Holiday reads and book shop finds....

I have been off the grid for a few days.... No internet or e-mail which can at first feel like losing a limb however it's always a great opportunity to catch up on the pile of books which have been slowly building up since Christmas. 

After polishing off a couple of half finished novels, I turned to a cracking read from Will Scully. 

Over the past few years I have read a fair amount about the history of Sierra Leone and the destruction of a once prosperous country as coup after coup strip the country of its wealth.

Set in May 1997 Will Scully is an ex-SAS soldier working in Sierra Leone. The country is thrown into anarchy and chaos after a terrorist coup and foreign nationals are being evacuated. Scully finds himself in the hotel Mammy Yoko in the capital, Freetown, where there are over one thousand refugees sheltering from the violence raging in the streets outside. The hotel is targeted by the Sobels (Soldiers and Rebels) of the RUF who have ravaging the city in a week long louting and killing spree.

With the lives of over one thousand men, women and children at stake, Scully takes control of security, Time after time the terrorists attacked the hotel and Scully fought them off, killing dozens of them while the refugees huddled together in the hotel awaited what many of them thought would be certain death.

 

It is written in a style which gives you a real feel for the chaos of a city under threat and the encounters and fire fights create endless possibilities for those seeking to game West Africa. 48 Hrs from start to finish gives you an idea of how good a read it was.....

 

By contrast I revisted the classic, War of the Worlds, the paint table of recent weeks has been full of the weird and wonderful contraptions ultimately leading me to a campaign of sorts. Much of my memory is coloured by the 70's album and the more modern takes on the novel, however, the original is full of minor snippets which give some great insight into how any games should be played.... or potential scenario's...

Mutineers on Torpedo Boats...
HE Automatic Mines...
Committee of Public Supply...
The Government moved to Birmingham...

Missed all of those the first time of reading....

Whilst wandering through a couple of small book shops I came across the following which will be perfect for adding a little history to the potential War of the Worlds Campaign..... 

To the outsider (ok the wife) this can appear very dry, first published in 1899 and written by LT - Col J M Greirson it contains a wealth of detail, formations, training and weaponary.... not exactly a page turner but a great reference point.

Now back to the brushes.....