Karl XII

How a walk in Boston led to the setting of a novel – in Russia!

Sometimes, inspiration strikes in strange places. Like where I am walking around in Boston—lovely place, I must say, and I especially liked the harbour walks—and come upon one of those information signs that give you an insight into the history of the place. This particular info sign was about the Russian Wharf, which in itself …

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Who let the dogs out?

Many, many moons ago, man sat outside the cave he called home and stirred the embers of the dying fire. From inside the cave came the sounds of his sleeping companions. He, however, was on guard duty, one puny human to keep an ear out for cave lions, sabre-toothed tigers and other potential predators. Above …

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So fell the mighty warrior…

On the last day of November 1718, the Swedish Empire hit the dust, crumbling into non-existence with the death of Karl XII. This our last warrior king was out inspecting his positions in Norway when an unidentified object hit him in the temple and killed him. Since then, debate has raged as to whether it …

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