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Byzantium
Byzantium | Stephen R. Lawhead
6 posts | 15 read | 2 to read
Born to rule Although born to rule, Aidan lives as a scribe in a remote Irish monastery on the far, wild edge of Christendom. Secure in work, contemplation, and dreams of the wider world, a miracle bursts into Aidan's quiet life. He is chosen to accompany a small band of monks on a quest to the farthest eastern reaches of the known world, to the fabled city of Byzantium, where they are to present a beautiful and costly hand-illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells, to the Emperor of all Christendom. Thus begins an expedition by sea and over land, as Aidan becomes, by turns, a warrior and a sailor, a slave and a spy, a Viking and a Saracen, and finally, a man. He sees more of the world than most men of his time, becoming an ambassador to kings and an intimate of Byzantium's fabled Golden Court. And finally this valiant Irish monk faces the greatest trial that can confront any man in any age: commanding his own Destiny.
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BarbaraJean
Byzantium | Stephen R. Lawhead
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I read this YEARS ago & loved it, so when a friend picked it for our IRL book club, I was excited to revisit it. And it holds up! I remembered virtually nothing but a couple plot points, so it was kinda like enjoying it for the first time. 😆

Lawhead‘s historical fiction has always been a win for me, and the number of places & cultures he tackles here is impressive! He does it well, and I grew to love so many of the characters Lawhead ⤵️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …introduces us to along Aiden‘s journey. There‘s an understandable emphasis on Christianity (given that the main character is an Irish monk), but I was impressed at the nuanced portrayal of religion across different cultures that‘s woven throughout the book. I found Aiden‘s journey fascinating, but more for the people and lands he encountered on his journey than for him as a character—he frequently annoyed me! ⤵️ 3mo
BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) My other gripe is that in an 870-page book, there‘s plenty of space to devote adequate page time to resolve a character‘s crisis of faith. But the resolution Aiden reaches at the end felt a little too pat and easy, a little too quick—at least given the balance of the narrative.

This was my August #BookSpin. @TheAromaofBooks
3mo
Texreader Sounds like my kind of book! (edited) 3mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Lawhead is one of those authors on my radar that I've never gotten around to reading lol 3mo
36 likes1 stack add4 comments
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BarbaraJean
Byzantium | Stephen R. Lawhead
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“Remember, Aidan… never doubt in the darkness that which you believed in the light. Also, this: unless the pilgrim carry with him the thing he seeks, he will not find it when he arrives.”

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Fantasyfan
Byzantium | Stephen R. Lawhead
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Hoping to finally finish this one. I started it years ago and got busy with life. Time to settle in and conquer!

RaeLovesToRead Aww kitty!! 😊 1y
10 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BookishGirl06
Byzantium | Stephen R. Lawhead
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Anyone try using this app? Do you recommend it or not really?

blank I've never heard of it, but I looked it up and it sounds interesting! 5y
ephemeralwaltz Never heard of it, what is it?? 🤔🤔 5y
blank @ephemeralwaltz Looks like another bookish social networking app. You can chat w other people reading the same book as you at the same time. 5y
45 likes3 comments
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Cohnina
Byzantium | Stephen R. Lawhead
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Done. Good night ✨ #BC24HrReadathon

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Cohnina
Byzantium | Stephen R. Lawhead
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Statt putzen und umräumen Pause, weil kaputt 🙄 Also Zeit für den #BC24HrReadathon 📖 Weiter mit dem ersten Band von #Aidan - #DieReiseNachByzanz #Bookcrossing