Mick has written nine books to date - His Forefathers and Mick, Isabella - Warrior Queen, Arminius and Thusnelda Versus Rome, A Castle of Doomsday, A Gracious Enemy, Anglo-Saxon Invasion, Full Circle for Mick, For the Love of Armin and Now What?!!.
The activities of the Romans resulted in the Germanic leader named Armin (Germanic name) or Arminius (Latin name) wiping out the Romans and cutting the head off the Roman leader before taking it to his ally called Marobod, the king of Bohemia. The fact that Rome had now lost more than 20,000 soldiers was an immense blow to Augustus, and he did not shave or comb his hair for months afterwards. At night Augustus could be heard yelling, "Varus, Varus, give me back my legions!"
After their victory, the Germanic tribes were worried that Armin was going to become a king and end their fiercely independent lifestyle. That resulted in the murder of the hero and the enslavement of his wife and son. Things came to a head with the enslavement and sale to a gladiator school of Thumelicus — the son of Armin! He went on to win some gladiator contests.
This novel is heavily based on fact!
Richard the First was the son of Henry II and gained fame by his courage, becoming known as Richard the Lionheart. He presided over the apparent 'Massacre of the Jews' at the keep of York Castle in 1190. That resulted in fire which burned the keep, and it was replaced with a new construction, again of timber. During a storm in 1228 the York Castle was demolished. It was replaced with the stone structure which is still there today. The people around york became calling it "Clifford's Tower" after the hanging of Baron roger de Clifford for treason in 1322 A.D.
A Gracious Enemy takes us through three Indochina Wars. The first war was the Indochinese people against the French and their USA allies. The second war was the Indochina people on one side and the coalition of Australia, USA, New Zealand, and South America on the other. Indochina was composed of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. This war is popularly known as the Vietnam War.
Stephen star 5.0I've read other Kramer books and love them as I’ve always had a passion for history. It doesn’t matter so much whether work like this is fiction or non-fiction as the research that has gone into them is so detailed and obviously well researched. A Gracious Enemy is a story about the three Indochina Wars, and it so well written I felt a part of the action. Michael Kramer is a writer who cares for the details in his books. They are believable, full of facts, interesting plots, and characters with real personality and depth. I can recommend this book to anyone who loves history in general or wants to find out more about Indochina colonisation time.
CodeMonkey star 5.0You rarely sit down and think about what the people of a nation go through when a war takes place. Often the story is told through the eyes of the oppressor and the oppressed don’t have a voice. This author has given the voice back to the oppressed, this is a heart wrenching rendition of how the lives of the Vietnamese people were affected during the war. This book is not about politics, it is spoken from the heart of those whose lives were invaded and destroyed because of a bitter power struggle. This was a powerful book to read, it has had a lasting effect on me and I think I will carry the memories of what these people went through for the rest of my days.
Christine star 5.0More Reviews