Gordon Doherty

Books (60)

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- Byzantine Infantryman (4)
- Eastern Roman Empire c.900-1204 (Warrior)
- By Timothy Dawson
- Finished
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- Midnight Falcon (28)
- (The Rigante Series, Book 2)
- By David Gemmell
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- Tribune of Rome (2)
- Tribune of rome
- By Robert Fabbri
- Finished
  
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Tribune of Rome

Compelling page-turner

A very good read this. The author clearly has a genuine love of the historical setting and this shone through in some of the detail. The narrative was smooth and the characters likeable and I found the chemistry between Vespasian and Magnus humorous and memorable.
There were some issues with flat d ... (continue)

A very good read this. The author clearly has a genuine love of the historical setting and this shone through in some of the detail. The narrative was smooth and the characters likeable and I found the chemistry between Vespasian and Magnus humorous and memorable.
There were some issues with flat dialogue early on, where a lot of backstory seemed to be conveyed through unrealistic sounding conversations, but overall this was a tiny blip on an enjoyable journey.
Well worth a read for hist fic fans

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— Jul 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Sword in the Storm (26)
- (The Rigante Series)
- By David Gemmell
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Sword in the Storm

Gemmell at his finest

If I ever forget what good storytelling is, then I can safely turn to David Gemmell for a sterling reminder.
Sword in the Storm exhibits all the traits that made me love his style (have read Troy series, Lion of Macedon series, Stones of Power series) and in particular the very real-feeling portr ... (continue)

If I ever forget what good storytelling is, then I can safely turn to David Gemmell for a sterling reminder.
Sword in the Storm exhibits all the traits that made me love his style (have read Troy series, Lion of Macedon series, Stones of Power series) and in particular the very real-feeling portrayal of Connovar, the flawed hero. Every character has a touch of this, no archetypal villains or infallible good guys in this story, and the people of the Roman/Kelt-like world only become tainted as good or bad because of their choices and actions.
Sword in the Storm is the first in the Rigante series and it's a safe bet that I'll be reading the rest after this masterpiece.
If you're a historical fiction fan, don't let the fantasy aspect put you off. This book is a must read.

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— Jul 10, 2011 | Add your feedback
- First crusader (1)
- Byzantium's holy wars
- By Geoffrey Regan
- Finished
  
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First crusader

Gripping History

I found this was the kind of history book that delivers fact with the readability of fiction. The facts were well conveyed and plentiful but it was the author's narrative that took me along on Emperor Heraclius' ascension to the purple of Byzantium and subsequent epic wars.
The author's argument t ... (continue)

I found this was the kind of history book that delivers fact with the readability of fiction. The facts were well conveyed and plentiful but it was the author's narrative that took me along on Emperor Heraclius' ascension to the purple of Byzantium and subsequent epic wars.
The author's argument that Heraclius' wars with the burgeoning Arabian peoples, recently united by Islam, were in effect the first of the crusades is compelling, highlighting Christianity's firm grip on the hearts of the Byzantine people and the emperor's use of this devotion.
The difficulties the empire faced in his time are laid bare in the text and this serves to magnify the intriguing mix of shrewdness and at times almost classical heroism in Heraclius' actions.
Well worth a read (though hard to get a hold of).

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— Aug 24, 2011 | Add your feedback

- Byzantium (17)
- The Decline and Fall
- By John Julius Norwich
- Finished
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- Byzantium (14)
- The Apogee
- By John Julius Norwich
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Byzantium

History with an engaging narrative

This second book in Norwich's trilogy eloquently takes the reader through Byzantium's tangled and complex high period. The journey is intriguing, at times hair-raising (most memorably the desperate and sorry end of Michael V: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_V) and beautifully written throughout ... (continue)

This second book in Norwich's trilogy eloquently takes the reader through Byzantium's tangled and complex high period. The journey is intriguing, at times hair-raising (most memorably the desperate and sorry end of Michael V: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_V) and beautifully written throughout.
The author writes with an obvious passion, critical eye and at times a dry wit as he takes the reader over the years starting with the crowning of Charlemagne, through the phases of Iconoclasm and then the Great Schism between the eastern and western churches then on past the pivotal Battle of Manzikert. All through this the Byzantine imperial families are ever restless, making both sound and ludicrous tactical and political decisions that see the empire's borders continue to change in an almost fluid fashion. As I turned the last page I felt just as hooked as I ever have been on any work of fiction.
A fine piece.

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— Oct 4, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Constantinople (7)
- The Last Great Siege, 1453
- By Roger Crowley
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Constantinople

Informative and Evocative

The author tells the story of the death throes of Byzantium with a vivid narrative. The army is barely more than a rag-tag militia supplemented by mercenaries supplied by neighbouring states almost in pity at the state of the once-great empire; the navy is virtually non-existant, with rotting hulks ... (continue)

The author tells the story of the death throes of Byzantium with a vivid narrative. The army is barely more than a rag-tag militia supplemented by mercenaries supplied by neighbouring states almost in pity at the state of the once-great empire; the navy is virtually non-existant, with rotting hulks of vessells too expensive to maintain lying semi-submerged in the Golden Horn. All that stands between the Ottoman armies and the end of Byzantium are the decrepit walls of Constantinople and a few spirited individuals who refuse to let the imperial flame be extinguished. Indeed, the description of Emperor Palaeologus fighting alongside the peasants on the city walls is as evocative an image as I can remember.
A top read that flows like fiction.

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— Jun 14, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Romanitas (28)
- By Sophia McDougall
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Romanitas

Cracking concept but doesn't deliver

The idea is simple and intriguing: what if the Roman Empire had survived and remained dominant throughout not only Europe, but the rest of the world up to the present day?
This posed lots of questions for me and it was a must read from this point of view. However, the Roman world in Romanitas see ... (continue)

The idea is simple and intriguing: what if the Roman Empire had survived and remained dominant throughout not only Europe, but the rest of the world up to the present day?
This posed lots of questions for me and it was a must read from this point of view. However, the Roman world in Romanitas seems to be a very lightweight veneer on an otherwise fairly run of the mill thriller/espionage tale. Perhaps it was unrealistic to expect that such a world would look anything like the Roman empire of antiquity, but while reading I didn't feel like the book was transporting me to anywhere other than today's world with a few tweaks.
This is a decent story - it's just that it promises more than it delivers.

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— Jun 27, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Luka and the Fire of Life (38)
- A Novel
- By Salman Rushdie
- Finished
  
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Luka and the Fire of Life

Imaginative and Amusing

Vivid and beautifully written, Luka and the Fire of Life was an eye-opener for me. It drew me in within a few pages as it blew away the usual constraints of reality. The tale follows the classic quest pattern, littered with mythology and old gods, but amusingly blended with elements of modern popula ... (continue)

Vivid and beautifully written, Luka and the Fire of Life was an eye-opener for me. It drew me in within a few pages as it blew away the usual constraints of reality. The tale follows the classic quest pattern, littered with mythology and old gods, but amusingly blended with elements of modern popular culture. It made me wonder and it made me chuckle.
The only possible negative I could offer is that it is maybe over-written for what is intended as a child's book (not sure what age range it is aimed at, so maybe I'm off the mark with this)?

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— May 8, 2011 | Add your feedback

- Legionary (1)
- By Gordon Doherty
- Finished
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- The Talisman of Troy (6)
- By Valerio Massimo Manfredi
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The Talisman of Troy

Atmospheric but lacks punch

An atmospheric, dark and at times bleak tale of men surviving the aftermath of the Trojan War.
The story pivots around Diomedes of Argos and his retinue as they find that they cannot return to their Greek dominion and are forced to sail west. The author dramatises the collapse of the Bronze Age Ae ... (continue)

An atmospheric, dark and at times bleak tale of men surviving the aftermath of the Trojan War.
The story pivots around Diomedes of Argos and his retinue as they find that they cannot return to their Greek dominion and are forced to sail west. The author dramatises the collapse of the Bronze Age Aegean world well as the various city states attempt to recover from the ten years of the Trojan War. A picture of inescapable destruction is painted with the Dorian Greeks pouring south to devastate the old seats of power which are themselves tangled in treachery and power struggles.
I almost felt part of the Diomedes' crew as they escaped from this turmoil and into the misty and eerily quiet world to the west.
However, I found the last third of the tale capped the mood of the story appropriately, but left me feeling flat - like the climactic end I wanted never quite materialised.
Not my favourite from Mr Manfredi but a decent read nonetheless.

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— Aug 10, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Under the Eagle (28)
- By Simon Scarrow
- Finished
  
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Under the Eagle

Start of an era!

The first book in the Eagle series was really addictive reading for me. Two totally different characters thrown together in the brutal world of the Roman Legion, where together they form an unlikely partnership that quickly becomes warm, witty and intriguing. The author does a good job of making the ... (continue)

The first book in the Eagle series was really addictive reading for me. Two totally different characters thrown together in the brutal world of the Roman Legion, where together they form an unlikely partnership that quickly becomes warm, witty and intriguing. The author does a good job of making the Roman world, that can often be portrayed as a stuffy and aloof, seem real and identifiable to modern readers who might not otherwise enjoy this genre. The dialogue especially helps in this sense.
I picked this up one Christmas holiday a few years back and had it finished the next day...and was then on the net looking for the rest of the series.
Well worth a read.

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— May 20, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Strategos (1)
- Born in the Borderlands
- By Gordon Doherty
- Not Started
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Travau-
x de préhi-
soire
- Travaux de préhisoire (1)
- Not Started
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