Byzantium - ISBNLookup.com

Smash

Here, in the story of a great gift and an even greater journey, is summoned all the magic and splendor, the brutality and the innocence of a lost era — the not-so-Dark Age when faith ruled men's hearts.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The bestselling author of the Pendragon Cycle now tells the story of Aidan, a 10th-century Irish monk sent to take the Book of Kells to the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople. Separated from his fellow pilgrims, Aidan undergoes various exotic adventures, including capture by and life with Vikings, political intrigue in the Byzantine court, enslavement in a caliph's mine and loss of his all-important faith in God. Lawhead is a Christian writer, and here the Christian themes are integral and well developed; he also shows a keen and sympathetic eye for the values and cultures of non-Christians. Marketed as fantasy, the novel contains little overt supernatural content, although prayer is vital and dreams can be seen as omens. Still, the narrative has the excitement of a good fantasy novel, a vivid historical setting and a lengthy, credible and satisfying plotjust the elements, in fact, that have made Lawhead a commercial success time and again. Sept.

VOYA - Meg Wilson

Byzantium is the epic tale of Saint Aidan mac Cainnech, an Irish monk who adventures, in 900 A. D., throughout what is now Great Britain, Europe and the Middle East. The characters are many; the story is complex, intriguing, and at times, confusing. The reader who pledges to stick with the book, despite its length and unfamiliar vocabulary, will be rewarded with a fascinating, exciting trek through time, led by an engaging, believable protagonist. Lawhead, whose Pendragon Cycle of Taliesin (Avon, 1987), Merlin (1988), Arthur (1989), and Pendragon (1994) claimed the attention of YA Arthurian devotees despite its length, may not fare so well with the lesser known Saint Aidan, whose compelling story continues for nearly 650 pages. For those readers with a special interest in the period, and for especially determined young adult readers, Byzantium will be a treasure. However, it probably belongs in the adult section, and on lists of adult books for YAs. VOYA Codes: 4Q 2P S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

Kirkus Reviews

A new venture from the author of the Pendragon Cycle (The Endless Knot, 1993, etc.), though here the fantasy elements—ghosts, angels, some prophetic dreams—are all but imperceptible. In the tenth century, the Irish monks of Kells have prepared a magnificent illuminated manuscript, its cover splendid with silver and jewels. This Book of Kells will be presented to the Holy Roman Emperor at Byzantium. One of the monks chosen to accompany the gift is pious young Aidan mac Cainnech, who dreams of the Emperor's fabled city and foresees his death there. Off Brittany, however, the monks' boat is sunk by Vikings, and Aidan is carried off to be a slave to the warrior Gunnar in distant Sweden. Through his learning, piety, and quick wits, Aidan catches the attention of the Danish King, Harald Bull-Roar, who nurses grandiose plans to sail south and east to sack Byzantium. But when Harald and his small fleet finally reach the huge, opulent, powerful city, he realizes the impossibility of his ambitions, and only Aidan's knowledge of Latin and Greek keeps the warriors out of trouble. After a dispute with a city official, Harald and Aidan come before the Holy Roman Emperor, Basil, who not only agrees to the justice of their claim, but hires the Danes to protect a diplomatic mission to Trebizond, where Basil hopes to conclude a treaty with the Arabs. And in agreeing to become the emperor's spy, Aidan will lose, then eventually regain, his faith, and experiences betrayal, further enslavement, a reunion with friends long thought dead, intrigues, a return to Sweden, and a final spiritual triumph.

Far-fetched but often engrossing, with plenty of plot twists despite Lawhead's sometimes shaky grip on the details: Worthwhile for Lawhead regulars and historical-fantasy fans alike.