Michael Livingston (1)Rezensionen
Autor von Origins of The Wheel of Time: The Legends and Mythologies that Inspired Robert Jordan
Andere Autoren mit dem Namen Michael Livingston findest Du auf der Unterscheidungs-Seite.
Rezensionen
Crécy: Battle of Five Kings von Michael Livingston
Origins is an interesting addition to the Wheel of Time, as a bridge between our world and the fictional one delving into Jordan's notes and how the series initially started as a take on Arthurian legends and became its own sprawling fantasy epic that plays with global mythologies, especially in the cyclical way our legends become those of the Third Age and vice versa. (If we are the first age, Age of Legends is the second, the contemporary story is the third and post-Last Battle is the fourth: what happens in the fifth through seventh? I wonder if he ever intended to explore that...) One of the biggest takeaways I learned was how much inspiration Jordan took from [b:The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth|820465|The White Goddess A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth|Robert Graves|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1311971301l/820465._SY75_.jpg|219413] by Robert Graves, which sounds like it makes dubious claims towards European monomyths but I feel like Jordan would love seeing parallels and twists on similar stories across countries. My favorite Jordan biography fact was that his college aspirations apparently started with a football scholarship to my alma mater of Clemson University, the public ag school in South Carolina before Jordan realized athletics and academics weren't balancing and ended up off to Vietnam instead.
The glossary section works less well on audio, but nevertheless is still interesting. If you want deeper reads into real world origins and parallels of some of the cultural inspirations and aspects of WOT, I strongly recommend The 13th Depository blog led by Linda Taglieri, a long running repository of wonderful details and analysis from Brown Ajah sisters.
I am definitely going to pick up a physical copy of this at some point because I feel like I am missing out on color plates, and I couldn't figure out if the Google Play version of the audiobook had extra files stored as audiobooks elsewhere sometimes do.
If I was told there was a story about Queer Black pirates that includes coming to terms with being disabled and a discussion about how gender hierarchy is not a good thing, I would be ready to bite your hand off. Sadly, this one didn't quite deliver for me.
The writing itself is decent and the worldbuilding, in the cultural stories and some references, is pretty good, but I just didn't find the story or characters engaging, despite really being my kind of thing on paper.
The narration is pretty great.
Your mileage may vary, but this wasn't my cup of tea.
I don't remember which month this one went to, but I picked it up in a persnickety month. It and I did not gel well the first time, or the second, but it wasn't so bad that I didn't want to know where it was going, to leave aside this female-dominated world of Ship Captains and scholarly men as second class citizens (or farmers, who were considered even less than the scholars).
It was an interesting story all told, but it wasn't long enough or deep enough. I did almost tear up at one point, but it's not going to be deeply memorable even just among my Audible Originals in the long run.
The history is good, but I failed to be caught up in it -- I think I miss those little living details of day to day that enrapture me in the other books. Also, the characters are fairly appealing, but a little too flat for me. The magic has an interesting base, but it's a little too much navel-gazing god-questioning for me, and at the same time not a convincing argument. Too much tell, not enough show? Good building blocks that never really gelled into a good building? I wanted to like it, I just didn't. I feel like if I pick up Livingstone another series into his career, I might find what I'm looking for. And I hope there is another series later.
Most of the criticism of this story in the comments on Goodreads are complaints that there's not enough of one thing or another. For its format I think it packed quite the punch. I hope that Mr. Livingston is expanding this world into something bigger for us in the future. I'd also like to see more of the Fair Isles and their war, and learn more of the people we've just gotten to know.
But there was still plenty about the book I didn't like, too. I didn't like that the reverse gender roles were sometimes thrown in the reader's face. I didn't like that the world which was created seemed too large for such a short volume. I'm all for worldbuilding, but I don't like being teased with fascinating stuff that never gets expanded on because there's no time. And I didn't like that most of the characters seemed to be there for the stereotype and weren't developed much beyond that.
Overall I liked it, but I won't be rushing out to see what else the author has written. I do really appreciate, though, that this Audible Original didn't include tons of unneeded sound effects the way so many of them have.
Recommended.
FULL REVIEW @ SPACE AND SORCERY BLOG
FULL REVIEW AT SPACE and SORCERY Blog
As a person who is fascinated by what has gone on before on this earth, the historical aspect of this book really grabbed me. It's not surprising because Michael Livingston knows how to tell a tale, whether it's in a university classroom, a convention for fantasy geeks, or, so I'm told by some who have heard him, an auditorium of medieval historians. He's taken his phenomenal breadth of knowledge about the days of the Roman empire, and woven a tale of mystery, suspense, added a pinch of loyalty, a dash of romance, some bad arse demons, and a healthy dash of the fantastic, then tucked it nicely around the elements of history as we know it (what is known in the trade as a "secret history".)
The Realms of God is the third, and final installation in a trilogy that starts in the times of Cleopatra (with some throw-back in the book and in a companion piece to the days of Alexander the Great) and finds its conclusion in the dusty stones of Petra. (Yeah, that Petra, which you probably remember from Indiana Jones and the something or other.) And if you're thinking that maybe Roman history isn't your thing, I've given the first book in the series to several non-history loving friends, who not only read it, but eagerly pre-ordered book 2 and 3 (which is pretty much what my history loving friends, also gifted book 1, did. I'm seriously mystified why this series wasn't marketed both as historical fiction/mystery and fantasy, but that's a complete other tangent.)
Bottom line. Read the trilogy. And if you're like I am, you'll be looking for the secret histories, hidden away in our past, everywhere. The only thing that could have made this book better for me would be if it was inscribed by the author. (Hint. hint, Michael Livingston. I could have bought a kindle version, but got the hard-copy so I can have a full inscribed set.)
When last seen by the reader, the characters from The Shards of Heaven had seen better times. Antony and Cleopatra are dead, their children held captive by Octavian, probably the only character in the book having a good day. As Caesarion and his companions carry the Ark of the Covenant through secret tunnels to bring it to safety, they meet misfortune, battle, a cave-in and shard enhanced battle with Juba of Numidia. It was very much of a cliffhanger.
The dust has settled a bit in the The Gates of Hell. Selene and Juba, despite a forced marriage have found joy together. The peace in their relationship is threatened as Juba is called by Octavian to once again wield the Trident of Poseidon to defeat Rome's enemies. And that's just the start of things.
Once again, Michael Livingston has taken history, and tucked a little fantasy and supernatural into the crevices and crannies of known time. As a reader, this delights me no end. Livingston's writing is crisper, sharper in this second book, helping the mind create clear depictions from description. His characters have grown also, exhibiting a complexity very true to life. The tug of good and evil forces, whether in a battle or within an individual, helps bring even more humanness to both the heroes and villains of the story. The tale begins in Rome, then heads on a journey through the old world, to the waters of the Nile, to even the very Gates of Hell, all with history, intrigue, and a little magic.
This story and time period has so much going for it in terms of story! Who doesn’t love delving into the political machinations of war and succession challenges?
I loved how the speculative aspect was woven into the story in such a way, that it just felt natural. It takes real events and adds just a dash of something fantastical that helps explain well known stories revolving around gods and religion.
The Shards of Heaven is a historical fantasy with a tinge of Indiana Jones adventure and Dan Brown’s secret conspiracy theories. It is a story that is comes to life and engages the reader from front to back, providing some exciting alternative explanations for stories that we all know.
What I liked especially about this story was how completely different in style and setting it is from the Shards of Heaven series. Yet the research and background has the same meticulous detail, and the setting is so richly real that I could feel the stones beneath my feet and capture the smells in the air. I haven't been to the southwest since I was a child, but this story distinctly took me back there, in another dimension, another slice of time, another reality. I remember at university, a professor once commented that America wasn't a melting pot, rather it was an acid bath. This world is a sterilization chamber, eliminating those aspects of language and culture that, for me bring color and life to the world. One culture: one country is a stark concept.
Worlds can change in a flash. It's a spin of the roulette wheel of fate that separates possible realities.
2016-read, a-favorite-author, alternate-history, dystopian-ish, fantasy, great-cover, made-me-think, met-or-know-the-author, read, short-story, tor
Set after the death of Julius Caesar, the book concerns the war that breaks out after his death, with Cleopatra and Marc Antony, with Caesar's son Caesarion, on one side and Caesar's great-nephew Octavian on the other. With Octavian is also Juba - Caesar's adopted son, the natural son of the conquered king of Numidia.
All that is historical fact. The fiction arises here with the device that Juba is secretly plotting revenge for his father's defeat. The fantasy aspect comes in with Juba's discovery - and ability to use - the magical artifact known to some as the Trident of Poseidon. The item has supernatural power over the element of water - and has the potential to be a devastating asset, especially in naval battles. Octavian mercilessly pushes the young Juba to use the device - and is on a quest to collect the rumored other 'shards of heaven' to ensure his decisive victory.
We've got good use of less 'historically important' characters to fill out the story: the scribe Didymus, a couple of 'ordinary' foot soldiers, Cleopatra's daughter Cleopatra Selene as a child... I also liked the inclusion of different cultures and religions - Egyptian, Roman, and early Judeo-Christian.
The exotic setting, the magical elements, and the plentitude of action would all translate well to a great historical action film. However, as a book I wished I felt closer to the characters emotionally, and I wanted more complexity to their portrayal. I also wasn't thrilled with the portrayal of Cleopatra - she's stunningly beautiful, but gets disrespected and pushed around a lot by everyone around her, and just seems overly emotional in too many of her scenes, rather than as strong and ruthless as she likely was.
Still, an enjoyable historical/fantasy/action tale.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
Impending war bubbles across the Roman Empire as Livingston’s story starts. Julius Caesar has been assassinated and after failed attempts at co-ruling the empire, Caesar’s general Marc Antony and his adopted son Octavian jockey for position, allies, and support within their strongholds in the east and west: Antony in Alexandria, Egypt, and Octavian in Rome.
Octavian comes into the knowledge and possession of a mighty weapon — the Trident of Neptune. Only Octavian’s adopted-step-brother Juba can even moderately control it, and while Octavian has designs to use it to secure his victory over Antony, Juba has his own eye on avenging his father’s defeat at the hands of Caesar 15 years earlier. The Trident has Force-like powers in its ability to boil a human’s blood or create a ship-crushing wave in the sea.
The Shards of Heaven is like an over-produced but undeniably delectable feast. (For the purposes of this metaphor, please note that these dishes are not necessarily served in the following order.)
The main course: Roman Empire historical fiction is the dish du jour, specifically focused on the years immediately following the assassination of Julius Caesar and what became a civil war between Octavian (the future Augustus) versus Marc Antony and his (and Caesar’s) lover Cleopatra. In Livingston’s novel, Octavian is bad, Antony is sort of good but mostly boring, and Cleopatra serves her traditional role of behind-the-scenes manipulator. Added to the fray is Juba, a Numidian prince who Caesar adopted following the victory over his father in 46 BCE. Juba and Octavian are step-adopted-brothers. On the surface there’s love, but underneath there’s hate, and one of the driving threads of Livingston’s plot is Juba’s drive for revenge. The story and plot threads of The Shards of Heaven are steeped in real history but sprinkled with a smidgen of fantasy.
The appetizer: Characters are tasty going down, but ultimately not very filling. Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are the grizzled legionnaire veterans protecting the Antony/Cleopatra household. They’re smart, strong and buddies that go back to Julius Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul. They’re also the same true-to-history characters that HBO served up in their ROME series. Didymus is the chief librarian in Alexandria, but also responsible for the education of Cleopatra’s children: Caesarion, son of Cleo and Julius; and Cleo’s children with Antony — Selene, young ingénue and troublemaker; her twin Helios; and the youngest, Philadelphus. Most characters are indelicately drawn with perhaps the exception of Vorenus and Juba, and the later portions of Selene’s narrative.
The side dish: An Indiana Jones-like hunt for mysterious objects runs parallel to the main structural elements surrounding the war between Octavian and Antony’s forces. Driven by Juba’s thirst for revenge and Octavian’s drive for power, Antony’s clan gets caught up in a search for the shards and, naturally, a race against time. And yes, the key shard is actually embedded within Indy’s own Ark of the Covenant.
The dessert: Good ol’ fashioned fantasy — sorta. In my desire to throw no undue spoilers your way, I’ll summarize the fantasy element: the ancient one-ruling-god’s throne was broken into several magical pieces (or shards, if you will). They’re extremely powerful and each more-or-less representative of different elements. Poseidon’s Trident is the most-used weapon in the story and has power over water and liquid. Another shard is hidden within (REDACTED AS A SPOILER ALERT) and has the power over land. The aforementioned Ark has the all-compassing super shard.
Livingston uses The Shards of Heaven to explore the nature of religion in a world where empires span thousands of miles and effective rulers must find ways to incorporate and blend a multitude of religions. Egyptian gods become analogies of Roman gods. Sometimes gods from different nations stand side-by-side. And sometimes, new gods are invented to cover a host of multi-regional religious needs.
Livingston writes solid prose, and seems to enjoy crafting a vibrant battle scene. The fantasy elements play a strong role in the establishment of the story and in its conclusion, but fade in the middle third of the book. This may not be a bad thing, but for those looking for persistent magical happenings, you’ll have to burrow through the Roman battles that wind their way more thoroughly throughout the novel. For a debut offering, The Shards of Heaven is a fun, though inconsistent, read.
"At the End of Babel" is just like that. Great morality of "language revenge." Small oppressed tribes.
But it doesn't work for me, especially in the short format. Because this idea is very old. Probably death penalty should have shocked me, but it hasn't. Culture/language clashes are the basics of war. Of course, there is a place for money and lust for power, but war for common people is mostly about "they are not like us." So, this theme is obvious. One should try very hard to not make it dull. The author chose a trope of the Gods wrath. But as there was no real explanation behind it, here we are again: deux ex machina.
The story isn't completely bad. It uses nice wordings, not hard to read. That's why, 2 stars: just ok.
Full disclaimer here: Michael Livingston is a friend. When I heard he had written a novel, I think I actually squealed in delight. (I know I did at least two "happy dances" when I received an ARC, even before getting it into my home.) This is a guy who, when I hear him talk at various conventions, has made this long-ago history major yearn to return to the classroom and explore dusty volumes deep in the stacks of university libraries. The literary lover in me sits in awe listening to talks about Tolkien, or hearing Chaucer or Beowulf in Old English.
Shards of Heaven centers primarily on the last days of Antony and Cleopatra, and their battle for power over Julius Caesar's legacy with Octavian, Caesar's nephew and adopted son. Livingston has reimagined the history, and created a story that weaves through the actual known facts, providing different causes and venues, never altering the history as we know it.
Juba, another adopted son of Caesar, has come into possession of an artifact that is purported to be the Trident of Poseidon, maybe even the very staff of Moses which parted the Red Sea. Juba has learned there are other artifacts, Shards of Heaven, which are said to have the power of the Gods, or maybe the One God, over elements of our world, and is on a quest to find them. Though he is under the command of Octavian, he also seeks revenge for his father, the slain King of Numidia.
As he seeks other Shards of Heaven, there are those in the camp of Antony and Cleopatra who are determined to keep other Shards out of the hands of the enemy. Caesarion, Caesar's only living son, whose mother is Cleopatra, and trusted scholars and centurions, struggle to keep the few magical treasures hidden in Alexandria safe. And Selene, the young daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is determined to be part of that effort.
While reading this, I did shriek and swear at the author, but not for my usual reasons of bad writing or poor plot line. I believe my exact words were, "Michael, if you make me care for these people and then kill them off, I'll never invite you for martinis again!" To be honest, as I know history is unchanged in this version of the tale, I knew some folks would die. Indeed, a few of my favorite characters will not make it to the next book. But Michael, you're safe. You told a good tale, created characters I could care about, described battles I could visualize. And true to your professorial leaning, you taught me as well. I'm ready for Book II.
Tags: advanced-reader-copy, first-novel-or-book, great-cover, made-me-look-something-up, met-the-author, part-start-of-a-series, read-in-2015, thought-provoking, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, alternate-history
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