Open City consistently publishes great stories, poems, essays, and artwork. I look forward to each issue, because each one is so different, and because this magazine continues to be vital and relevant, esp. because many literary magazines are so staid and dull....

The Charge of the Light Brigade on the 25th October 1854 was one of the three famous engagements that formed the Battle of Balaklava. The Charge, the most famous of all military blunders, was barely over before the process of transforming it into myth began. Accusations, counter-accusations, legal actions and patriotic poetry created more obscuring smoke and dust than the infamous Russian guns. Cecil Woodham Smith traces the careers of two of the major players: Lords Lucan and Cardigan, the brothers-in-law from hell, whose vanity, arrogance and (at least in the case of Cardigan) incompetence, inexperience and crass stupidity, contributed to the fatal Charge. Almost 40 years of peace, and the reactionary influence of the Duke of Wellington, had left the British army in a parlous state of unreadiness and bureaucratic confusion when the call came to defend Turkey against the Russians. The choice of the aged, gentle, inexperienced and unassertive Raglan, as leader of the expeditionary army, only made a bad situation worse. (For a rather more sympathetic portrayal of Raglan, as victim of an inefficient military system, criminally disorganised commissariat and unreasonable government, see "The Destruction of Lord Raglan" by Christopher Hibbert.) A more recent study, "The Charge" by Mark Adkin, provides a detailed and well-illustrated account of the events leading to the Charge of the Light Brigade. Adkin challenges traditional views , including parts of Cecil Woodham Smith's account. Particular attention is given to the role played by Captain Nolan (the messenger). Adkin suggests that Nolan may have deliberately misled Lucan and Cardigan as to Raglan's real intention. Whatever the truth, which is of course unknowable, "The Reason Why" is a genuine classic and an excellent introduction to a fascinating subject.

Woodham-Smith presents, in minute detail, the wages of placing social rank over experience, and even competence. British military history follows a disturbing trend. War starts, Brits get trounced upon, influx of fresh talent and new ideas comes (along with, sometimes, timely intercession by allies), British return to triumph. Woodham-Smith attributes this pattern to the notion in the higher ranks of the army (a notion espoused by the Duke of Wellington himself, pip pip!), that nobility ensures, if not competence, at least loyalty.

The price of this notion, is, of course, massive death, but because the massive death does not happen to the nobility, nobody important really minds. This is one reason the Charge of the Light Brigade, with which _the Reason Why_ primarily deals, was so different, and worthy of eulogizing in prose and song (Alfred, Lord Tennyson, by the way, appears absolutely nowhere in this text)--those dying, those paying the price for the Army's obsession with aristocracy, were aristocrats themselves.

Woodham-Smith manages to trace the careers of two utterly unsympathetic characters--Cardigan and Lucan--in a fascinating manner. This is no small feat, considering the reader will probably want, by the end of _the Reason Why_ to reach back in time and shake both of them, and maybe smack them around a bit.

Again, Cecil Woodham-Smith proves herself a master of the historian's craft, and produces a well-researched, thorough and driving account of what is probably the stupidest incident in modern military history.

The Crimean War changed so much about how war is waged--the treatment of prisoners and wounded being tops on the list of reforms brought about in the wake of the debacle. _The Reason Why_ is an excellent account, and should be required reading for anybody with even a remote interest in military history, or European history in general.

The Reason Why remains the classic study of the intriguing and sadly ludicrous episode in military history known as the Charge of the Light Brigade. The author, coming from an Army family and relying heavily on the writings of officers, largely neglects the experience of the private soldier and concentrates on the main characters in the drama. The story is dominated by these extraordinary personalities, serving as a reminder that war is an inherently human drama. On a second level, it is a criticism of the privilege system of the British Army of the mid-nineteenth century. In retrospect, one is hard pressed to believe such a purchase system could have ever won a victory at Waterloo. Intolerant aristocrats with no experience in battle, paltry leadership skills, and maddening unconcern for the soldiers under their command, bought their commissions. The Charge of the Light Brigade illuminated all of the faults of the system and proved that bravery alone was insufficient for victory. While human blunders led to the debacle that was the Charge of the Light Brigade, the British military system was intrinsically to blame.

The heart of this book concerns the relationship between society at large and the military. Military leaders feared nothing so much as public scrutiny, for widespread discontent could lead to political interference and, indeed, political control of the army. Whether in dealing with the incorrigible personalities of Lords Lucan and Cardigan or in covering up the series of blunders that resulted in the sacrificial ride of the Light Brigade, the military leadership acted with the overriding principle of preserving the Army from governmental control.

The embarrassments of the Crimean campaign proved uncontainable. A great source of difficulty was the incompetence of the Army staff; rank and privilege were held to be superior to actual experience. When these difficulties led to humiliation and defeat, the commanders' concern was not with the men they had lost nor the future of the war effort; to the exclusion of these, their main concern was that bad publicity would appear in Britain, that the public would hear of the lack of success, that the House would begin to ask questions of the military leadership, that the press would begin to criticize the Army. This great fear of political interference was realized in the aftermath of the Crimean War. The author portrays this as the one positive effect engendered by the War effort. A new era of military reform was born in Britain, Europe, and America. Experience now became a prerequisite for command, and officers were trained in staff colleges. The author's final point is that, above all, the treatment of the private soldier changed as the military system was humanized to some degree. Her assertion that at the end of the Crimean War the private soldier was regarded as a hero seems rather bold, but it is clear that he was no longer seen as a nonhuman tool of his commanders' designs.

DEATH WIND was a great find thanks to Amazon.com once again!
After this novel, I will be gathering up all of Mr. Smith's other works in FORCE RECON series as well as his other horror-type genre novels.
Being a former marine, I was intrigued and very pleased to see this series. It was more than I bargained for and was a very pleasant surprise.

This book was an exceptionaly good book. I rated it five but would go higher. As with other books I have read this one was hard for me to put down. I lost many an hour of sleep with this book. James put you right there with the patrol,from beginning to end.

Roadrunner 6 Out

To write a book with the kind of action, conflict, dialogue and flow found in Death Wind is obviously a rare ability. You barely know that the clock is ticking as you keep reading, keep reading and keep reading until you end up with the kind of finish that makes you wish the next Force Recon book was on the shelves right now. Smith clearly knows a lot about the military, but he knows even more about how to tell a story. Great reading, great writing, great book.

This series is by far the best action/adventure of it's type out there today.
If you like SEAL TEAM 7 then you will LOVE this series even better. The rawness and savagery are written extremely well with characters that are not perfect - but extremely interesting to delve into time and again.
Sgt. Night Runner is by far the most interesting of the team with his American Indian background coming more and more to the fore with each novel, turning him into a warrior of old with new technology helping.
What I like about this series is Mr. Smith always starts right off in the thick of things without bogging you down with boring political jargon. His action scenes are very colorful and well thought out. You can tell that he is a writer with firsthand experience with this.
I normally don't read this type of genre, but thank god for Amazon.com for getting me interested. I have purchased all of the novels and will be a James R. Smith fan for as long as he writes this top-notch adventure.
Thanks Mr. Smith!

This 3rd in the FORCE RECON adventure series is an all-out assault on the combat senses, giving the reader a front row seat for high octane action/adventure.
The only complaint I have is that they are too short. The Team Midnight are at it again in Kosovo, fighting Serbs as well as their own bombing raids.
The new character called Perfect was delicately written and was a plus for this growing action series.
You can tell that the author loves to write about his favorite character - Night Runner - because even though he is not the main character - he is by far the most interesting.
Jack Swayne, the leader of team midnight, is a great character whom is both smart and deadly when the time is ripe.
Being stuck behind enemy lines and surrounded by armed Serbs isn't enough, throw in a crazy dictator and Swayne's love interest as his captor, and you have a great action read.
This is a must for action fans of all genres. Man, this author was a great find. If you haven't tried this guy out - then hurry and order your books now, or look in your used book stores for past novels by this author. He doesn't disappoint!

Once again Mr. James Smith gives us another stripped down action adventure story of the 4-man team called Team Midnight.

This series doesn't waste any time in delivering the goods in terms of starting right off on the latest mission - or Event Scenarios - as they are called.

The best character surprisingly enough is the Gunny Sgt. called Night Runner. I can't seem to get enough of this awesome character. The leader Capt. Jack Swayne, though smart and tough and an interesting character himself, still takes a back seat to the Blackfoot warrior.

The newest member of the team is Greiner and so far, he fits in with the team. But with Mr. James Smith at the writing helm, who knows how long he will last. Thats one of the great things about this series - good guys die! This makes it all the more interesting and believable.
In this particular storyline, Night Runner makes a huge mistake on one of his teammates while out on a deadly mission.
The sniper of the group is taken hostage by a very smart terrorist and makes the simple mop-up mission into a deadly race.
This is by far one of the very best action/adventure series out there. I usually don't read this kind of stuff, but this was one great find and Mr. Smith has a huge fan in me.
This is a must read for anyone who reads sci-fi/fantasy heroic-type novels. Even they would like FORCE RECON!!
cAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT.

This book is a really excellent choice, it teaches you the fundamentals of ADA programming which has been developed by the US Militrary.

Somewhat interesting but I ran into a similar problem with another book about Ireland I read recently - it is written as if you have great familiarity with Irish history (which I don't). Very little is explored in-depth, some areas of Irish history seemed skimmed over or omitted entirely. Like the last book I read, it's okay for a review but not for the beginning "student". I'll try again somewhere else.

As a student of Dr. Duffy's I have seen the actual man in action and I do not belive this book represents in whole the genius of the man. This book in its simplicity, limits the intelligence of its reader to but a few pages in which, though well presented, are not close to touching the genius of the editor. I believe that this work, though informational and well made does not show the skill of the editor as an historian. To truly appreciate Dr. Duffy one has to read a work entirely of his own rather than this piece.

Editor Sean Duffy's Atlas of Irish history is a fine, worthy addition to your Irish-related library. Whether you're a newcomer to Irish history or a card-carrying gaelophile, this atlas has much to offer, covering several thousand years of Irish history in a concise, highly readable, and strikingly visual manner.

The concept of the Irish Atlas is simple yet highly effective. Generally one page of text is followed by a thematic map. For example, a chapter on the Viking wars of the 8th century is accompanied by a helpful map that reveals the exact location in Ireland of Viking raids, settlements, and more. In another later chapter, The Ulster Question, a fine overview of this critical and longstanding issue is followed by a map that reveals the distribution of Protestants and Catholics in Ulster, 1911. Other chapters include, but are by no means limited to, the 1798 Rebellion, the pre-famine economy, World War 1 & the Easter Rising, and 1990s Ireland.

While some readers might quibble with the rather limited text, it's important to remember this is an atlas. The text (solidly written, by the way) is meant as an overview to these pivotal events in Irish history. It should be used as a gateway to more detailed writings. (The atlas concludes with a two-page "further reading" section.) As for the maps, editor Duffy concedes they "show facts rather than influences or ideas..." But this reader found the maps instructive and creative, a fine complement to the text.

Kudos to Mr. Duffy and his collaborators on the Irish Atlas. It does indeed go "some way to explain the story of this unique and fascinating place."

In Fatal Honor, the Force Recon team faces the fact that they may have to split up due to half the team being dismantled for different reasons.
First, you have Night Runner, the AmerIndian gunny sergeant of the team - and by far the best character of the series - in trouble and facing a courtmartial for his conduct in the last book.
Secondly, you have Friel back at home trying desperately to get his head back together after what happened to him in the last novel.
Thirdly, you have Swayne and Greiner going on an op all by themselves and getting way over their heads in trouble with Saddam Hussein's terrorist squads.
The writer tries to tie this story with the 911 incident, setting it before the actual happening of it. This novel was the least of my favorites thus far in the series. But the character of Night Runner is so engaging and cool, it keeps it interesting enough for this one to come back for more.
I like all the characters of the 4-man team, they all have their differences in personality, but Night Runner truly shines.
This is still a fun and fast read, but the action sequences were not as exciting this time around. The best fight scene was when Night Runner kills 3 terrorists with nothing but a sword in the dark as he saves Nina. That was very well done.
I can't wait for the next installment.