SCAtoday.net - Review

A tour of "remarkable Viking sites"

Sun, 6 Jul 2008 14:20:24 -0400

Jeff Lukovich takes visitors on a unique tour of Newfoundland's Viking sites in an article for Canada.com.

New book claims China started the Renaissance

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 15:12:24 -0400

“A sophisticated Chinese delegation visited Italy in 1434, sparked the Renaissance and forever changed the course of Western civilization." This is the premise of a controversial new book by Gavin Menzies 1421: The Year China Discovered the World.

Ann Hathaway steps out of the shadows

Thu, 8 May 2008 18:29:35 -0400

Best known for her quaint house and her inheritance of the “second-best bed,” Shakespeare's wife, Ann Hathaway, has been mostly a mystery figure. Now a new book, Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer, sheds some light on a little-understood woman. Katie Roiphe as the New York Times Sunday Review.

The Other Boleyn Girl "more slog than romp"

Wed, 5 Mar 2008 13:13:41 -0500

"According to this oddly plotted and frantically paced pastiche — written by Peter Morgan, directed by Justin Chadwick — the girls were more or less the Paris and Nicky Hilton of the Tudor court," writes reviewer Manohla Dargis for the New York Times.

New Judith Herrin book offers "Byzantine surprise!"

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 13:32:50 -0500

A jaded den of deceit and treachery is the common perception of the medieval Byzantine Empire, but a new book by Judith Herrin offers a different interpretation, one that includes a rich cultural and religious life. M.M. Bennetts has the review for the Christian Science Monitor.

Medieval scandals in three new books

Mon, 3 Mar 2008 14:06:41 -0500

Medieval scandals are the hot reads of the day according to London Times reviwer Nicholas Vincent who reviews three new books dealing with powerful men - and women - of the Middle Ages.

Patrick Stewart stars in modern Macbeth

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:41:16 -0500

A "good and nasty interpretation of Macbeth" starring Patrick Stewart is being performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music through March 22, 2008. Ben Brantley of the New York Times has a review.

"Copernicus' Secret" brings scientist to life

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 16:48:05 -0500

Up until now, little has been known about the personal life of medieval astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, but author Jack Repcheck brings life to the man in his new book Copernicus' Secret: How the Scientific Revolution Began. Owen Gingerich reviews the book for the Sunday New York Times.

“People of the Book" filled with "danger, oppression and high drama"

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:39:01 -0500

In a review for the New York Times, Janet Maslin discusses People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, a novel about book preservation that revolves around the discovery of a medieval Haggadah, an illuminated manuscript which describes the Jewish Passover Seder.

Nicola Barker's "Darkmans" reviewed

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:22:33 -0500

Nick Owchar of the Vancouver Sun offers a review of the new novel by Nicola Barker, Darkmans, which tells the story of "a long-dead king's jester, a precocious child and the debris of history that keeps floating to the surface."

"Far Traveler" on NPR's not-to-miss list

Sun, 6 Jan 2008 09:15:15 -0500

On the Christmas Eve 2007 All Things Considered radio program, reviewer Lynn Neary spoke with Laura Miller of Salon.com and blogger Mark Sarvas of The Elegant Variation about which books from 2007 should not be missed. Included was The Far Traveler by Nancy Marie Brown.

“Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!” called "giggle-worthy"

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:14:03 -0500

"I itch in the cathedral; When I pray upon my knees: God, You saved us from damnation; Now save us from the fleas!" writes Laura Amy Schlitz in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village, a new children's book reviewed by John Schwartz for the Sunday New York Times.

A Wodwo in Camelot

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:36:07 -0500

According to reviewer Edward Hirsch, a Wodwo is a "raw, spooky, elemental," a Middle English word meaning “half-man, half-animal spirit of the forests” which appeared in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Hirsch reviews a new translation by Simon Armitage.

An academic reviews "Beowulf"

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:57:42 -0500

Tim Machan, professor of English at Marquette University, offers his thoughts on the latest version (2007) of Beowulf. He finds it "consistent to the original atmosphere that produced it."

Report of the Roman invasion of Upper Meridies

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 07:58:50 -0400

Fl. Galerius Aurelianus, aka Padruig the Uncle in the SCA, reports on his recent attendance at the Legio V Alaudae Roman Festivus in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he took part in the encampment and gladiatorial combat.