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Barnsley Pals: The 13th & 14th Battalions York and Lancaster Regiment
by Jon CookseyThe true World War I story of one British town&’s remarkable response to the message &“Your Country Needs You.&” The Pals battalions were a phenomenon of the Great War, never repeated since. Under Lord Derby&’s scheme, and in response to Lord Kitchener&’s famous call for a million volunteers, local communities raised (and initially often paid for) entire battalions for service on the Western Front. Their experience was all too frequently tragic, as men who had known each other all their lives, had worked, volunteered, and trained together, and had shipped to France together, encountered the first full fury of modern battle on the Somme in July 1916. Many of the Pals battalions would not long survive that first brutal baptism, but their spirit and fighting qualities have gone down in history. These were truly the cream of Britain&’s young men, and every single one of them was a volunteer. This book tells their story. Includes photographs and illustrations
Barnsley in the Great War (Your Towns And Cities In The Great War Ser.)
by Geoffrey HowseGeoffrey Howse is well known for his books on Yorkshire subjects, including six books in the Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths series, two of which cover Barnsley and District and a third which covers South Yorkshire as a whole. In Barnsley in the Great War, he has pulled out the stops and delved deeply into a wide range of diverse events that took place throughout Barnsley during the time when the most horrendous conflict known to man was raging abroad.As well as including interesting passages about the enormous changes that were taking place concerning the employment of women in roles they had never imagined possible, he has also assembled some fascinating accounts spanning the whole of Barnsley, packed with interesting sometimes mind-blowing facts about this beautiful area and its wonderful people. Within its seven absorbing chapters covering the prelude to the Great War and its aftermath, this book is sure to capture the curiosity of all individuals with an interest in the social history of Barnsley.
Baron Bagge
by Alexander Lernet-HoleniaThis astonishing short novel concerns the unfathomable, otherworldly experiences of an aristocratic young calvary officer in WWI A novel of love and valor, war and stupidity, life and death (as well as what may lay beyond our mortal coils), Baron Bagge concerns a young Austrian cavalry lieutenant in the Carpathian mountains at the beginning of WWI. The baron leads a desperate charge across a bridge to meet the Russian forces, following the orders of his mentally unstable commander: “We were soon to have proof of his unreliability… But perhaps it is not right to place the blame on him. Perhaps his foolishness was merely the instrument of fate, and the disaster into which he led his squadron, the slaughter of so many men and horses, took place in order that something which could no longer happen within the realm of the living—because it was too late—could happen after life.” And, swaying in a kind of fugue, the baron wanders off the bridge into unknown realms, where—mesmerized by Lernet-Holenia’s phosphorescent style—the reader joins his waking dream.
Baron Von Steuben's Revolutionary War Drill Manual: A Facsimile Reprint of the 1794 Edition (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor #2)
by Frederick William SteubenOn February 23, 1778, Frederick William Baron von Steuben reported to General George Washington at the Continental Army's bleak winder encampment at Valley Forge. Speaking virtually no English and at an unexpected ebb in his professional fortunes, Steuben nevertheless brought a depth of military training and grasp of command techniques sorely needed by the bedraggled, ragtag army. With his lofty military reputation, forceful bearing, and colorful personality, the Prussian commander had an immediate galvanizing effect on the disorganized insurgents. He soon became one of Washington's most valued officers -- an essential figure in the success of the American War of Independence. Commissioned to mold the troops into an efficient fighting force, Steuben formed a model drill company of one hundred men, transformed it into a precision unit copied throughout the ranks, and captured the imagination of the entire army. His record of drill instructions, written in brief installments, grew into the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States. Commonly known as the army's "blue book," this basic manual of military training and procedures remained the official U.S. military guide until 1812. This inexpensive facsimile reproduces the extremely rare 1794 edition of Steuben's drill manual, published in Boston by I. Thomas and E. T. Andrews. It describes in detail the arms and accoutrements of officers and soldiers, formation and exercise of a company, instruction of recruits, formation and marching of columns, disposition and firing of fieldpieces, laying out of a camp, inspection, treatment of the sick, reviews of parade, and other essentials. The volume is further enhanced by reproductions of the eight copperplates from the 1794 edition and an Appendix (the United States Militia Act of 1792).
Barracuda 945 (Arnold Morgan #6)
by Patrick RobinsonThe enemy from within . . . Iranian-born British Commando Major Ray Kerman was a rising star in the SAS -- until he abruptly switched loyalties while on a mission in the Middle East. Fanatically determined to employ his brilliant talents and training in the destruction of those he once swore to protect, he is now General Ravi Rashood, leader of the world's most vicious terrorist organization -- and he has found his ultimate weapon: Barracuda 945. A sleek and silent Russian hunter-killer nuclear submarine that can fire land-attack guided missiles from below the ocean's surface, it is invisible to all pursuers and virtually impossible to track. Yet Admiral Arnold Morgan, the President's National Security Adviser, must somehow marshal America's forces and hunt down this 8,000-ton nightmare of modern warfare before it unleashes its fire and death . . . or the first target to fall will be California.
Barracuda: Final Bearing
by Michael DimercurioIn DiMercurio's most harrowing thriller to date, Greater Manchuria, a new independent nation, threatens its Japanese neighbors with nuclear devastation. But Japan initiates a preemptive strike in the form of a devastating new weapon that will bring the world to the edge of all-out war. Now Admiral Michael Pacino must return to active service to face the deadliest threat the world has ever seen!
Barrel of a Gun: A War Correspondent's Misspent Moments in Combat
by Al J. VenterA colorful, wide-ranging memoir of danger and adventure in wars around the world.Anybody who says that the pen is mightier than the sword hasn’t spent time in Somalia . . .So begins this memoir of a career spent examining warfare—on the ground and as the bullets are flying. While many are intrigued by these violent conflicts, Al Venter feels compelled to see them in person, preferably at the center of the action.Born in South Africa, Venter has found no shortage of horrific battles on his own continent, from Rhodesia to Biafra and Angola to Somalia. He has ridden with the legendary mercenary group Executive Outcomes; jumped into combat with South Africa’s crack Parachute Regiment, the Parabats; and traipsed through jungles with both guerrillas and national troops. During Sierra Leone’s civil war, he flew in the government’s lone Mi-24 helicopter gunship as it blasted apart rebel villages and convoys, complaining that the Soviet-made craft leaked when it rained.In the Mideast, he went into Lebanon with the Israeli army as it encountered resistance from multiple militant groups, including the newly formed Hezbollah. Curious about the other side of the hill, he joined up with General Aoun’s Christian militias while that conflict was at its height. Touching down in Croatia during the Balkan wars, and in Congo during their perpetual one, as well as the Uganda of Idi Amin, Venter never lost his lust for action, even as he sometimes had to put down his camera or notebook to pick up an AK-47.In his journeys, Venter associated with an array of similarly daring soldiers and journalists, from “Mad Mike” Hoare to Danny Pearl, as well as elite soldiers from around the world, many of whom, he sadly relates, never emerged from the war zones they entered. A renowned journalist and documentarian who has worked with the BBC, PBS, Jane’s, and other outlets, Al Venter here offers the reader his own personal experiences with combat.
Barrel of a Gun: A War Correspondent’s Misspent Moments in Combat
by Al Venter<p>“Anybody who says that the pen is mightier than the sword hasn’t spent time in Somalia, or in Beirut during its bloody heyday.” So begins this fascinating memoir of a journalist, filmmaker, and just plain raconteur who has made a career of examining warfare—on the ground and as the bullets are flying. While the average citizen is aware of violent conflicts broiling all around the globe, Al J. Venter—from some strange compulsion unexplainable even by him—has felt the need to see them all in person, preferably at the center of the action. <p>Born in South Africa, Venter has found no shortage of horrific battles on his own continent, from Rhodesia to Biafra, and Angola to Somalia. He has ridden with the legendary merc group Executive Outcomes, jumped into combat with South Africa’s crack Parachute Regiment (the Parabats), and traipsed the jungles with both guerrillas and national troops under whichever strongman in the country then held power. During Sierra Leone’s civil war he flew in the government’s lone Mi-24 Hind gunship as it blasted apart rebel villages and convoys, his complaint being that the Soviet-made craft leaked when it rained. <p>In the Mideast he went into southern Lebanon with the invading Israeli army as it encountered resistance from multiple Muslim groups, including the newly formed Hezbollah. Curious about the other side of the hill, he joined up with General Aoun’s Christian militias while that conflict was at its height. Touching down in Croatia during the Balkan wars, and in Congo during their perpetual one, as well as the Uganda of Idi Amin, Venter never lost his lust for action, even as he sometimes had to put down his camera or notebook to pick up an AK-47.</p>
Barrington Bayley SF Gateway Omnibus: The Soul of the Robot, The Knights of the Limits, The Fall of Chronopolis
by Barrington J. BayleyAlthough largely, and unjustly, neglected by a modern audience, Bayley was a hugely influential figure to some of the greats of British SF, such as Michael Moorcock and M. John Harrison. He is perhaps best-known for THE FALL OF CHRONOPOLIS, which is collected in this omnibus, alongside THE SOUL OF THE ROBOT and the extraordinary story collection THE KNIGHTS OF THE LIMITS. THE FALL OF CHRONOPOLIS: The mighty ships of the Third Time Fleet relentlessly patrolled the Chronotic Empire's 1,000-year frontier, blotting out an error of history here or there before swooping back to challenge other time-travelling civilisations far into the future. Captain Mond Aton had been proud to serve in such a fleet. But now, falsely convicted of cowardice and dereliction of duty, he has been given the cruellest of sentences: to be sent unprotected into time as a lone messenger between the cruising timeships. After such an inconceivable experience in the endless voids there is only one option left to him. To be allowed to die.THE SOUL OF THE ROBOT: Jasperodus, a robot, sets out to prove he is the equal of any human being. His furturistic adventures as warrior, tyrant, renegade and statesman eventually lead him back home to the two human beings who created him. Question: Does he have a soul?THE KNIGHTS OF THE LIMITS: Nine brilliant stories of infinite space and alien consciousness, suffused with a sense of wonder...
Barron's Military Flight Aptitude Tests, 4th Edition
by Terry L. Duran Major U.S. ArmyOnly the best prepared are chosen to start the highly competitive multimillion-dollar training programs that transform aspiring candidates into U.S. military aviators. This fully updated edition of Barron's Military Flight Aptitude Tests provides would-be aviators in all five U.S. armed services with the competitive edge they will need to score their best and maximize their chances of being selected!This book is an effective, full-spectrum resource for officer candidates, ROTC cadets from all services, and current military members. Six full-length practice tests (two per service) with answers and explanations for every question get readers ready for the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT), the Selection Instrument for Flight Training (SIFT), and the Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB-E). Test overviews and detailed review sections give potential pilots the boost they need to rise to the top of the selection list, and most of the review subjects apply to all three tests. Successful aviation applicants strongly recommend working through every valuable review section, and the other services' tests are great for extra practice to reinforce your learning.Written by a veteran, joint qualified military officer and instructor, this book's review sections cover language skills, reading comprehension, math knowledge, arithmetic reasoning, mechanical comprehension, aviation and nautical technical information, science, and specific mental skills such as block counting, finding hidden figures, and spatial apperception. The author also coaches readers on effective study techniques, provides expanded information resources, and gives pilot candidates a thorough preview of how each test is structured and conducted.
Barrow's Boys: A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude, and Outright Lunacy
by Fergus FlemingFrom the author of Ninety Degrees North, a spellbinding account of how officers of the British Navy explored the world after the Napoleonic Wars. In 1816, John Barrow, second secretary to the British admiralty, launched the most ambitious program of exploration the world has ever seen. For the next thirty years, his handpicked teams of elite British naval officers scoured the globe from the Arctic to Antarctica, their mission: to fill the blanks that littered the atlases of the day. Barrow&’s Boys is the spellbinding story of these adventurers, the perils they faced—including eating mice, their shoes, and even each other to survive—and the challenges they overcame on their odysseys into the unknown. Many of these expeditions are considered the greatest in history, and here they&’ve been collected into one volume that captures the full sweep of Barrow&’s program. &“Here is all the adventure you could want, stirringly and generously told.&” —Anthony Brandt, National Geographic Adventure &“History at its most romantic.&” —The Columbus Dispatch &“A sure bet for fans of Caroline Alexander&’s The Endurance, this captivating survey of England&’s exploration during the nineteenth century illuminates a host of forgotten personalities.&” —Publishers Weekly &“Travel history of the best kind: entertaining, informed and opinionated.&” —The Sunday Times
Barrow-in-Furness in the Great War (Your Towns & Cities in the Great War)
by Ruth ManserghThis book is about how Barrow's output of war materials was vital to the Great War effort, and it is about the Barrovians and men from the surrounding south Lakeland area - from all walks of life - who fought abroad, and the area's women war heroes. It includes background information on the history of the town, such as the Furness Railway, iron ore in the area and shipbuilding, and lists vessels built at Barrow pre- and during the war with information on what happened to them. These vessels include Mikasa and HMS Vanguard. At the outbreak of World War One, Vanguard fought in the battle of Jutland. The Mayfly (or the Won't Fly as Churchill called it), built by Vickers at Barrow along similar lines to the very early Zeppelins, was launched in 1911. She was the first British rigid airship to be built. Today, Astute submarines for the Royal Navy keep Barrow busy and local people turn up when new submarines are launched. This book also acts as a reference guide to local war dead and war heroes, lost heroes, the area's recipients of the Victoria Cross, memorials with details of those commemorated (including those whose names were unwelcome on memorials). Barrow's War Memorial in Barrow Park was unveiled in November, 1921 by Field Marshall Sir William "Wullie" Robertson and records close to 600 names of those who fought and died in the First World War.
Barry Goldwater: The Biography of a Conservative
by Rob Wood Dean SmithAN INTIMATE, HUMAN AND REVEALING PORTRAIT OF THE MAN WHO MADE SUCH A UNIQUE IMPACT UPON THE AMERICAN SCENE.BARRY GOLDWATER stands in the forefront of the new wave of American conservatism. His appeal is not only to those usually associated with vested interests but also to a large body of women, college students and Southerners.Allied against him are liberals, labor and Easterners. Almost without exception, Americans are lined up solidly for or against Barry Goldwater. There are few neutrals.Veteran reporters Wood and Smith have delved into the phenomenon of Barry Goldwater with piercing insight. Nothing is left out—from the rise of the family’s fortunes in Arizona to the growth of the Senator’s influence in Washington.This is a book that every responsible American—whatever his political beliefs—will want to read. It is the story of one of the most important and controversial figures in government and of his particular brand of conservatism.Illustrated and including excerpts, from his major speeches.
Base Defense At The Special Forces Forward Operational Bases
by Major Curtis W. HubbardSpecial Forces forward operational bases (FOB) are essential for mission and contingency planning as well as for the preparation, infiltration and exfiltration of Operational Detachment Alphas (ODA). Therefore, the defense of this command and control headquarters is critical for preserving combat power and synchronizing military actions in a theater of operations. Because the enemy has the capability of projecting forces with the objective of disrupting US military operations, FOBs have become likely targets.According to SF doctrine, FOBs should be located in secure areas with MP or host-nation personnel providing the bulk of the security force. Although this situation is preferable, it is by no means assured. FOBs should be able to provide their own security in the event other forces are not available or when rapid deployment restricts the flow of conventional forces into a theater of operations. After-action review results from the Joint Readiness Training Center demonstrate that many SF battalions are not prepared to execute base defense tasks without the assistance of other forces. Many SF commanders do not consider base defense a mission essential task and the result is a lack of training by many of their personnel.This study analyzes joint and SF doctrine, observations from the field, and the effects of the contemporary operating environment to identify weaknesses in the readiness of SF battalions.
Base Politics: Democratic Change and the U.S. Military Overseas
by Alexander CooleyAccording to the Department of Defense's 2004 Base Structure Report, the United States officially maintains 860 overseas military installations and another 115 on noncontinental U.S. territories. Over the last fifteen years the Department of Defense has been moving from a few large-footprint bases to smaller and much more numerous bases across the globe. This so-called lily-pad strategy, designed to allow high-speed reactions to military emergencies anywhere in the world, has provoked significant debate in military circles and sometimes-fierce contention within the polity of the host countries.In Base Politics, Alexander Cooley examines how domestic politics in different host countries, especially in periods of democratic transition, affect the status of U.S. bases and the degree to which the U.S. military has become a part of their local and national landscapes. Drawing on exhaustive field research in different host nations across East Asia and Southern Europe, as well as the new postcommunist base hosts in the Black Sea and Central Asia, Cooley offers an original and provocative account of how and why politicians in host countries contest or accept the presence of the U.S. military on their territory.Overseas bases, Cooley shows, are not merely installations that serve a military purpose. For host governments and citizens, U.S. bases are also concrete institutions and embodiments of U.S. power, identity, and diplomacy. Analyzing the degree to which overseas bases become enmeshed in local political agendas and interests, Base Politics will be required reading for anyone interested in understanding the extent-and limits-of America's overseas military influence.
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken MochizukiA Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his ability to play helps him after the war is over.
Bases Subterrâneas
by James Morcan Lance Morcan Anabela SousaBases Subterrâneas revela detalhes sobre instalações subterrâneas nos Estados Unidos e ao redor do mundo, confirmadas e rumorejadas. Contendo raras provas fotográficas, bem como citações pouco conhecidas de figuras chave do governo, lança argumentos convincentes para a existência de um enorme mundo oculto sob a superfície da terra.
Bash Bash Revolution
by Douglas LainSeventeen-year-old Matthew Munson is ranked thirteenth in the state in Bash Bash Revolution, an outdated Nintendo game from 2002 that, in 2016, is still getting tournament play. He’s a high school dropout who still lives at home with his mom, doing little but gaming and moping. That is, until Matthew’s dad turns up again. Jeffrey Munson is a computer geek who’d left home eight years earlier to work on a top secret military project. Jeff has been a sporadic presence in Matthew’s life, and much to his son’s displeasure insists on bonding over video games. The two start entering local tournaments together, where Jeff shows astonishing aptitude for Bash Bash Revolution in particular. Then, as abruptly as he appeared, Matthew’s father disappears again, just as he was beginning to let Jeff back into his life. The betrayal is life-shattering, and Matthew decides to give chase, in the process discovering the true nature of the government-sponsored artificial intelligence program his father has been involved in. Told as a series of conversations between Matthew and his father’s artificial intelligence program, Bash Bash Revolution is a wildly original novel of apocalypse and revolution, as well as a poignant story of broken family.
Basher Five-Two: The True Story of F-16 Fighter Pilot Captain Scott O'Grady
by Scott O'Grady Michael FrenchWhile flying his F-16 in Bosnia, O'Grady was shot down. His plane exploded and he parachuted down into enemy territory. This is how he evaded capture with little water and no food.
Bashert: A Granddaughter's Holocaust Quest (Willie Morris Books in Memoir and Biography)
by Andrea SimonHaunted by her grandmother's Old World stories and bigger-than-life persona, Andrea Simon undertook a spiritual search for her lost family. Her sojourn, a quest for truth, gave her tragic answers. On a group tour of ancestral Jewish homeland sites that had been crushed in the Holocaust, she makes a riveting detour to her grandmother's village of Volchin, in what is now Belarus, where the last known family members had lived. There, she followed the trail of the death march taken by the village Jews to the place of their slaughter by Nazis and Nazi collaborators in the fall of 1942. During the same period, in Brona Gora, a forest between Brest and Minsk, some 50,000 Jews were shot. Simon was in one of the first American groups to visit this little-publicized site. Bashert, the Yiddish word for fate, guided her through the arduous quest. With newly translated archival records, she peeled back layers of clues to confront the mystery. This story of her momentous odyssey reveals the terrible fate of her kin. Mass shootings of Jews, particularly in the Soviet Union, have not been addressed with the same focus given to concentration-camp atrocities. Yet Simon's research reveals that Nazis killed nearly fifty percent of their Jewish victims by means other than gassing. In the historiography of the era, comparatively scant reference is made to the executions at Brona Gora. Thus Simon fills a significant gap in Holocaust history by providing the most extensive report yet given on the executions at Brona Gora and Volchin. As she interweaves tragic narrative with evocative family anecdotes, Simon writes a story of life in czarist Russia and, within this frame, of her family's flight from pogroms and persecution. From a unique vantage Simon's memoir discloses her dogged genealogical search, the newly perceived Jewish history she uncovered, and the ramifications of the Holocaust in the postwar generation.
Basic Training For Dummies
by Rod PowersThe easy way to prepare for basic trainingEach year, thousands of young Americans attempt to enlist in the U.S. Armed Services. A number of factors during a soldier's training could inhibit successful enlistment, including mental toughness and physical fitness levels. Basic Training For Dummies covers the ins and outs of this initial process, preparing you for the challenges you?ll face before you head off for basic training..You'll get detailed, week-by-week information on what to expect in basic training for each branch of service, such as physical training, discipline, classroom instruction, drill and ceremony, obstacle courses, simulated war games, self-defense, marksmanship, and other milestones.Tips and information on getting in shape to pass the Physical Fitness Test (PFT)All-important advice on what to pack for boot camp Other title by Powers: ASVAB For Dummies Premier, 3rd Edition, Veterans Benefits For DummiesWhether you join the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard, Basic Training For Dummies prepares you for the challenge and will help you survive and thrive in boot camp!
Basic: Surviving Boot Camp and Basic Training
by David Fisher Jack JacobsEvery American fighting man and woman share one thing in common: they have all survived basic military training. Basic tells the story of that training.Medal of Honor recipient Col. Jack Jacobs and David Fisher recount the funny, sad, dramatic, poignant, and sometimes crazy history of how America has trained its military, told through the personal accounts of those who remember the experiences as if they happened yesterday.If you've been through basic or boot camp, these memories of drill instructors, marching chants, combat training (and the "gas chamber"), hospital corners, and the shared feeling of triumph are guaranteed to make you smile. And those who haven't done it will understand and appreciate this life-changing experience that turns a civilian into a soldier—and in just eight weeks.
Basil Wilson Duke, CSA: The Right Man in the Right Place
by Gary Robert MatthewsThe first biography of &“one of Kentucky&’s best Confederates . . . [who] became a good citizen working for reconciliation between North and South.&”—The Post and Courier After practicing law for several years in St. Louis, Basil Wilson Duke (1838-1916) enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861 and was elected first lieutenant of John Hunt Morgan&’s legendary cavalry unit. As second in command, he was, Morgan recorded, &“wise in counsel, gallant in the field,&” and always &“the right man in the right place.&” Duke was twice wounded in battle and was captured during Morgan&’s Great Raid and held prisoner for over a year. When Morgan, who was also Duke&’s brother-in-law, was killed in 1864, Duke was promoted to brigadier general and appointed commander of Morgan&’s men. Moving to join forces with those of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston&’s army in North Carolina, he was assigned to the force escorting Jefferson Davis in his retreat from Richmond at the close of the war. Basil Wilson Duke, CSA, the definitive biography of this important but often overlooked figure in Civil War history, establishes that Duke was in fact the brilliant tactician behind much of the success of Morgan&’s cavalry. Author Gary Robert Matthews not only offers an in-depth study of Duke&’s celebrated Civil War exploits but also traces his varied postwar literary, legal, and political careers. &“Fascinating . . . a vividly written story about a modest Southern gentleman in which the reader may come to his own conclusion that Basil W. Duke was the power behind Morgan&’s so-called military genius.&”—Edison H. Thomas, author of John Hunt Morgan and His Raiders
Basil's War
by Stephen HunterA swashbuckling British agent goes behind enemy lines to search for a religious text that might hold the key to ending the second World War Basil St. Florian is an accomplished agent in the British Army, tasked with dozens of dangerous missions for crown and country across the globe. But his current mission, going undercover in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, might be his toughest assignment yet. He will be searching for an ecclesiastic manuscript that doesn’t officially exist, one that genius professor Alan Turing believes may hold the key to a code that could prevent the death of millions and possibly even end the war. St. Florian isn’t the classic British special agent with a stiff upper lip—he is a swashbuckling, whisky-drinking cynic and thrill-seeker who resents having to leave Vivien Leigh’s bed to set out on his crucial mission. Despite these proclivities, though, Basil’s Army superiors know he’s the best man for the job, carrying out his espionage with enough charm and quick wit to make any of his subjects lower their guards. Action-packed and bursting with WWII-era intrigue (much of which has basis in fact), Basil’s War is a classic espionage thriller from Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, essayist, and bestselling novelist Stephen Hunter.