He struggled in order to survive as soon as his mother and two little brothers arrived in America but his perseverance made him a rich and powerful man, which only dream is to make his son the first catholic president of the United States of America. This is Caldwell's Kennedy's novel, an allusion of this tragic American family. There is a TV series Captains and the Kings made based on this book. View all 7 comments. Oct 01, Ken Rossignol rated it it was amazing. Taylor Caldwell reveals the ruthless world of the era after the industrialization of America began and one could imagine the same world of today's corporate climate in the digital era.
The common thread of course is mankind with the good and the bad traits shining through! Captains and the Kings was made into a mini-series and CD set is available even now on Amazon. I am going to order the set. After reading the book in the 70's, I gained a great insight not only into the history of the era but Taylor Caldwell reveals the ruthless world of the era after the industrialization of America began and one could imagine the same world of today's corporate climate in the digital era. After reading the book in the 70's, I gained a great insight not only into the history of the era but also a pretty good portrait of old Joe Kennedy Sr.
In any event, it was a good read and I would read it again if it were available on Kindle. However, new copies are still available for those who want to settle down with a great book. Oct 10, Valeria rated it it was amazing. Captains and the Kings is such a great all around read in my opinion. So much so that it is one of my favorite books of all time and that's saying a lot coming from me.
While the theme at first glance seems to be a rags to riches story, it goes so much more beyond that. You have history, romance, politics, drama plenty of it yet not overdone , and it also delves into the different natures of human beings. It is easy to read, yet pretty intense and I had a difficult time putting this book down Captains and the Kings is such a great all around read in my opinion. It is easy to read, yet pretty intense and I had a difficult time putting this book down! Caldwell writes so well and is able to captivate the reader that by the end of the book, I was left wanting more.
For those who haven't read this book yet, I hope you give this one a chance! Jul 05, Renie rated it really liked it. This book started out super strong with vivid details, moving images, and character investment. I loved, loved, loved it. Then, imagine my surprise when on page the author tells all about the protagonist moving to Titusville, PA my humble home town in order to strike it rich in the oil fields. It was absolutely fascinating reading about my town years ago!
I enjoyed the book, except there are places where it gets bogged down in politics which, although I recognize is the main theme of t This book started out super strong with vivid details, moving images, and character investment. I enjoyed the book, except there are places where it gets bogged down in politics which, although I recognize is the main theme of the book, was disproportionate in my opinion, especially when marriages and births might be restricted to a mere sentence.
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Overall, I highly recommend this book to those from good old T-ville! May 24, Deborah Pickstone rated it liked it Shelves: It would have been 4 but for the oddness of a key issue in the narrative: Yet, from its first mention, this curse was referenced over and over again in the rest of the story. Oct 31, Angela added it. This was one of my very first adult books, The saga was a turning point in my literary genesis.
I was made aware of the importance of history. Nov 17, Patricia Ibarra rated it it was amazing. Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh had a terrible blow in his early life when he emigrated from Ireland to America with his mother and two younger brothers and his mother died on the ship. His father had left before, but upon arriving he found out he was dead too.
At 12, he was responsible of his little brother and sister. He found an orphanage for them and he worked in whatever he could, went hungry and suffered as an adult with the hope of reuniting with them, but several years would pass. He was ve Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh had a terrible blow in his early life when he emigrated from Ireland to America with his mother and two younger brothers and his mother died on the ship. He was very smart and thanks to his strong, unyielding and pragmatic character managed to access the highest political circles.
He felt that the world had betrayed him by taking everything away from him and he would now take his revenge. All his faith was deposited in his eldest son and he would do whatever it took to make him the first catholic president of the United States. We follow the story of Joseph for 70 years in the 19th and 20th centuries. A story of survival and of excellent knowledge of human mind. The beginning of this novel was very enjoyable but the rambling filler throughout this novel turned the reading enjoyment into a grueling task just to finish reading this book.
I did finish this it because I made a promise to myself to always finish any book that I start reading but I honestly had to drag myself through this one. This is a terrific story with interesting characters but the micro descriptions of storm clouds and wall paneling and fireplace flames and facial expressions and so on stole 2 stars from my review. My analogy is this Would that equate to an enjoyable eating experience? A pretty depressing story, nobody has a happy ending.
Apart from the conspiracy theories, which bored me to death, I quite liked the book, especially the first part, until Joe marries Bernadette, from there on the plot is entangled and entangled without much sense and it made the task of finishing reading it quite hard. Apr 22, Gary Branson rated it liked it. Way too long, way too everything. Almost went the way of atlas shrugged when the message was becoming more important than the storytelling. Mar 11, Laurel Hicks rated it liked it Shelves: Nov 30, Lois Bryant rated it really liked it.
A re-read of a favorite from way back. Timeless plot that seems as germane today as it did 40 years ago - perhaps more so. Jun 28, Meredith rated it really liked it. Loved the character development at he beginning of the book, top notch fully explored real people. It is an older book so the writing may take more concentration. This is rightly called a saga of an Irish-American family the Arghmahs. Had I read it as a youth I would have been totally entranced, with this tale of suffering Irish who at last made good.
I would have perhaps embraced the cynicism and dystopian views of man's very nature It is high on melodrama, which was rife in sagas of this time, and while I enjoyed the characters and the fact that man is often his own worse enemy, that what he strives This is rightly called a saga of an Irish-American family the Arghmahs. It is high on melodrama, which was rife in sagas of this time, and while I enjoyed the characters and the fact that man is often his own worse enemy, that what he strives for is often his own undoing, and that wealth and the hunger for power rarely satisfies when achieved the emptiness of one's life.
The difficult part of this saga is that it is hinged on the existence of a group of international bankers, who control the world and use socialism to distract and divide the populace In this book they are Christians, who if people uncover their machinations blame the chaos they have created on 'the Jews' as that is an easy story to sell the masses. Given that Caldwell wrote often for the John Birch Society Journal, and had affiliations with anti-Semitic groups, perhaps this illusion is quite tongue in cheek.
It reminds me of Ayn Rand writings in that the author takes her own political leanings so seriously that she most hit the reader over the head with them like an evangelist hammering away It worked so well as a serial TV drama, very soap opera like in the melodrama of the relationships of parents and children and lovers, and the amorality of greed and power May 18, Walter rated it liked it Shelves: This novel is a typical Caldwell novel. Despite her love of historical novels, Caldwell is not a historian and tends to get the basic facts wrong concerning the era about which she is writing.
Another typical Caldwell trait is her love of the Kennedy clan, and of all of her novels, this one is the one that is most obviously inspired by the Kennedys. The main character is an Irish immigrant who comes over during the great potato famine of the s, and immediately encounters the hostility of the pre-Civil War American society toward the new Irish Catholic immigrants.
But his luck changes in an unlikely encounter on a train with a local political boss who ends up taking him under his wing. After this, the main character takes the fast track toward power and riches. Despite the limitations of this novel, it does have a very positive trait of the Taylor Caldwell novel, which is that it has a strong story line, deep characters and a strong message.
Caldwell traces the tendency of the 19th century "robber barron" to sell his soul in the blind pursuit of riches that characterizes novels about the post-civil war 19th Century United States. Like the Kennedys, the character in this book longs to place his son in the White House, but unlike the Kennedys he is unable to do so.
Still, this is a novel worth reading, as long as you can deal with the historical inaccuracies. I keep saying that and it still applies. This story started when I read Col Crackpot's story idea some months ago.
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Intrigued, I asked him if I could do my own take. He agreed, and I and MD went for it. For CC, thanks and I promise to make mine different. It is where I am meant to be. Kira Nerys' heart was breaking. She wanted him to stay, but she knew he could not. She was a Bajoran, a solid.
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He was a Changeling, a metamorph, one of the Founders of the Dominion, an organization originating from the gamma quadrant; the leaders whose forces had almost defeated the combined forces of the United Federation of Planets, Klingon Empire, and Romulan Star Empire. Despite the power of such a combined force, the Dominion had almost won the war. The Dominion itself was larger than the Federation of Planets, controlling hundreds of words, for over a millennium, all kept in line by the feared Jem'hadar foot soldiers. Although the Founders had rarely been seen, their influence was absolute.
They were creatures of Order and the Federation and its local neighbors were chaos personified. It was no wonder the Dominion didn't look on the Federation with kindness.
- Yo Mamas Dirty Secrets;
- Captains and the Kings.
- A Thin Veneer Chapter 1, a tv x-overs fanfic | FanFiction.
The hostilities erupted when Bajoran settlers, traders and explorers from different species, entered the Gamma quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole. It was said that the presence of those ships and people constituted a violation of Dominion territory. What wasn't known at the time was that that excuse would be turn into a prelude to war. Odo smiled and the shape-shifter's clothing changed into the form of a Terran tuxedo.
Kira's smiled through her tears as someone she loved descended into the golden ocean-like waves of the Great Link. The natural state of the Founders was liquid and Odo slowly began to dissolve, joining his people and leaving her, perhaps forever. Before he disappeared, he looked up, shocked. They were encouraged to pursue this war by the Vorlons. Kira froze, shocked by the revelation. Captain Sisko needed to know about this as soon as possible.
Commodore's log, Benjamin Sisko commanding: Starfleet's response was to send the Enterprise to D eep Space Nine. The rumors had been true. In twenty-three sixty four, Starfleet Command had been effectively taken over by a parasitic species we now know as the Ciona Imperixe. Picard and Riker were able to stop the complete takeover by those parasites but were unable to save any of the creatures or the Officers they inhabited.
The only captured Imperixe apparently committed suicide and its corpse broke down despite all attempts to preserve it. However the message, or beacon, sent by the mother creature was directed suspiciously close to Vorlon space. We had no proof at that time, but with the Intel we've received recently, it is now believed that the Vorlons are using surrogates to attack and weaken the Federation-Klingon alliance. It is believed that this is their second attempt to destabilize and destroy the major powers of the Alpha quadrant.
The Romulans are furious as the Imperixe almost destroyed the High Council. If they find out that the Vorlons may have been involved, then they may push for war at a time when we are not prepared to battle against such a dangerous enemy. One thing is clear however; the Vorlons have are still angry over the events that happened ninety years ago. Their persistence in this vendetta will lead to another war, one than may cost billions of lives on both sides.
We've just fought one war and barely survived. The last thing we need is another, especially with the Borg waiting in the wings. I hope that it does not come to this, but as Commodore in command of Deep Space Nine, I will do everything within my power to keep them from gaining a foothold via the Bajoran wormhole. The passageways have been denied to them, but that won't stop such an ancient species if they decide to come. We do know that they will try to use the wormhole to get here.
There are other ways for them to get into the Alpha quadrant, however my responsibility is here and I will do my duty. We know that they are coming. Captain James Tiberius Kirk was fuming. No, that word could not by any means depict what the man was feeling. Anger, hostility, disbelief, and a profound sense of betrayal by his best friend came close to describing what he was experiencing right now. Admiral Cartwright, a tall black man with impeccable attitude walked slowly past the fuming Captain, stopped, then whispered to the Captain, "I don't know whether to congratulate you, or not.
Doctor McCoy standing next to him knew the answer to that question. Who cared if the Klingons had fifty years of life left to their planet? They were the ones who poisoned it in the first place. If they hadn't blown up their own moon they wouldn't have this problem. And it wouldn't have been dumped in his lap by his friend-Spock-whose neck he could wring right about now. How dare he presume to volunteer his ex-Captain and best friend to be the tip of the spear of a peace treaty with the Klingons?
The Klingons killed his son. They did it for the fun of it. They did it and let him listen to the death of his son. It was a sound that replayed itself in his dreams over and over and would continue so until the day he died. They made him face Carol, made him explain to her that their son David had died and that he couldn't do anything to stop it. She never said anything, but he knew that she blamed him for his son's death. Logically he knew that there was nothing he could have done.
But he felt responsible and to hell with logic. The Klingons caused misery, death and destruction in everything they touched. Their Empire was a study in self-destructive orgy all played out in the name of honor. They didn't know the meaning of the word. And now the fact that their planet was about to lose its ozone layer because of their own mistakes was an irony he could appreciate. Admiral Cartwright had the right idea; this was the perfect time to bring them to their knees. It would be asking for trouble allowing the Klingons, an aggressive species, safe haven within the Federation border.
The room emptied itself leaving only Captains' Kirk and Spock. No one, not the Admirals, the Captains, or other personnel wanted to witness what was about to occur between the two officers. Ramrod straight, James's hazel eyes locked onto his friend. He hated those aliens. Spock understood that only logic would have a chance to break through his friend's mood right now. But you know how I feel about them," Kirk hissed. The Klingons were worse than ever. What would possess them to concentrate all of those hazardous, explosive materials next to their home planet without regard to their own safety?
Logic wasn't working as well as Spock hoped but he had to try. Stunned by that statement, Spock looked at him, allowing his emotions to express themselves to his friend. And it had its desired effect. During this time, his wife Meggan apparently sacrifices her life to close a rip in time that would have destroyed all existence.
Captain Britain also believes his sister Psylocke to be dead, unaware that she has joined the Exiles. Die by the Sword before he is severely injured by Rouge-Mort. Brian is left uncomfortable by having to kill Skrulls and being separated from the Corps, and simply desires to represent his country believing, despite Wisdom's statements to the contrary, that he stopped doing so. When the Skrulls shot a missile at the Siege to destroy Earth's access to magic, he attempted to divert it and was killed in a vicious explosion [39] - every inhabitant of the United Kingdom became instantly aware of his death.
Captain Britain was once again resurrected by Merlin in the center of Britain, and after taking possession of the sword Excalibur, confronted the Skrulls in London; his resurrected form is stated by Merlin to be no longer plagued with doubts and a unified symbol of the United Kingdom, "like their flag, one thing that contains many! In battle against Doctor Plokta, creator of the Mindless Ones , he was temporarily trapped in Plokta's "Dream Corridor" - a magical construct trapping you in your heart's desire - where he briefly believed he had found Meggan again. He got free and defeated Plokta by forcing him into his own Corrider presented as a supremely powerful act , but was left unaware that the real Meggan had tried to make contact and was now stuck in Hell.
Doom gives Meggan to Dracula to use as a bargaining chip. Captain Britain accepted despite mixed reactions from his MI13 teammates. He then disappeared from view to fight a war in Otherworld against the demonic Goat, who had attempted to subjugate the multiverse. His brother Jamie, now cured of madness, was a key ally and Brian tried to cajole Psylocke into joining as well. Relations with his sister deteriorated as the Corps tried to put her teammate Fantomex on trial for murdering a child Apocalypse, arguing that it was still a crime to kill a child for what they may become. Ironically, in the end it turned out the Goat was a future version of Jamie who had been turned evil and Betsy, who had been forced to sacrifice her emotions to win in battle, stopped the villain by killing the contemporary Jamie; she then berated Brian for leaving the choice to her.
Later, he becomes one of the new members of the Secret Avengers. One of the students is a young alternate version of himself, Kid Briton. At an unspecified time, Captain Britain and an army of British heroes defeated Mys-Tech in battle; the agency came close to sending all of Britain to hell in order to pay off their debts to Mephisto. Following the battle, S. Brian was made a member of S. Years later, Pete Wisdom learned about this and sarcastically remarked he was proud that Brian was acting like him.
Brian, MI, and S. This was actually a ruse by Death's Head II to plant a tracking device and find out why the Psycho-Wraiths wanted the captain he didn't bother to tell Brian. The Prime Wraith wanted the hero to be part of six living batteries for a monotrace core, opening a portal to Hell for Mephisto's armies led by the brainwashed hero Killpower to ravage the Earth.
Afterwards, on a whim Captain Britain placed a union flag on top of a damaged Big Ben , deciding that surviving the battle gave them "the right to celebrate a little" [54]. Eight months later during the Time Runs Out storyline, it is revealed that the Multiverse is suffering from violent incursions between parallel Earths. Captain Britain is seen as a new member of the Illuminati. Originally, Captain Britain's powers were linked to the mystical Amulet of Right , worn around his neck.
When Brian Braddock rubbed the amulet he was transformed from an ordinary mortal into a superhero version of himself, complete with a more muscular physique. The amulet could also mystically replenish his superhuman energies. Later, Merlyn changed the staff into the mace-like Star Sceptre , which Captain Britain could utilize like a quarterstaff and which gave him the ability of flight.
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Brian Braddock has superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, senses, and the ability to fly at supersonic speeds. He possesses enhanced perceptions that allow him to be aware of things others may miss such as objects cloaked by spells of illusion. Hence, to retain his powers anywhere on Earth, he must wear the costume at all times.
However, the conditions of his power were once again changed during his death and resurrection in the first story arc of Captain Britain and MI: As we reveal in issue five, the limits of Captain Britain's powers are now tied into his emotions. So if he's feeling very determined and confident, then he's very powerful, but if he's losing it then he'll really be losing it. He's as strong as he used to be, and he can fly, and that's all due to his magical nature, not to his costume. I've always seen him as something like the Shazam Captain Marvel , a hero formed through magic.
Which means the subjective nature of what he can now do feels apt to me. As he himself says about great feats depending on whether or not he can gather all his courage together, he says: Captain Britain is the fraternal twin of Betsy Braddock , a telepath, resulting in a strong psychic bond between the two. As described by writer Chris Claremont in the Uncanny X-Men House of M storyline, the two are in fact immune to each other's powers because of their genetic connection. In addition, Braddock is a brilliant scientist with a Ph.
Captain Britain has been represented in various incarnations, not exclusive to Brian Braddock. In addition to other characters who have assumed the mantle of Captain Britain in the absence of Braddock, there have been several other versions of characters written to have originated from alternate universes. Each member protected his or her reality based on their dimensional equivalent of Britain, and was powered by the friction between dimensions.
Bran Bardic is from a world ravaged by war for almost a century. Braddock is also the most vocal advocate for the extermination of mutants, much to the weariness of Yashida and Frost, who seems much less fanatical in their beliefs.
Captain Britain
After a failed attempt on his life, Braddock proposes the assembly of the entire Council fleet to attack Apocalypse's capital. In an alternate AoA timeline, from What If?: In this timeline, Legion kills both Professor Xavier and Magneto , therefore the X-Men never existed, so mankind's only hope lies with the Defenders. A zombie version of Captain Britain briefly appears in the miniseries Marvel Zombies while the Silver Surfer travels the globe. He also briefly appears in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness , having been zombified by the world-racing newly infected Quicksilver.
All four of them developed their powers from the super powered exo-suits developed by Professor Sir James Braddock, who oversees the EDI super soldier program. They are also seen helping to pull up the Statue of Liberty after the battle is over. However, Multiple Man bursts in and sets off a bomb, destroying the Houses of Parliament and everyone inside. He survived the attack at the Houses of Parliament, although he succumbed to the cancer caused by using one of the first versions of the Captain Britain suit, and his brother James took the mantle of Captain Britain.
Jamie Braddock is revealed to be the new Captain Britain in the Ultimates. IGN ranked Captain Britain as the 79th greatest comic book hero of all time stating, "as he is the only Marvel hero to receive the benefit of Alan Moore's pen, the character enjoys very rarefied status in the Marvel Universe", [77] and 34th in their list of "The Top 50 Avengers". An article in the Times of London in March stated, "Captain Britain's nemesis turned out to be lack of popularity, however, and his adventures ended after a year". A number of trade paperbacks have been released collecting both the early run and Alan Moore's updated version his run being reprinted after Jamie Delano's which followed it.
However, the Panini reprint renumbers it as volume 1. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about Brian Braddock. For the superheroine formerly known as Captain Britain, see Lionheart comics. For his sister who once used the code name, see Psylocke. Cover of Captain Britain trade paperback edition Art by Alan Davis. Captain Britain and MI: Modern Masters Volume 1: