My Recent Activities: Painting Soldiers And Reading Books.
Today I finished some more pine cone trees. I also am working on some AIP Chinese Boxers.
My other enjoyable activity is I began reading a series of books by William R. Forstchen, called 'The Lost Regiment' about a Union infantry and an artillery regiment that go through a portal to another planet. Other humans from earlier periods of history have also gone through including Mayans, ancient Romans and Carthaginians and medieval Russians.
The humans are subject to the domination of eight foot tall, vaguely orcish aliens who dress and fight like Mongols. Oh, and these creatures regularly accept human tribute including around two out of ten humans for din dins, you know, human kidney pies, human blood soup and the like. The Yanks aren't too keen on the idea of this and not really sold on the Russian and Roman social systems either.
In fact, the Yanks defeat the Russian boyars and then organise the country into a republic with massive conversion of economy to produce steam engines, trains, cannons and matchlock muskets (easier to make than more modern uskets) for the new Rus militias.
There are great battle scenes and suspenseful action with huge alien armies with bows and swords against a smaller army of 19th century ACW troops. In the first book the Yanks and Rus almost don't make it through.
In the second book, which I'm currently reading, The republic of Rus with its American benefactors ally with the Romans against Carthage, the latter being in the grip of the alien domination. Some of the Yanks, with their steam ship (which nicked off, during a tense moment in battle, at the end of the first book) lend their technological knowhow to the rival Carthaginians and aliens. they also have some 17th century or 18th century pirates with their ships to help out.
The theme of the books reminds me of another series I read called 'Janissaries' by jerry Pournelle where some 20th century mercs are abducted and taken to another planet with various transplanted human civilisations. There is also 'Conrad Starguard' by Leo Frankowski where a 20th century engineer time traveller transforms 13th century Poland. There is also a series (whose name and title escapes me) about a West Virginian mining town being transported back to 17th century Europe and a radical transformation occurs to society. The granddaddy of such books is 'A Yankee at king Arthur's Court' by Mark Twain; at least three corny and sanitised comedy film versions were made but the novel was actually quite bloodthirsty with the time traveller using revolvers and explosives to decimated the plate armored knights (yes its the anachronistic version of king Arthur). There are some great wargame scenarios in those books for those who like the idea of inter-period wargames.
My other enjoyable activity is I began reading a series of books by William R. Forstchen, called 'The Lost Regiment' about a Union infantry and an artillery regiment that go through a portal to another planet. Other humans from earlier periods of history have also gone through including Mayans, ancient Romans and Carthaginians and medieval Russians.
The humans are subject to the domination of eight foot tall, vaguely orcish aliens who dress and fight like Mongols. Oh, and these creatures regularly accept human tribute including around two out of ten humans for din dins, you know, human kidney pies, human blood soup and the like. The Yanks aren't too keen on the idea of this and not really sold on the Russian and Roman social systems either.
In fact, the Yanks defeat the Russian boyars and then organise the country into a republic with massive conversion of economy to produce steam engines, trains, cannons and matchlock muskets (easier to make than more modern uskets) for the new Rus militias.
There are great battle scenes and suspenseful action with huge alien armies with bows and swords against a smaller army of 19th century ACW troops. In the first book the Yanks and Rus almost don't make it through.
In the second book, which I'm currently reading, The republic of Rus with its American benefactors ally with the Romans against Carthage, the latter being in the grip of the alien domination. Some of the Yanks, with their steam ship (which nicked off, during a tense moment in battle, at the end of the first book) lend their technological knowhow to the rival Carthaginians and aliens. they also have some 17th century or 18th century pirates with their ships to help out.
The theme of the books reminds me of another series I read called 'Janissaries' by jerry Pournelle where some 20th century mercs are abducted and taken to another planet with various transplanted human civilisations. There is also 'Conrad Starguard' by Leo Frankowski where a 20th century engineer time traveller transforms 13th century Poland. There is also a series (whose name and title escapes me) about a West Virginian mining town being transported back to 17th century Europe and a radical transformation occurs to society. The granddaddy of such books is 'A Yankee at king Arthur's Court' by Mark Twain; at least three corny and sanitised comedy film versions were made but the novel was actually quite bloodthirsty with the time traveller using revolvers and explosives to decimated the plate armored knights (yes its the anachronistic version of king Arthur). There are some great wargame scenarios in those books for those who like the idea of inter-period wargames.
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