sections in textbooks about the crusades, Williams gives the readers an intimate look at the wars and intrigues involved. The information given here is limited however. The author mentions only the major events and figures and he has a tendency to go off tangent; granted, a short discussion on troubadours gives the reader an idea of the climate of ti...

This version of the world's oldest military treatise is translated and annotated by Lionel Giles. Giles provided not only a translation but also included the different interpretations of various commentators in explaining the passages. This version begins with an introduction of Giles' work. Sun Tzu, the commentators of his work, and The Art of War's influences are also included. The comments from the translators may be a bit distracting but without them, some parts will probably not make sense to the modern readers. Moreover, the commentators also give their interpretations of Sun Tzu's maxims as well as cite examples of battles and historical figures. The Art of War is divided into thirteen chapters. In the introduction of the book, there is a mention of speculations on how many chapters the original manuscript was made up of. The following are the 13 chapters of The Art of War: I. Laying Plans II. Waging War III. Attack by Stratagem IV. Tactical Dispo...

Several adaptations of Greek Mythology in media have appeared over the years. Some were successful while the others have failed to represent the ancient Greeks. Among the most memorable I've encountered is this series. Not only was it able to illustrate the heroes, monsters and gods in myths, but also brought to the fore the often ignored question - what happens to the Greek pantheon after they defeated the Titans? It is unique because the hero in this game is not a hercules-achilles-jason clone. The protagonist is a minor figure in Greek mythology. Kratos (Cratos) is a servant of the gods and one of Zeus' children, which is close enough to the real version (Cratos is not a child of Zeus, but one of his servants along with Nike). And unlike most heroes, he does not carry weapons to save humanity. He seeks revenge to cleanse his past. The series began when he sought to kill Ares, the God of War.  He was finally able to kill Ares with the help of the other gods. The portrayal...