The second novel in Nicholas Nicastro's John Paul Jones trilogy tells the story of America's first naval hero during the prime of his spectacular yet tragic career. Commanding his small, bitterly divided squadron deep into enemy waters, Jones must master both the opposition and himself as he joins the battle that will seal his fame. Meanwhile, his former comrade John Severence confronts another, more ominous brand of warfare on the frontiers of colonial New York. Both men are transformed in the crucible of combat, courage, and wartime folly.
Welcome to the bloody end of bleeding Kansas… Based on true events, this unforgettable novel tells the story of the Bloody Benders, a family of grifters and thieves running an isolated feed store on the Kansas plains, boarding travelers along the Great Osage Trail. Beautiful Kate Bender was mysterious and well-versed in the dark arts; Ma and Pa were quiet and foreboding, speaking in guttural tones; and young John Bender was thought to be insane. On land soaked with the blood of conflict, the Benders made their home. And one by one, prairie travelers began to disappear… Rooted in history, this is a vivid tale of the Benders’ origins, and how they became some of the most horrific figures in early post-Civil War America. This gruesome Western thriller is perfect for lovers of Sweeney Todd, and fans of John Harwood and Sarah Raynes.
A bold reimagining of the Greek mathematician’s singular life as a truly modern scientist. Galileo, Leonardo, Newton, and Tesla revered him: Archimedes of Syracuse—an engineer who single-handedly defied the world’s most powerful army and a mathematician who knew more in 212 BCE than all of Europe would know for the next seventeen centuries. In this bold reimagining, modern polymath Nicholas Nicastro shines a new light on Archimedes’ life and work. Far from the aloof, physically inept figure of historical myth, Archimedes is revealed to be an ambitious, combative, and fiercely competitive man. A genius who challenged an empire, Archimedes emerges in this book as the world’s first fully modern scientist—millennia before his intellectual descendants transformed our world.
This literate and witty novel profiles the complex character of John Paul Jones as he navigates the military, political and romantic battlefields of Revolutionary America and France. Rousing sea battles and daring military maneuvers, along with a cast of vivid characters ranging from arrogant aristocrats to prostitutes, highlight richly imagined depictions of life on sea and land at the birth of two nations. The tale is enlivened by racy historical cameos of such figures as Benjamin Franklin, Benedict Arnold, and the Marquis de Lafayette. .. .. .. "Nicholas Nicastro gives us a nuanced, insightful and thoroughly believable portrait of an American hero." -James L. Nelson, the Revolution at Sea Saga
How do you measure the size of the planet you're standing on? "Circumference" is the story of what happened when one man asked himself that very question. Nicholas Nicastro brings to life one of history's greatest experiments when an ancient Greek named Eratosthenes first accurately determined the distance around the spherical earth. In this fascinating narrative history, Nicastro takes a look at a deceptively simple but stunning achievement made by one man, millennia ago, with only the simplest of materials at his disposal. How was he able to measure the land at a time when distance was more a matter of a shrug and a guess at the time spent on a donkey's back? How could he be so confident in the assumptions that underlay his calculations: that the earth was round and the sun so far away that its rays struck the ground in parallel lines? Was it luck or pure scientific genius? Nicastro brings readers on a trip into a long-vanished world that prefigured modernity in many ways, where neither Eratosthenes' reputation, nor the validity of his method, nor his leadership of the Great Library of Alexandria were enough to convince all his contemporaries about the dimensions of the earth. Eratosthenes' results were debated for centuries until he was ultimately vindicated almost 2000 years later, during the great voyages of exploration. "Circumference" is a compelling scientific detective story that transports readers back to a time when humans had no idea how big their world was--and the fate of a man who dared to measure the incomprehensible.
In the chilly summer of 1888, the city of London was introduced to an innovation in evil. A brutal series of prostitute murders cast the city into a frenzy of fear and suspicion, pushing it to the brink of ethnic strife not seen in centuries. Jack the Ripper had arrived. "'The Passion of the Ripper' is a different kind of Ripper story: not a whodunit, but an unflinching exploration of the killer, his city, and his times. It tells this well-known story from the inside out, from the points of view of the cops, his final victim, and the man who--years later--became the case's prime suspect. Contrary to legend, Jack's career didn't end with his last mutilation. After chasing a phantom for years, will Scotland Yard see Jack's handiwork in a series of seemingly unrelated murders? Will the world's most notorious serial killer be brought to justice at last? "A disturbing, engrossing tale. Nicastro takes you to hell and back with the larger than life mystery--and the man--behind the name Jack the Ripper." --Doug Clegg, author of "Neverland" "A strong new entry in the world of Ripper fiction..." --Ripperologist Magazine
323 BC. The great Alexander is dead--and the uneasy peace of his former empire is unraveling. Machon, the late king's friend and ally, is the scapegoat for Alexander's downfall, charged with the capital crime of the corruption of a god. As an Athenian and an outsider, Machon is prepared to accept the challenge of his accusers and tell the truth behind Alexander's meteoric rise and fall. From his bloody ascent to power and his string of victories, to the seething hatred of the people he conquered, to his slow descent into drunkenness, madness, and wanton brutality, this is a stunning and tragic saga of a peerless military leader who proclaimed himself a god--and lost his humanity.
It is the year 323 B.C., and the great Alexander is dead. Machon--the late emperor's trusted friend--is blamed for Alexander's downfall. On trial for his life, Machon tells the stunning, tragic truth behind the meteoric rise and fall of a peerless military leader. Original.
With vivid prose and unswerving attention to historical detail, the author of Empire of Ashes spins a tale of two brothers who rise through Spartan society and meet their fate--surrounded by the Athenian navy on the barren island of Sphacteria. Original.
In the last years of the Roman Republic, a talented engineer is tapped to bring water to one of the city's most notorious slums. Nonius believes he is doing good for his city, but he isn't counting on the many obstacles that prevent anything from getting done in those turbulent times. His troubles multiply when he falls in love with beautiful, haunted Amaris, concubine of a senator who is determined to stop Nonius' aqueduct from going through. The clash between them runs from the bedrooms to the streets to the courtrooms of the Eternal City, in one of the most fateful periods in her history. "This historical novel gives readers a view of ancient Rome from the rare perspective of a good man just trying to do an honest job...Nicastro is an experienced and accomplished writer and often a prose poet in his descriptions of Nonius and Amaris: 'If his life was a stem, she was the rose, ' and 'Trapped there, between the Scylla of oblivion and the Charybdis of inconsequence he was powerless to go on.' This is a Rome falling fast from greatness, though oblivious to the descent. The Republic is dead; Octavian will soon style himself 'Augustus, ' a god. Sycophancy and cynicism are the orders of the day. The captivating book does, in fact, provide an excellent slice of history...An intriguing, well-researched, and well-told tale of ancient Rome." -Kirkus Reviews
Nicholas Nicastro brings to life one of history's greatest experiments - how the ancient Greek named Eratosthenes accurately determined the distance around the earth for the first time. In this narrative history, Nicastro takes a look at a deceptively simple but stunning achievement made by single individual millennia ago, with only the simplest of materials at his disposal. How was he able to calculate the circumference of our planet at a time when the measure of distance was more a matter of a shrug and a guess?---English publisher.
How do you measure the size of the planet you're standing on? "Circumference" is the story of what happened when one man asked himself that very question. Nicholas Nicastro brings to life one of history's greatest experiments when an ancient Greek named Eratosthenes first accurately determined the distance around the spherical earth. In this fascinating narrative history, Nicastro takes a look at a deceptively simple but stunning achievement made by one man, millennia ago, with only the simplest of materials at his disposal. How was he able to measure the land at a time when distance was more a matter of a shrug and a guess at the time spent on a donkey's back? How could he be so confident in the assumptions that underlay his calculations: that the earth was round and the sun so far away that its rays struck the ground in parallel lines? Was it luck or pure scientific genius? Nicastro brings readers on a trip into a long-vanished world that prefigured modernity in many ways, where neither Eratosthenes' reputation, nor the validity of his method, nor his leadership of the Great Library of Alexandria were enough to convince all his contemporaries about the dimensions of the earth. Eratosthenes' results were debated for centuries until he was ultimately vindicated almost 2000 years later, during the great voyages of exploration. "Circumference" is a compelling scientific detective story that transports readers back to a time when humans had no idea how big their world was--and the fate of a man who dared to measure the incomprehensible.
A bold reimagining of the Greek mathematician’s singular life as a truly modern scientist. Galileo, Leonardo, Newton, and Tesla revered him: Archimedes of Syracuse—an engineer who single-handedly defied the world’s most powerful army and a mathematician who knew more in 212 BCE than all of Europe would know for the next seventeen centuries. In this bold reimagining, modern polymath Nicholas Nicastro shines a new light on Archimedes’ life and work. Far from the aloof, physically inept figure of historical myth, Archimedes is revealed to be an ambitious, combative, and fiercely competitive man. A genius who challenged an empire, Archimedes emerges in this book as the world’s first fully modern scientist—millennia before his intellectual descendants transformed our world.
Welcome to the bloody end of bleeding Kansas… Based on true events, this unforgettable novel tells the story of the Bloody Benders, a family of grifters and thieves running an isolated feed store on the Kansas plains, boarding travelers along the Great Osage Trail. Beautiful Kate Bender was mysterious and well-versed in the dark arts; Ma and Pa were quiet and foreboding, speaking in guttural tones; and young John Bender was thought to be insane. On land soaked with the blood of conflict, the Benders made their home. And one by one, prairie travelers began to disappear… Rooted in history, this is a vivid tale of the Benders’ origins, and how they became some of the most horrific figures in early post-Civil War America. This gruesome Western thriller is perfect for lovers of Sweeney Todd, and fans of John Harwood and Sarah Raynes.
It is the year 323 B.C., and the great Alexander is dead. Machon--the late emperor's trusted friend--is blamed for Alexander's downfall. On trial for his life, Machon tells the stunning, tragic truth behind the meteoric rise and fall of a peerless military leader. Original.
Norman history is covered by chapters on the detailed account of Pope Alexander III's deeds as abbot of Mont Saint-Michel that Robert of Torigni added to the monastic cartulary, on religious life in Rouen in the late 11th century, and on ducal involvement in dispute settlement.
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