An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 37 Author: Andrew Silke publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (June 2014) www.hodder.co.uk isbn: 978-1444163315 price: €11.40 PB / €6.45 eBook pages: 160 Terrorism and its effects is an issue that continues to dominate international affairs, as evidenced by the rise of the so called Islamic state (IS) or ISIS and the extraordinarily ruthless manner in which they have sought to establish a self-imposed 'caliphate' in Iraq and Syria. Therefore this book by Professor Andrew Silke is both timely and prescient in trying to come to grips with this fraught and contentious term. Silke, an Irishman who is the Director of Terrorism Studies at the University of East London and who has lectured by invitation to the Senior Command & Staff Course has managed to produce a work that is highly accessible and gives the reader an excellent overview of terrorism through the millennia. Silke's work is groundbreaking in that he consciously tries to steer the reader away from supposedly accepted shibboleths in this area. Indeed he makes a persuasive case that much of the argument and debate on the subject is surrounded by myths and half-truths and argues that controversially in certain specific circumstances terrorism can succeed. There is a truly bewildering array of literature on the subject but Silke has managed to distil in this short easily accessible work the debate around the key issues and themes that are to the fore in terrorism studies. This is not to dismiss this work as a mere aide memoir, in time it will become a key reference document for students of terrorism studies. Its strength is its easy accessibility for the reader addressing the issue of terrorism under thematic headings and guiding the reader through this contentious field. It is intuitive of Silke's own background and indicative of the history of terrorism that the evolution and impact of Irish terrorists is a recurring watermark throughout the pages of this work. RF TeRRORisM – All THAT MATTeRs PrImaL reckonIng (the PrImaL serIes book 5) eAsTeR WiDOWs Seven Irish women who lived in the shadow of the 1916 Rising Author: Sinead McCoole publisher: Doubleday Ireland (October 2014) www.transworldireland.ie isbn: 978-1781620229 price: €29.24 H/B / €17.79 eBook pages: 464 "One week in May 1916, seven Irish women became widows". McCoole introduces the 1916 widows to the reader with vibrancy, familiarity, affection and admiration. McCoole's knowledge of the time period and a demonstrated flair for storytelling makes this book a well rounded read, it's not meant to be an academic exercise nor do I feel it has an academic purpose. McCoole means to introduce the women as real women who had a life before, during and after their famous marriages, and she achieves this aim to a large degree. Their stories are presented in three sections, Romance, speaking of the courtships, nuptials and family lives, e.g. 'Kathleen and Tom' (Clarke), 'Maud and John' (MacBride), 'Lillie and James' (Connolly), 'Fanny and Edward' (Ceannt); Parting, providing an intimate and tragic glimpse of the lives of the courting couple 'Grace and Joe' (Plunkett) and the married couples in the days and hours before the executions of their men in May 1916 and finally Mourning, the closing chapter which reveals how the women coped throughout the 1920's and 1930's. The book's closing tells us that many of the women remained politically active; a number were also committed to bringing about positive social changes and such endeavors were often balanced with a determination to raise their children well. There are multiple references to records contained in the Military Service Pensions collection which was released online in January 2014 (see www.militaryarchives.ie). The modernity of research, its accessible structure, and the timeliness of the book's release in the run up to the centenary of 1916, will most likely appeal to readers that are particularly gripped by the personal stories. As an added bonus, the book contains photographs sourced privately by McCoole vis a vis her network that includes living descendents of some of the women featured. lD Author: Jack Silkstone publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (December 2014) Asin: B00OEOF882 price: €5.00 eBook pages: 310 PRIMAL, a team of elite international operatives put together by a rich benefactor to interdict around the world when governments won't or can't. PRIMAL Reckoning follows on from PRIMAL Fury, where the team went up against the Yakuza and although the mission was successful - it wasn't without suffering heavy losses and left the team shattered and broken. Now the PRIMAL team come up against a CIA-backed private military contractor who is involved in gold mining in Chihuahua Mexico. Bishop is tasked with checking out a New York based journalist who has been blogging about a privately funded 'A' Team styled Ops Unit operating illegally within the US and around the globe. Under this ruse of a UN Investigator, Bishop agrees to visit Mexico with her and like all real operatives he can't just sit and watch and intervenes on behalf of some ranchers who are been evicted or killed to allow the mining operation expand. After Bishop kicks the hornets nest and comes up against Pershing an ex-CIA agent who is involved drug smuggling deals on the side too – what ensues is an out an out war of Bishop and his PRIMAL team against the CIA controlled and financed Chaquetas Negras (Black Jackets) cartel who are operating as an army for hire against the local populace of Chihuahua. This is the first in a trilogy of the PRIMAL team going up against CIA backed private military contractors. WF

• Cover