Capsule Reviews

[DeJaVu]

[From the Markesan Journal of Academic Review (30.04: 12 August 3071)]

The Grammar of Violence: Combat as Culture in Clan Society
Erick Oehlert
ComStar Press, 3067
Universal Media Code: CSPS3067-O452981165
72 C-Bills
An insightful examination of Clan society, focusing particularly on their system of Trials and tests, by a retired Com Guard MechWarrior who fought at Tukayyid and later served in the Star League embassy on Strana Mechty. Oehlert conducts a historical comparison of the Clan system with several ancient and early modern societies while resisting the tendency - all too common amongst these types of books - towards oversimplification or vilification of Kerensky's descendents. In the process, he offers an examination of sport as a pressure valve for inappropriately aggressive tendencies among the Warrior Caste and even makes a (not wholly successful) attempt to correlate Scientist Caste practices with medieval trial by ordeal justice. No serious scholar of warfare should be without this book yet it remains accessible enough that it would not be out of place on the bookshelf of any lay reader. Highly recommended.
-- S. Gates
Brood of Vipers: The Steiner-Davion Children and the Death of the Future
Dinis Arpaschke
Corvus Press, 3070
Universal Media Code: CORV3070-A384236785
39 C-Bills
A hate-filled screed against Victor Steiner-Davion in particular and his siblings to a lesser degree. According to the author, they are the root of all evils that have plagued the Inner Sphere since the mid-3050s and leaving even one of them alive and with any measure of power is a recipe for disaster on a scale which the human race may not survive. Arpaschke in particular blames Victor for the Jihad and recasts it from a Word of Blake tantrum to an underhanded means by which the Steiner-Davion clan can increase its own power while surreptitiously eliminating any who would oppose them. Even disgraced former Archon Katherine's exile among the Wolves is interpreted in this light, with speculation that the Lyran crown hopes to complete their subversion of that Clan and turn them on their enemies as a glorified mercenary force. The author's biases might make this an interesting read, though not one you'd likely want to be caught dead reading in public, but the vitriol and bile that drips off of every page may be a severe toxic health hazard. You have been warned.
-- S. Smithson
What the *$%#?!?: The Role of Humor in the Age of War
Kenneth Branson
Markesan University Media, 3071
Universal Media Code: MUMA3071-B361876499
60 C-Bills
Dr. Branson had already gained a dedicated following for his lectures on humor throughout history when he published his first scholarly work, From Laugh Tracks to Laser Beams: Comedies of the Early Spaceflight Era, and the ensuing years have done nothing to diminish his reputation as one of the most accessible historians of popular culture in the Inner Sphere today. This book, his third and latest effort, examines laughter and low culture during the Age of War, paying particular attention to how the tense and rapidly-changing times were reflected in the sometimes stiff and genteel humor of the era. Along the way, he reveals a hidden undercurrent of earthy comedy that glorifies in the obscene and profane to cope with the uncertainties of the day. Branson spends a great deal of time tracing the revival of the Twentieth-century sitcom in the court of Simone Marik and examining out how the numerous remakes that resulted were subtly altered to reflect the political goals of her reign, using it as a case study to support his larger points. With a promised follow up on the humor of the Star League and his continued lecture series concerning more recent centuries, Dr. Branson has carved out for himself an academic fiefdom that is both a compelling examination of previous generations and a telling commentary on the attitudes and tastes of our modern era. Highly recommended.
-- Q. Pottsdam