UNITED KINGDOM AUTHOR · HISTORY · BIOGRAPHY
Frank McLynn
Also known as: frank mclynn, Francis James McLynn
Francis James McLynn is a British historian.
A long time ago there were no houses and people lived in caves.
— from Stanley
Most acclaimed
Invasion
Book Review: Invasion: Earth by Harry Harrison An alien ship crashes to Earth and when investigated turns out some violent aliens and their captive from another race. Having befriended the captive, there is a chance to gain a powerful ally in a war which is rolling towards Earth. This is typical of the sort of science fiction book I used to love when I was younger. Short, to the point, it has a good idea and investigates it through to the end, which may or may not have a good twist at the end. Harry Harrison is particularly good at writing this sort of book, but the 70's and early 80's has loads of examples of them from all sorts of authors, including luminaries like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. The characters are relatively smart, the good ideas spread around a few of them so it doesn't seem too unrealistic, and you can see the logic behind their arguments. All in all it's just a nice little SF book which will give you some entertainment for a few hours.
Captain Cook
1890
Profiles the famous navigator, addresses the common colonialist misconceptions about the explorer and his death, and re-creates the voyages that took him from his native England to the outer reaches of the Pacific Ocean.
Heroes and Villains
The greatest military leaders in history and the psychological qualities that made them the ultimate warriorsIn the history of warfare, an elite group of men have attained almost legendary status through their courage, ambition and unrivalled military genius. But many of these same men possessed deep personal character flaws. In Heroes & Villains, acclaimed historian Frank McLynn focuses on six of the most powerful and magnetic leaders of all time: Spartacus, Attila the Hun, Richard the Lionheart, Cortes, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Napoleon. How did these mortal men rise to positions of seemingly invincible power? What were the motives, the personal strengths and often weaknesses that drove them to achieve what no one else dared?In six powerful portraits, McLynn brilliantly evokes the critical moments when each of these warriors proved themselves in battle, changing their own lives, the destiny of their people and, in some cases, the history of the world. We discover what drove Spartacus to take on the might of Rome against seemingly impossible odds, and how the young Napoleon rose to power in dramatic fashion at the Siege of Toulon.Heroes & Villains is more than a collection of individual biographies. By examining the complex psychologies of these extraordinary men, McLynn builds up a convincing profile of the ultimate warrior. Accompanying a major BBC television series, this brilliant book takes us into the minds of the greatest warriors in history.