History in small, easily digestible chunks is quite often fascinating -- even when it's not of particular interest to the reader -- and historian James Hobson proves the point in The English Civil War, a Fact & Fiction offering from the historical wing of Pen & Sword books.

I like to think I know a fair amount of British history, at least for an American, but I know very little of this tumultuous period, which cost a king his crown (and his head) and made the fate of the English monarchy uncertain for several years in the mid-17th century.

Hobson tackles the subject with a scholar's knowledge but a teacher's knack for imparting facts in interesting, bite-sized nuggets. Writing in an easy-to-follow question-and-answer format, he addresses issues of Charles I's reign, Oliver Cromwell's rise to power, the influence of the Puritan faith on politics of the time, and the struggle between Parliamentarians (aka "Roundheads") and Royalists (aka "Cavaliers"). He also discusses the impact of the war on the common folk of England, the role women played in the upheaval, the abolition of Christmas, pertinent hairstyles of the time and more.

Along the way, Hobson explodes misconceptions about the war and its primary actors while explaining what really happened, who did what to whom, and what their driving motivations seemed to be.

The English Civil War is not a period of history that has ever really appealed to me, hence my lack of knowledge on the subject. However, Hobson made the subject interesting, and his informative book left me with a new understanding of its roots and later impact on the British monarchy.