Books : Byzantium (Harper Fiction)
Amazon.com's Price: $7.99 Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780061057540
ISBN: 0061057541
Label: Eos
Manufacturer: Eos
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 880
Publication Date: August 01, 1997
Publisher: Eos
Release Date: June 14, 1997
Sales Rank: 30093
Studio: Eos
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
A master storyteller weaves a tale of adventure and the coming of age of a young soul in this epic novel of the early centuries of the first millennium.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Byzantium is the first Stephen Lawhead novel I have read...though likely will not be the last. Having discovered this book in the back room of a used book store during a book buying excursion to upstate New York, I decided to give the author a try, though I had never heard of him.
Chronicling the 'adventures' of a young monk named Aidan, the story begins in a monastary in Ireland where a group of Aidan's brothers have prepared a gift for the Emporer, a copy of the Book of Kells. Aidan is among the 13 monks chosen to undertake the journey to deliver this gift to the Emporer, though he is plagued by troubling dreams of his own death in the city of their destination, Byzantium. Nevertheless, Aidan answers what he feels is a call from a higher power to undertake this journey, and sets off with his brother monks.
There begins a series of events that none could have forseen for Aidan, including himself. Set upon by pirates (here called 'Sea Wolves') and enslaved by them, Aidan learns a different kind of 'service' than previously taught to him in the monastary. Aidan acquiesces to his new surroundings and duties, learning the language of the Danes (the aforementioned Sea Wolves) as well.
But this is just the beginning of Aidan's tale...and to try to capture all of the action in this review would certainly overrun the word limit allowed in an Amazon book review. Aidan's incredible journey is well detailed in the pages that follow his initial ... Read More
Rating:  -
This is by far the best historical fiction book I have ever read. The author created characters who you actually grow to care about as you read, which is something rare in books today. None of the majore characters in the book are black and white. While the Vikings are bloodthirsty marauders motivated by greed and belief that death in battle will grant them access to a warrior's paradise, they also have deep convictions about honor, and once Aidan, the main character gains their respect, they would give their lives to defend him, even though he was their slave not long before. Aidan is a monk, but like all men, he is not perfect. He experiences a crisis of faith and has to search his soul to find out what his life truly means.
The book starts rather slow, which made me shelf it for a couple of years, but once I got past the beginning, I couldn't stop reading. This story will take you to all points from Ireland to Asia Minor, and introduce you to all the various peoples who inhabited those regions at the time. You'll see the devoted religious life of an Irish monastery, the raucous environment of a Viking longship and the workings of Viking government (such as there was), Primitive Russia along the Dnieper River, the glory that was the Eastern Roman Empire and Constantinople, and the intrigue and religion of the newly Islamic Middle East. The adventure that the characters embark upon is equal to the Odyssey.
Some people have complained that this book is ... Read More
Rating: -
This novel tells the story of Aidan, a tenth-century Irish monk who takes part in an expedition to bring the Book of Kells to the emperor in Byzantium. Before his small group of traveling companions reach the coast of France, however, they are attacked by Vikings and Aidan is carried off alone. The remainder of the book chronicles his adventures. Aidan is by turns a slave, interpreter to a king, ambassador of the emperor, suitor to an Arab lady, and again a slave. His journey brings him to distant lands and then back home, and along the way Aidan loses - and then rediscovers - his faith. This novel is truly wonderful.
Rating: -
This book reminded me a lot of Noah Gordon's "The Physician" which uses a similar plot device, namely, the adventures of a European into the exotic East during the Dark Ages. Likewise, both novels deal with the protagonist's spiritual pilgrimage which unfolds together with the action sequences. To my mind, Gordon's book succeeds better in this.
As to plot, you can't get much more "rousing" than the epic journey from a tiny monastery in Erie (Ireland)to Constantinople and beyond. The author has done his homework, and the book is chock full of interesting historical details and atmosphere. The action is very fast paced and Lawhead is a master of the "cliff hanger" chapter endings which keep you reading page after page. We get to meet maurauding Sea Wolves, crooked tradesmen, devious courtiers, Arab amirs and even the Emperor Basil himself - generally believeable portrayals overall.
Less successful, however, are Lawhead's forays into his protagonist's soul as he struggles with the loss of his faith as he sees cruelty and injustice at every turn, despite his urgent pleas for Divine intervention in human affairs. When it is not forthcoming, and the suffering of his friends continues, he wanders off into a spiritual wilderness. His crisis of faith becomes a central theme as the novel unfolds. I have no problem with this theme per se, but our monk's crisis of faith is resolved in the space of two pages - a bit precipitous for this reader, and not in the ... Read More
Rating:  -
This book was readable but fairly unintelligent. Many others have already discussed the abounding historical inaccuracies so I will just skip that information. It was a lot like a poorly written fantasy book. There were cool warrior barbarians, sophisticated Eastern peoples, and dilluted, greedy, all-powerful bad guys. The uber-pansy, ultra smart, yet naive main character somehow survives countless hazardous situations and traverses most of the known world at the time starting as a simple monk in Ireland. There is even a contrived love story with an exotic woman. It was amazing how everyone somehow allowed the main character to live. The plot was unbelievable and there was really no character development. The changes in the main character were sudden and inexplicable. Aidan, the monk, also did not behave or think like a 10th century monk. Many of the characters did not seem to fit their roles and the religions used to advance the plot were misinforming. It was slightly interesting and not a bore to read, hence the two stars.
Browse for similar items by category:
|
