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The Tale of Krispos, a review.
Reading this omnibus edition is returning to an old friend. Five stars
Harry Turtledove's Videssos is simply the Byzantine Empire with the map flipped and Europe removed. He uses his doctorate in Byzantine history to create a vibrant, authentic setting. When my wife and I visited Istanbul, I could identify locations from the novels.
These three novels chronicle the rise of Krispos, a peasant farmer who was taxed off his land. Goomg tp Videssos the City; he is aided by divine intervention. Krispos starts as a groom, rises through the palace intrigues, and finally becomes the Autokrater. The second novel has Krispos dealing with a civil war and a mysterious wizard sacking cities in the north.
The trilogy's final part is set some twenty years later. Krispos has three sons, and now new heresies threaten the realm's stability, and his heir is kidnapped. Or did he go willingly?
Turtledove's style is clean, crisp writing. His characters are engaging, and Videssos is a real place as it unfolds. These three novels are part of this milieu's much more extensive collection of stories. I like this book, and as I said, it's an old friend that stands up to being re-read occasionally.
View all my reviews:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/38327327-douglas-berry
Harry Turtledove's Videssos is simply the Byzantine Empire with the map flipped and Europe removed. He uses his doctorate in Byzantine history to create a vibrant, authentic setting. When my wife and I visited Istanbul, I could identify locations from the novels.
These three novels chronicle the rise of Krispos, a peasant farmer who was taxed off his land. Goomg tp Videssos the City; he is aided by divine intervention. Krispos starts as a groom, rises through the palace intrigues, and finally becomes the Autokrater. The second novel has Krispos dealing with a civil war and a mysterious wizard sacking cities in the north.
The trilogy's final part is set some twenty years later. Krispos has three sons, and now new heresies threaten the realm's stability, and his heir is kidnapped. Or did he go willingly?
Turtledove's style is clean, crisp writing. His characters are engaging, and Videssos is a real place as it unfolds. These three novels are part of this milieu's much more extensive collection of stories. I like this book, and as I said, it's an old friend that stands up to being re-read occasionally.
View all my reviews:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/38327327-douglas-berry