In episode 51, we review Illusion, the suspenseful novel by Frank Peretti.
Also available on Spotify:
Book Review Podcast Episode 51
Month: September 2026
Book Review: Empire and Frontier
Empire and Frontier
by Samuel Marquis
My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: History
Empire and Frontier follows Colonel Peter Schuyler in New York during King William’s War (1689–1701), showcasing alliances and conflicts with various Native American groups, the French, and other colonists. The language in the synopsis led me to think this might be a fictionalized story of this time in history, but it’s actually nonfiction. While that’s fine, it just wasn’t quite what I was looking for. Weirdly, though, there are moments where it becomes more subjective than I’d expect a history book to be, with the author attributing feelings and reflections to various people in the book—details I find difficult to believe are described to that degree in letters or journals. The author also seems to include some bias for or against some of the historical figures in the book, religions involved, things like that.
There’s a pretty in-depth list of all historical figures involved at the front of the book, which I mostly read through, but that turned out to be unnecessary, because the same details given there are also given each time one of those people is first introduced in the book. That and other repetitive sections caused me to start skimming the book in parts. The book would zoom out and cover several months quickly, and then zoom in and focus on a battle in detail, which made the flow a little hard to follow. I will say, though, that the battle descriptions were some of the most interesting parts in the book. I could have done without explanation of some of the ways people were “slow tortured” by their enemy though.
It’s not that I didn’t find anything of interest in the book, and I can definitely see it being fascinating to history buffs. If you’re looking for historical fiction, this isn’t that, but if you enjoy reading about history, are interested in this time period in American history, and are okay with some subjectivity by the author, then you may be the right audience for this book.
I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Find out more about Empire and Frontier
If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!
August in Review
I read 17 books last month, another month above my average from the past few years. I guess it’s within range of my average for this year though, thanks to how much more time I have for audiobooks lately. Still a lot of re-reads, which means less reviews I have to write.
Here are the books I read in August:
Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans (4 / 5)
Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko (5 / 5)
Thornbird by Elle Kennedy (2 / 5)
Mandie and the Charleston Phantom by Lois Gladys Leppard (3 / 5)
Persuasion by Jane Austen (3 / 5)
Living Unoffended by Brant Hansen (4 / 5)
Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
Asylum Murders by Michael G. Colburn (2.5 / 5)
Four Windows, One Jesus by Chad Colter (3 / 5)
The Land Beneath Us by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
So You Want to Be an Architect by Linda Soules (5 / 5)
The Ginghams by T.C. Kemper (2.5 / 5)
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (4.5 / 5)
Scythe by Neal Shusterman (5 / 5)
Masterminds by Gordon Korman (5 / 5)
The Order of Time by Scott P. Southall (2 / 5)
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (4 / 5)
This list includes 4 ARCs and 6 re-reads. My favorite book from August (that wasn’t a re-read) was Scythe. I started 3 series, continued 3 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.
I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.
