Search - Justinian

Excellent, entertaining novel from H.N. Turtletaub (aka Harry Turtledove) about Justinian II and his decent into egomaniacal madness and revenge. I enjoyed it very much!

In its thousand years of existence, the Byzantine Empire wielded powerful cultural, social, economic, and military influence in Europe. The Byzantine emperor Justinian II (669 – 711) acted so vengefully and detestably that history has cast him deeply into the shadow of his ancestor Justinian. H. N. Turteltaub (the pen name of Harry Turtledove), who has a PHD in Byzantine history, describes in this historical novel what Justinian II went through: wars, usurpation, mutilation, exile, and, highly unusual for that time, hitting the comeback trail. Turtletaub structured the narrative so that a young monk, Brother Elpidios, reads aloud Justinian's autobiography to old blind Myakes, Justinian's most trusted bodyguard back in their salad days. Myakes, a tough veteran with “homely good sense,”, makes canny observations of Justinian’s behavior. They provide welcome relief to Justinian’s cruel conceit about his own ambition, imperiousness, and blindness to the consequences of his own decisions and actions. Readers interested in Byzantine history or stories of monsters in human form will find this a good book to read. Readers who like high class historical fiction such as Gore Vidal's Julian or Creation would like this one too. Frankly, I'm astonished and stumped that somebody didn't have this on her Wish List.