Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Steel Lobsters:
Knights. Guns. Bad mix apparently.
Quick synopsis:
The story of the last fully armored knights in England and how they went extinct.
Fact for Non-History People:
The Thirty Years War may have killed as many as 8 million people or 20% of the European population at that time.
Fact for History Nerds:
Martin Luther did not actually nail his Ninety-Five Theses to a church door.
My Take on Steel Lobsters:
Never has an author had a clearer pitch for a book than Myke Cole’s reason for his book, Steel Lobsters. Quite simply, it is “knights-with-guns.” Were there knight-with-guns? Yes. How did they do? Well, you need to read the book, but there is a reason you don’t see them anymore.
The story takes place during the English Civil War. Cole focuses the story mainly around two antagonists on either side of the war, but the main character is Arthur Haselrig who would ultimately create and lead the aforementioned Steel Lobsters.
Cole has a unique way of writing. The entire book sounds more like a conversation between friends. One of those friends happens to be steeped in knowledge of military weapons and wants to tell you all about it. Cole makes the subjects more accessible to a general audience, but I could also see how military historians might not like his more familiar tone. I personally find it makes the story flow much better without getting bogged down in a list of equipment and lifeless listing of maneuvers. It does mean the audience for this story is a bit specific. It is basically a quick overview of the English Civil War and then a rundown of a few battles the Steel Lobsters were around. If this sounds like a good time to you, then I recommend it. I had a good time!
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Osprey Publishing.)
Verdict:
I think the tagline says it all. Buy it here!
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