Anglo-Saxon Invasion
This story starts with the historical back-drop of the ancient Germanic tribes amalgamating and two tribes dominant among them in Europe.
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?!!.
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His Forefathers and Mick
His Forefathers and Mick traces the riveting saga of the Kramer family across three tumultuous generations. Friedrich Kramer, an intrepid German engineer, revolutionises railway and communications technologies in early 20th century China and Namibia, unknowingly setting the stage for international espionage and warfare. His son, grappling with the shadows of World War Two, seeks redemption and a fresh start in Australia, only for his son, Michael, to confront his own battlefield in Vietnam. Each generation wrestles with the legacies of the past, forging their paths in a world that refuses to forget. This is a gripping tale of ambition, identity, and the relentless pull of heriitage.
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Isabella - Warrior Queen
This story is about an amazing couple in the 14th century, who actually had a working 'Open Marriage' such that Queen Isabella even tolerated King Edwards II's homosexual activities with his male 'Favourates'. Things remained that way until te current favourite of the king, caled Pier Gaveston was killed. He was replaced by Hugh le Despencer the Younger and an intense homosexual affair developed bvetween the king and his chamberlain. After a time, Hugh le Despencer the Younger moved against Isabella by reducing her income markedly as well as taking her lands and other riches from her. Things came to a head when he also took her children from her and she went to France, raising a mercenary army and invaded England. she deposed her husband and installed her son as King Edward III.
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A Castle of Doomsday - 2nd Edition
A Castle of Doomsday, is historical fiction closely based on fact and it is also the story of the castles inside the city walls of York. William the First built two castles within the walls of York. One at Bailey Hill and the other one was York Castle which has since become known as "Clifford's Tower". The original castles were constructed of timber. They were burned down by the people around York and their Danish Viking allies. Richard the First was the son of King Henry II and gained fame by his courage, becoming known as Richard the Lion Heart and who presided over the apparent massacre of Jews at the keep of York Castle in England. The Normans replaced it with a second timber castle keep which was destroyed in a storm in 1228. After that, the stone structure was built, and that still stands today. It was built of stone and is called Clifford's Tower because King Edward II had Baron de Clifford hanged from the battlements of the Keep of York Castle for treason in1322 A.D.
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A Gracious Enemy & After the War (Vol. 2)
In 1975, the last American soldier was withdrawn from Vietnam after the shameful bungling at the American embassy in Saigon as Vietnamese tanks came crashing through the gates on their way to liberate Indochina from American capitalist exploitation! The new national governments took over in all Indochina countries (Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam). Many of the heroes who sacrificed all to ensure victory now came out of the forests and some of them took for themselves property, houses, flats and cars belonging to many of the former ruling classes. Unlike the the scenes in Europe after WW2, there was not wholesale revenge and killings of former ruling classes, the new government choosing instead to send the former rulers to re-education camps. There were some cases where people denounced others in order to obtain their wealth or power. Such is the mean-spirit of jealous people! they caused many to flee from their homelands in Indochina. Many of these people became 'Boat People' and successfully settled in Australia, becoming Australian citizens and successful business people. This is the story of a cross section of these brave people.
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A Gracious Enemy & After the War (Vol. 1)
The Allied war effort in Indochina (the French colonies of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) was a war of aggression which allowed many millions of US dollars of arms sales. All allied service men that I cam into contact with did their duties to the best of their abilities. As an Australian serving with the First Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in Vietnam during 1968 - 1969, I feel that it is my duty to inform readers of how the Australian infantry soldiers saw the war and how they felt about fighting the Vietnamese. Because of the fact that this story is so vast, I am splitting the full story into two volumes. "A Gracious Enemy & After the War Volume One cover events in Indochina from 1770 to 1975, when the Americans withdrew from Vietnam after loosing more than 50,000 war dead. It must be remembered that the US army has a rate of 10 soldiers in support for every "Grunt" at the "Sharp End". When viewed in this way, the American KIA figure for the the Twelve years of US involvement is extremely high. After the American withdrawal in 1975, the Vietnamese Army invaded Kampuchea and removed the Pol Pot Regime from power. The yet to be completed "A Gracious Enemy & After the War Volume Two", deals with events in and outside of Vietnam after 1975 and includes the arrival and successful integration into Australian society of the Vietnamese Boat People.
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Arminius and Thusnelda Versus Rome
"Arminius and Thusnelda Versus Rome" is the story of the battle that defined Europe. In today's Europe, there is a boundary between those who prefer beer and those who drink wine. Where the romance languages based on Latin are spoken and where the Germanic languages are spoken.
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!
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!
Both Paperback & Kindle formats available.
A Castle of Doomsday
A Castle of Doomsday" is historical fiction closely based on facts and it is also the story of the castles inside the city walls of York. Both of them were built by William the Conqueror. One of Bailey Hill and the other one was York Castle. Its keep has since become known as "Clifford's Tower". both castles were originally constructed of timber. They were burned down by the people of York and their Danish Viking allies.
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.
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.
Both Paperback & Kindle formats available.
A Gracious Enemy
The full story of the three Indochina Wars. Including warts and all. The first was the Indochinese People fighting against the French colonists and their suppliers and allies from the USA. The second was the people of Indochina (Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam) fighting against an allied coalition force made up of Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, South Vietnam and the USA. The Second Indochina War is usually referred to as the Vietnam War. This book examines the re-adjustment of Vietnamese society after the uprising of the Tay Son Brothers in 1770, their stopping of the Trin and Nguyen families oppression of the Vietnamese people.
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.
I'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.
You 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.
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