Russia

Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe, is a vast area of great interest to Michael McKenny who did some keen study in high school, took Russian language and history in university, corresponded intensively with SF fans in the XUSSR when openness arrived in the late 80s, translated Russian SF and Fantasy for publication in English, and was one of the two first Westerners to attend the Ukranian national SF convention in Kiev in 1992. At present this site offers: a synopsis of WAR AND PEACE and of Robert Massie's mammoth biography of Peter the Great, reviews of a number of Russian SF books, of a fascinating account of Russian naval activity in the Pacific up to 1825, of a biography of the early academic G.F. Muller and the report of the 1992 Ukranian National SF Convention, as well as a review of Crisan's work on Early Romanian history, Burebista and His Time. This was last updated on December 25, 2008 C.E. with the addition of Michael McKenny's summary of Vincent Cronin's "Catherine Empress of All the Russias.

1. WAR AND PEACE Part One Synopsis of the first half of Penguin's English translation of Tolstoy's tremendous novel.

2. War AND PEACE Part Two Synopsis of the second half of Penguin's English translation of Tolstoy's tremendous novel.

3. Peter the Great Synopsis of the first half of Massie's biography of this towering figure.

4. Peter the Great Part Two the second half of Michael McKenny's synopsis of Massie's biography of this towering figure.

5. Catherine Empress of All the Russias Summary of Vincent Cronin's biography of this impressive Empress.

6. Reviews published in the OSFS STATEMENT from 1986-1993 of seven Russian SF books.

7. The Secret of Uralgan Michael McKenny's review of this enjoyable Kir Bulychev novel

8. Report by Michael McKenny on the Ukrainian National SF Convention in 1992.

9. Tribute to Cosmonauts Poem written at the time of the loss of cosmonauts Dobrovolsky, Patsayev and Volkov in 1971

10. RUSSIA IN PACIFIC WATERS 1715-1825 Review of Glynn Barratt's absorbing and well researched book.

11. Review of G.-F. Muller and the Imperial Russian Academy, J.L. Black, McGill-Queen's University Press, Kingston and Montreal, 1986

12. Burebista and His TimeReview of Ion Horatiu Crisan's fascinating book, translated from Romanian, about this impressive contemporary of Julius Caesar and his background.

13. Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain brief review of Sheila Ostrander's and Lynn Shroeder's fascinating book published in 1970.

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