Henry VI, Part II – William Shakespeare, c. 1591 ★★★½

Predators and Pray

The middle installment of Shakespeare’s first historical trilogy bursts out of the gate on all cylinders and never looks back, serving up a royal soap opera of scheming and backstabbing a la “Game Of Thrones.”

Despite being an early entry in the Bard’s canon, Henry VI, Part II has the polish of a pro job and ample wit to spare.

Henry VI, Part I – William Shakespeare, c. 1591-92 ★½

Days of Whine and Roses

If we can’t call this Shakespeare’s bitchiest play, that’s only because we don’t quite know how much of Henry VI, Part I is his. Otherwise, this is a bitchfest in two ways: A vast array of interchangeable characters bicker with one another from first scene to last; and you have one of Shakespeare’s most reprehensible female villains, Joan of Arc.

The Little War Of Private Post – Charles Johnson Post, 1960 ★★★

Remembering the Maine and More

When it comes to America’s forgotten battles, Vietnam and Korea have nothing on the Spanish-American War. Despite an unprecedented territorial yield, our country’s first multi-ocean conflict receded from memory long before its last acknowledged American veteran died in 1992. Fighting two world wars over the next 50 years can do that.

Brighton Rock – Graham Greene, 1938 ★★★½

Catholicism Made Deadly

Tip for parents: Don’t have sex in front of your kids. You may think they’re too young to register anything, but they aren’t. Consider the protagonist of Brighton Rock, teen crime lord Pinkie Brown.

High Treason – Robert J. Groden & Harrison Edward Livingstone, 1989 ★

Who Shot John

Many books posit the idea of a high-level conspiracy in the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, books with titles like Six Seconds In Dallas, Best Evidence, and Crossfire. High Treason is different in a way signaled by its title.

Goodbye Mickey Mouse – Len Deighton, 1982 ★★½

Chasing Cupid and Messerschmitts

The difficulty of writing historical fiction often lies in getting facts straight. For Len Deighton, a former RAF pilot as well as an avid chronicler of World War II in both fiction and non-fiction form, authenticity was not a challenge for this tale of American Army Air Force fighter pilots in England. Goodbye Mickey Mouse is solid there.

But you need more than authenticity to make a novel click. You need an engaging plot and lively characters. It’s there the novel sagged for me.

MAD Strikes Back! – Harvey Kurtzman, 1955 ★★½

Taking a MAD Look Back

Last month came further evidence of the Apocalypse: MAD magazine rebooted itself. After a run of 550 issues begun in 1952, the humor staple officially rehauled itself with a new Issue #1. Readers of the latest ish were greeted by new staff, new logo, and new overall design.