Austin Scott Scott itibaren Husainipur, Bihar 848504, Hindistan
Interesting short memoir of life in the Peninsular Campaign -- which history seems to have forgotten. It was brutal, cruel and bloody. Spanish resistance forces gave as good as they got from the French. Horrifying stuff.
Heeeere's the thing. I liked the plot and pacing, which does indeed have a bit of DieHard-fantasy to it, but the title character of Aretemis Fowl bugged me. He's a spoiled 12-year-old genius. He analyzes the unknown as a foe to conquer, treats his trusted servants as pawns, and all the world is his selfish game. He's not a flawed hero; he's a teenaged version of a Byronic antihero.