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A Place Called Armageddon
An epic new novel about one of Western civilisation's most traumatic events - the Fall of Constantinople...
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
47 people are currently reading
1,355 people want to read
About the author
C.C. Humphreys
29books417followersaka Chris Humphreys
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys was born in Toronto, lived till he was seven in Los Angeles, then grew up in the UK. All four grandparents were actors, and since his father was an actor as well, it was inevitable he would follow the bloodline.
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys has played Hamlet in Calgary, a gladiator in Tunisia, waltzed in London’s West End, conned the landlord of the Rovers Return in Coronation Street, commanded a starfleet in Andromeda, voiced Salem the cat in the original Sabrina, and is a dead immortal in Highlander. He has written eleven adult novels including The French Executioner, runner-up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers; Chasing the Wind; The Jack Absolute Trilogy; Vlad � The Last Confession; A Place Called Armageddon and Shakespeare’s Rebel � which he adapted into a play and which premiered at Bard on the Beach, Vancouver, in 2015. Plague won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in Canada in 2015. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. His epic fantasy series the Immortals� Blood Trilogy, beginning with Smoke in the Glass' has just been published by Gollancz. He also published his other fantasy series, The Tapestry Trilogy, beginning in August 2020 with ‘The Hunt of the Unicorn�. His foray into modern crime, 'One London Day' was published in 2021. Hie new novel, the World War Two epic romance, 'Someday I'll Find You' is published by Doubleday in Canada on June 6, 2023.
Several of his novels are available as Audiobooks - read by himself! Find him here:
He is translated into thirteen languages. In 2015 he earned his Masters in Fine Arts (Creative Writing) from the University of British Columbia.
Check out his website:
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys was born in Toronto, lived till he was seven in Los Angeles, then grew up in the UK. All four grandparents were actors, and since his father was an actor as well, it was inevitable he would follow the bloodline.
Chris (C.C.) Humphreys has played Hamlet in Calgary, a gladiator in Tunisia, waltzed in London’s West End, conned the landlord of the Rovers Return in Coronation Street, commanded a starfleet in Andromeda, voiced Salem the cat in the original Sabrina, and is a dead immortal in Highlander. He has written eleven adult novels including The French Executioner, runner-up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers; Chasing the Wind; The Jack Absolute Trilogy; Vlad � The Last Confession; A Place Called Armageddon and Shakespeare’s Rebel � which he adapted into a play and which premiered at Bard on the Beach, Vancouver, in 2015. Plague won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in Canada in 2015. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. His epic fantasy series the Immortals� Blood Trilogy, beginning with Smoke in the Glass' has just been published by Gollancz. He also published his other fantasy series, The Tapestry Trilogy, beginning in August 2020 with ‘The Hunt of the Unicorn�. His foray into modern crime, 'One London Day' was published in 2021. Hie new novel, the World War Two epic romance, 'Someday I'll Find You' is published by Doubleday in Canada on June 6, 2023.
Several of his novels are available as Audiobooks - read by himself! Find him here:
He is translated into thirteen languages. In 2015 he earned his Masters in Fine Arts (Creative Writing) from the University of British Columbia.
Check out his website:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
May 1, 2019
Sukob dve vere, ali i dve crkve, sukob dva vladara, sukob dva brata...sve to i mnogo više nalazi se na stranicama odličnog Hamfrizovog romana o padu Konstantinopolja.
Moram da priznam da dugo nisam uživala u ovako lepom, pripovedačkom stilu pisanja, a ovaj roman me je podsetio zašto sam zavolela istoriju.
Prolog na svega četiri stranice je verovatno najbolji uvod u neku knjigu koji sam pročitala u poslednjih nekoliko godina (toliko je dobar da sam morala da ga dva puta pročitam).
Ko mi ne veruje, može i sam da se uveri uvidom u odlomak koji je postavljen na sajtu izdavača:
I pored toga što pratimo sudbine braće Gregora i Teona, dva velika vladara koja su obeležila jednu epohu - Mehmeda Osvajača i Konstantina Paleologa, Đenovljana i Venecijanaca, Grka i Turaka...ipak glavni junak ovog nadahnutog epa o kraju jednog carstva i vrhuncu drugog je sam grad - Konstantinopolj.
Opsada Konstantinopolja je bila jedna od najvećih bitaka u istoriji, i Hamfriz se odlučio da poslednji noćni napad na grad opiše u jednom poglavlju. I to kakvom poglavlju!!
Dok pišem ove pomalo nabacane misli i dok su mi utisci još uvek sveži, razmišljam o tome koliko je u poslednjih nekoliko godina žanr epske fantastike postao popularan...snimaju se televizijske serije vrhunske produkcije, kao pečurke posle kiše pojavljuju se novi autori, puni mašte i nekih, na prvi pogled, svežih ideja...a mi čitaoci koji sve to halapljivo gutamo, i nikada nam nije dosta, kao da zaboravljamo da se kao motiv iza svih tih igara prestola, borbi zmajeva, čarobnjaka, patuljaka i vilenjaka, zapravo nalaze heroji od krvi i mesa, nepravedno zaboravljeni. Neke od tih heroja naći ćete i među koricama ove knjige.
Ocena:10*
Moram da priznam da dugo nisam uživala u ovako lepom, pripovedačkom stilu pisanja, a ovaj roman me je podsetio zašto sam zavolela istoriju.
Prolog na svega četiri stranice je verovatno najbolji uvod u neku knjigu koji sam pročitala u poslednjih nekoliko godina (toliko je dobar da sam morala da ga dva puta pročitam).
Ko mi ne veruje, može i sam da se uveri uvidom u odlomak koji je postavljen na sajtu izdavača:
I pored toga što pratimo sudbine braće Gregora i Teona, dva velika vladara koja su obeležila jednu epohu - Mehmeda Osvajača i Konstantina Paleologa, Đenovljana i Venecijanaca, Grka i Turaka...ipak glavni junak ovog nadahnutog epa o kraju jednog carstva i vrhuncu drugog je sam grad - Konstantinopolj.
Opsada Konstantinopolja je bila jedna od najvećih bitaka u istoriji, i Hamfriz se odlučio da poslednji noćni napad na grad opiše u jednom poglavlju. I to kakvom poglavlju!!
Dok pišem ove pomalo nabacane misli i dok su mi utisci još uvek sveži, razmišljam o tome koliko je u poslednjih nekoliko godina žanr epske fantastike postao popularan...snimaju se televizijske serije vrhunske produkcije, kao pečurke posle kiše pojavljuju se novi autori, puni mašte i nekih, na prvi pogled, svežih ideja...a mi čitaoci koji sve to halapljivo gutamo, i nikada nam nije dosta, kao da zaboravljamo da se kao motiv iza svih tih igara prestola, borbi zmajeva, čarobnjaka, patuljaka i vilenjaka, zapravo nalaze heroji od krvi i mesa, nepravedno zaboravljeni. Neke od tih heroja naći ćete i među koricama ove knjige.
Ocena:10*
December 9, 2018
How often does it happen that over the course of two pages, a book twists and crushes your emotions that you simply can't go on reading it? And how often does that happen in an exclusively positive way?
I do not expect anyone to share my love for this book, but I just want to give credit to C.C. Humphreys for writing what is arguably the best chapter I have read in my life.
For those of you who do not understand why I am so whiny about this. As a historian, I have a passionate love for the Byzantine Empire. This book is about the final fall of Byzantium after two thousand years.
And about Constantine XI Palaiologos, one of the most legendary men in history...
See me, Turk.
See where I stand. Upon walls that have defied every assault for a thousand years. You claim they will be reduced to sand by your monstrous guns. You cry that once they are, your army, innumerable as pebbles on the strand, will sweep away the weak few who would keep you out.
Shall I tell you what you cannot see? You cannot see into my heart. You cannot... because it is armoured better than I am. Steeled with a certainty no weapon can penetrate.
You doubt? Then let me tell you of that certainty, of what material it is made. Like the mortar that binds these walls, compounded of lime, sand and water, my certainty is made of three things. History. Faith. Love.
History is not our burden. It is our eagle standard, and when we gather beneath it, an army a hundred times greater than yours gathers too. Then we are not the impoverished few you deride. We are legion. A good word � for it was the legions who marched from Rome to the conquest of the wide world. And when they were done, the first emperor to recognise the glory of Christ Risen came here. Came with the first Rome’s glorious past � and saw its future. Constantine gave the city his name. But he could have called it New Rome.
It is said your sultan wishes to be Caesar, but does he not see that Julius stands with us? It is also said that Mehmet wishes to conquer all that Alexander did, and at as young an age, but does he not know that Alexander was Greek? As are we. Greek and Roman, both.
If you could see through these walls, what glory would you behold? Not simply in stone, though the city is formed around its towering columns and splendid forums, its life-giving aqueducts and purple-walled palaces. Not only in art � golden trees filled with golden birds that sing � bejewelled silver ikons that grace both home and church � a ten-thousand-piece glass chandelier that holds the very light of heaven.
For there is another glory � that of our words. Texts translated from every language in the world, including your own. Ancient and new, alchemy and love poems, history and medicine, philosophy and geometry, copied in the coloured inks and the beautiful script of monks and scholars. Knowledge discovered and rediscovered on every subject that concerns man. Laws codified as they were on the orders of the Emperor Theodosius nine hundred years ago and used to this day wherever man is civilised.
Words are God’s intention, made plain by His chosen people. Yet perhaps the true reason He chose us was that He knew that only we, of all the world, could build Him a house worthy of His majesty.
So know this. Even if you do manage to lay these walls low and reach God’s dwelling, you will go no farther. For at the very height of your triumph, you will be brought low, by the Archangel Michael wielding his fiery sword at the head of the heavenly host. If you are fortunate, in the moment before He casts you into damnation, perhaps you will glimpse His glory on earth. See the immeasurable dome entirely covered in mosaic of infinite variety and colour. Hear the thousands who can fit beneath it sing the perfect harmonies of His praise. Smell the sweet scent of a thousand years of richest incense, impregnated in every stone.
This is the Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom. God lives here, and He will not let you drive Him out.
I know you cannot see this. All you see are walls to knock down, and too few men in impoverished armour. So let me tell you of the last thing you cannot see. What it is that makes this city unconquerable.
You cannot see my love for it.
It is not solid, like stone. It is not rousing, as history is, nor sustaining as only God’s words can be. My love is made of air itself, of the breath I take from east and west and the scents they bring in each season. Of the sun I watch pass directly over me down the line of the Bosphorus, setting the dome of Divine Wisdom afire, falling on every column that marks our history, transforming the waters that surround and sustain us from the blue smelted steel of our swords to the green of an empress’s eye. In its daily course the sun casts an even light upon the whole city, lingers like a lover reluctant to part � then flees suddenly, unable to look back, anxious to swiftly return, as it always does.
As shall I. If I am too tired to lift my sword, I will lay my body in the breach to trip your foot; and if my sacrifice is not worthy enough to mitigate my sins, perhaps it will yet be enough for God to grant one prayer: that I spend purgatory as a stone in Constantinople. Under that light, breathing those scents, part of that history. Part of the greatest city on earth. As was. Is. For ever will be.
I am Constantine Palaiologos, emperor, son of Caesars. I am a baker, a ropewright, a fisherman, a monk, a merchant. I am a soldier. I am Roman. I am Greek. I am two thousand years old. I was born in freedom only yesterday.
This is my city, Turk. Take it if you can.
I do not expect anyone to share my love for this book, but I just want to give credit to C.C. Humphreys for writing what is arguably the best chapter I have read in my life.
For those of you who do not understand why I am so whiny about this. As a historian, I have a passionate love for the Byzantine Empire. This book is about the final fall of Byzantium after two thousand years.
And about Constantine XI Palaiologos, one of the most legendary men in history...
See me, Turk.
See where I stand. Upon walls that have defied every assault for a thousand years. You claim they will be reduced to sand by your monstrous guns. You cry that once they are, your army, innumerable as pebbles on the strand, will sweep away the weak few who would keep you out.
Shall I tell you what you cannot see? You cannot see into my heart. You cannot... because it is armoured better than I am. Steeled with a certainty no weapon can penetrate.
You doubt? Then let me tell you of that certainty, of what material it is made. Like the mortar that binds these walls, compounded of lime, sand and water, my certainty is made of three things. History. Faith. Love.
History is not our burden. It is our eagle standard, and when we gather beneath it, an army a hundred times greater than yours gathers too. Then we are not the impoverished few you deride. We are legion. A good word � for it was the legions who marched from Rome to the conquest of the wide world. And when they were done, the first emperor to recognise the glory of Christ Risen came here. Came with the first Rome’s glorious past � and saw its future. Constantine gave the city his name. But he could have called it New Rome.
It is said your sultan wishes to be Caesar, but does he not see that Julius stands with us? It is also said that Mehmet wishes to conquer all that Alexander did, and at as young an age, but does he not know that Alexander was Greek? As are we. Greek and Roman, both.
If you could see through these walls, what glory would you behold? Not simply in stone, though the city is formed around its towering columns and splendid forums, its life-giving aqueducts and purple-walled palaces. Not only in art � golden trees filled with golden birds that sing � bejewelled silver ikons that grace both home and church � a ten-thousand-piece glass chandelier that holds the very light of heaven.
For there is another glory � that of our words. Texts translated from every language in the world, including your own. Ancient and new, alchemy and love poems, history and medicine, philosophy and geometry, copied in the coloured inks and the beautiful script of monks and scholars. Knowledge discovered and rediscovered on every subject that concerns man. Laws codified as they were on the orders of the Emperor Theodosius nine hundred years ago and used to this day wherever man is civilised.
Words are God’s intention, made plain by His chosen people. Yet perhaps the true reason He chose us was that He knew that only we, of all the world, could build Him a house worthy of His majesty.
So know this. Even if you do manage to lay these walls low and reach God’s dwelling, you will go no farther. For at the very height of your triumph, you will be brought low, by the Archangel Michael wielding his fiery sword at the head of the heavenly host. If you are fortunate, in the moment before He casts you into damnation, perhaps you will glimpse His glory on earth. See the immeasurable dome entirely covered in mosaic of infinite variety and colour. Hear the thousands who can fit beneath it sing the perfect harmonies of His praise. Smell the sweet scent of a thousand years of richest incense, impregnated in every stone.
This is the Hagia Sophia, the Church of Divine Wisdom. God lives here, and He will not let you drive Him out.
I know you cannot see this. All you see are walls to knock down, and too few men in impoverished armour. So let me tell you of the last thing you cannot see. What it is that makes this city unconquerable.
You cannot see my love for it.
It is not solid, like stone. It is not rousing, as history is, nor sustaining as only God’s words can be. My love is made of air itself, of the breath I take from east and west and the scents they bring in each season. Of the sun I watch pass directly over me down the line of the Bosphorus, setting the dome of Divine Wisdom afire, falling on every column that marks our history, transforming the waters that surround and sustain us from the blue smelted steel of our swords to the green of an empress’s eye. In its daily course the sun casts an even light upon the whole city, lingers like a lover reluctant to part � then flees suddenly, unable to look back, anxious to swiftly return, as it always does.
As shall I. If I am too tired to lift my sword, I will lay my body in the breach to trip your foot; and if my sacrifice is not worthy enough to mitigate my sins, perhaps it will yet be enough for God to grant one prayer: that I spend purgatory as a stone in Constantinople. Under that light, breathing those scents, part of that history. Part of the greatest city on earth. As was. Is. For ever will be.
I am Constantine Palaiologos, emperor, son of Caesars. I am a baker, a ropewright, a fisherman, a monk, a merchant. I am a soldier. I am Roman. I am Greek. I am two thousand years old. I was born in freedom only yesterday.
This is my city, Turk. Take it if you can.
May 11, 2022
Kad pišete istorijsku fikciju, uzmete koru koju je ispekla prošlost, pa je filujete kako vam se sviđa i dok vam je volja, a jedino je važno da čitaocima bude ukusno. Nikome niste dužni polagati račune, jer sve disklejmere za vegane, dijabetičare i brojače kalorija sadrži reč fikcija, a nutritivne liste i slični spiskovi izvora koje pridodajete mogu biti pokazatelji vaše posvećenosti zadatku. Da one ne bi izgledale kao kočoperenje, neophodno je da u svim fazama stvaralačkog procesa stvarno budete posvećeni, uključujući i pedantno trebljenje najsitnijih delova orahovih ljuski. U suprotnom, možete zapasti u anahronizam izmislivši astrologa koji predikcije daje na osnovu pozicije Urana za čije otkriće je preduslov teleskop, konstruisan dvesta godina posle trenutka koji opisujete ili u kompromitujuću glupost izjavivši kako se iz kafane na Korčuli čula „odvratna hrvatska poezija�. No dobro, nisu to neke komadine da se slome zubi, nego tek onako, da se diskretno pljucne. Takvih propusta ovde nema mnogo, ljudi smo, dešava se. U konačnici je ukusno, zabavili smo se, te je cilj postignut i nećemo cepidlačiti, budući da se pisac na mnogim zahtevnim mestima, poput opisa bitaka i stvaranju atmosfere, dobro snalazio. Stoga 3+, u zvezdicama 4.
Ukoliko tražite to, i svidela vam se, recimo, HBO serija Rim (ili bi, da je manje eksplicitnog seksa), izvolite preporuke za ovaj roman. Za više detalja pogledajte Jadrankin prikaz čije je ushićenje i mene inspirisalo i nisam se pokajala.
Ja ću, shodno džangrizavosti, dodati napomenu da od Grada zvanog Armagedon očekujete samo takvo ushićenje i da, pošto ga dobijete, stanete, makar tamo gde se Hamfriz veoma razborito zaustavio, učinivši tako da happily ever after kraj ne bude patetični kliše i distancirano kobeljanje iz verske diskriminacije, nego i iskreno uverenje da je vizija Fatiha Mehmeda o gradu u kome je slobodnobirajuće ljudsko biće veće od svakoga boga u sadašnjosti makar donekle ostvarena. Sa aspekta uverenja da je Hagia Sofija građevina nerazdvojiva od svoga grada i da vam je dominacija na tim prostorom legitimna samo ukoliko su vaša oba, jeste tako. Bilo. Kad je ovaj roman objavljen, Hagia Sofija je bila muzej, pa je pisac imao pravo da romansira pretpostavku da tim delom vlada razbor, sveta (ljudska, krvavim iskustvima plaćena) mudrost i humanistička sloboda izbora uz nešto formalnosti poput pasoša, naplate ulaznica i drugih trica iz dijapazona administrativnih.
U međuvremenu su u istočnu kupolu utiplali garnišne, a na njih zakačili zavese sa klizačima koji će obezbeđivati da se prikaz Hrista boga spasitelja peek a boo otkriva i skriva po molitvenim potrebama. Od solomonskog statusa ovo rešenje razdvaja činjenica a) da te zavese nisu nabavljene u Ikei (koja prodaje potpuno zamračenje) i b) da je radnik-pomerač na bolovanju (možda kovid rekovalescent; Bože zdravlja!), te ono što treba da se ne vidi privlači i veću pažnju nego što bi inače. Onima koji se mole ničice to ne smeta, kao ni onima koji žmureći u lotosovom sedu čardžuju čakre čijem kroz (zamišljeni) kabal koji prolazi kroz (stvarni) geometrijski centar te zgrade. Može se i preksrstiti i s desna i s leva � ne piše da je zabranjeno, tj. niko vam ne brani da se ložite na kakve god hoćete gluposti. U stvari, ne baš kakve hoćete: sažaljevam slučaj ako verujete u da će vam se i najluđa želja ispuniti ili ćete se osloboditi najzloćudnije boleštine (Bože zdravlja!) pošto gurnete palac u mistično vlažnu rupu na stubu Svetog Đorđa koji tu stoji još od pre vremena radnje ovog romana, jerbo je Erdogan to čudočinstvo pretprošle godine disejblovao ukazom da Aja Sofija postane džamija, mesto na kome želje ispunjava samo bog, a bog je, prema istom ukazu jedan, imenom Alah.
Nisam poklonik moljenja, čak ni bogova, naročito ne ovih što su prvi na top listama, ali, ako bi baš priteralo, ko pored turskog groblja bih prošla i pored pravoslavnih temelja Svete Sofije i pored impozantnošću preteće Fatih Mehmedove Plave Džamije i poklonila se levo, jednoj rupi iz koje gviri stub Apolonovog hrama u Delfima, mrmljajući Meden agan i Gnothiseauton na jeziku zadovoljavajuće političke korektnosti, sa, recimo, skromnom željom da neko mudro zaključi kako nam je, i pored sve kuloće, već previše Bože zdravlja-nja, pa čudom učini da prestane da iskače iz frižidera (o nou, i to je već sjebana fora!).
Ma, ustvari, neka je nama baklava i bureka! Zabave je i više nego dovoljno u saznanju da sili i nepravdi padanje spada u preferences.
Ukoliko tražite to, i svidela vam se, recimo, HBO serija Rim (ili bi, da je manje eksplicitnog seksa), izvolite preporuke za ovaj roman. Za više detalja pogledajte Jadrankin prikaz čije je ushićenje i mene inspirisalo i nisam se pokajala.
Ja ću, shodno džangrizavosti, dodati napomenu da od Grada zvanog Armagedon očekujete samo takvo ushićenje i da, pošto ga dobijete, stanete, makar tamo gde se Hamfriz veoma razborito zaustavio, učinivši tako da happily ever after kraj ne bude patetični kliše i distancirano kobeljanje iz verske diskriminacije, nego i iskreno uverenje da je vizija Fatiha Mehmeda o gradu u kome je slobodnobirajuće ljudsko biće veće od svakoga boga u sadašnjosti makar donekle ostvarena. Sa aspekta uverenja da je Hagia Sofija građevina nerazdvojiva od svoga grada i da vam je dominacija na tim prostorom legitimna samo ukoliko su vaša oba, jeste tako. Bilo. Kad je ovaj roman objavljen, Hagia Sofija je bila muzej, pa je pisac imao pravo da romansira pretpostavku da tim delom vlada razbor, sveta (ljudska, krvavim iskustvima plaćena) mudrost i humanistička sloboda izbora uz nešto formalnosti poput pasoša, naplate ulaznica i drugih trica iz dijapazona administrativnih.
U međuvremenu su u istočnu kupolu utiplali garnišne, a na njih zakačili zavese sa klizačima koji će obezbeđivati da se prikaz Hrista boga spasitelja peek a boo otkriva i skriva po molitvenim potrebama. Od solomonskog statusa ovo rešenje razdvaja činjenica a) da te zavese nisu nabavljene u Ikei (koja prodaje potpuno zamračenje) i b) da je radnik-pomerač na bolovanju (možda kovid rekovalescent; Bože zdravlja!), te ono što treba da se ne vidi privlači i veću pažnju nego što bi inače. Onima koji se mole ničice to ne smeta, kao ni onima koji žmureći u lotosovom sedu čardžuju čakre čijem kroz (zamišljeni) kabal koji prolazi kroz (stvarni) geometrijski centar te zgrade. Može se i preksrstiti i s desna i s leva � ne piše da je zabranjeno, tj. niko vam ne brani da se ložite na kakve god hoćete gluposti. U stvari, ne baš kakve hoćete: sažaljevam slučaj ako verujete u da će vam se i najluđa želja ispuniti ili ćete se osloboditi najzloćudnije boleštine (Bože zdravlja!) pošto gurnete palac u mistično vlažnu rupu na stubu Svetog Đorđa koji tu stoji još od pre vremena radnje ovog romana, jerbo je Erdogan to čudočinstvo pretprošle godine disejblovao ukazom da Aja Sofija postane džamija, mesto na kome želje ispunjava samo bog, a bog je, prema istom ukazu jedan, imenom Alah.
Nisam poklonik moljenja, čak ni bogova, naročito ne ovih što su prvi na top listama, ali, ako bi baš priteralo, ko pored turskog groblja bih prošla i pored pravoslavnih temelja Svete Sofije i pored impozantnošću preteće Fatih Mehmedove Plave Džamije i poklonila se levo, jednoj rupi iz koje gviri stub Apolonovog hrama u Delfima, mrmljajući Meden agan i Gnothiseauton na jeziku zadovoljavajuće političke korektnosti, sa, recimo, skromnom željom da neko mudro zaključi kako nam je, i pored sve kuloće, već previše Bože zdravlja-nja, pa čudom učini da prestane da iskače iz frižidera (o nou, i to je već sjebana fora!).
Ma, ustvari, neka je nama baklava i bureka! Zabave je i više nego dovoljno u saznanju da sili i nepravdi padanje spada u preferences.
April 25, 2017
This was a very enjoyable historical novel about the final fall of Byzantium to Ottomans in 1493. Almost perfect book for us who love historical fiction but, as I see, epic fantasy devotees won't argue with that either. Many thanks to my GR friend Jadranka, without her recommendation I would have missed out the book.
C.C. Humphreys is pretty good at historical facts, but a bit predictable when it comes to relations and characters. My only complain is about love scenes... they are embarrassingly sappy.
C.C. Humphreys is pretty good at historical facts, but a bit predictable when it comes to relations and characters. My only complain is about love scenes... they are embarrassingly sappy.
October 12, 2019
"Kris Hamfriz je britanski glumac, romanopisac i dramski pisac." Čuo sam mnogo dobrih stvari o ovom romanu, ali ovo nije zvučalo kao dobar znak.
Ipak, sjajno je. Istorijski odlično istražena i opisana opsada Konstantinopolja 1453., sa živopisnim sudbinama likova sa obe strane (ipak malo više sa hrišćanske). Istorija onakva kakva bi trebala da bude ispripovedana, igra pred vašim očima. Uspeva da zadrži i napetost do kraja, iako je ishod (spoiler-alert?) poznat. Često se u ovakvim romanima pojavljuje problem sa opisima bitaka, pa nam opisuju svaki udarac i veštački produžavaju bitke i dvoboje. Ovde to nije slučaj, sve je vrlo koncizno (jedan zamah je razlika između života i smrti), a glavna bitka opisana je u jednom poglavlju od pedesetak strana.
Osim velike istorije, tu su i lične priče stvarnih (car, sultan, begovi, veziri i zapovednici) i izmišljenih likova. Romantična priča možda nije na nivou istorijske, ali ne kvari celokupan utisak.
i su dva odlična istorijska romana sa velikim bitkama. Grad zvani Armagedon je treći, i najbolji je u tom društvu. Moguće da su mi utisci još sveži, pa ću preterati - ali rekao bih da prevazilazi i Pesmu leda i vatre. Bitko u zalivu Crnobujice, sklanjaj se i napravi mesta za novog cara žanra.
Peti put čitam prologe prvog i drugog dela, svakog na par strana, u kojima Turci i Grci nagovaraju jedni druge... I dalje me obazilaze žmarci:
"Mi dolazimo, Grče.
Penjemo se na tvoju najvišu kulu, po tim veličanstvenim zidinama. Ti bedemi štitili su te hiljadu godina.... Ali ovog puta smo drugačiji. Ima nas više, tačno. Ali nije samo to. Doneli smo nešto drugačije. [...]
Ja sam Turčin. Ima me na stotinje hiljada. I došao sam da osvojim tvoj grad."
"Pogledaj me, Turčine.
Pogledaj na čemu stojim. Na zidinama koje su hiljadu godina prkosile svakom nasrtaju... Da ti kažem šta ne vidiš? Ne vidiš šta je u mom srcu. Jer je oklopljeno bolje nego ja. Očeličeno je pouzdanjem koje nikakvo oružje ne može probiti. [...]
Ovo je moj grad, Turčine. Uzmi ga ako možeš."
Ipak, sjajno je. Istorijski odlično istražena i opisana opsada Konstantinopolja 1453., sa živopisnim sudbinama likova sa obe strane (ipak malo više sa hrišćanske). Istorija onakva kakva bi trebala da bude ispripovedana, igra pred vašim očima. Uspeva da zadrži i napetost do kraja, iako je ishod (spoiler-alert?) poznat. Često se u ovakvim romanima pojavljuje problem sa opisima bitaka, pa nam opisuju svaki udarac i veštački produžavaju bitke i dvoboje. Ovde to nije slučaj, sve je vrlo koncizno (jedan zamah je razlika između života i smrti), a glavna bitka opisana je u jednom poglavlju od pedesetak strana.
Osim velike istorije, tu su i lične priče stvarnih (car, sultan, begovi, veziri i zapovednici) i izmišljenih likova. Romantična priča možda nije na nivou istorijske, ali ne kvari celokupan utisak.
i su dva odlična istorijska romana sa velikim bitkama. Grad zvani Armagedon je treći, i najbolji je u tom društvu. Moguće da su mi utisci još sveži, pa ću preterati - ali rekao bih da prevazilazi i Pesmu leda i vatre. Bitko u zalivu Crnobujice, sklanjaj se i napravi mesta za novog cara žanra.
Peti put čitam prologe prvog i drugog dela, svakog na par strana, u kojima Turci i Grci nagovaraju jedni druge... I dalje me obazilaze žmarci:
"Mi dolazimo, Grče.
Penjemo se na tvoju najvišu kulu, po tim veličanstvenim zidinama. Ti bedemi štitili su te hiljadu godina.... Ali ovog puta smo drugačiji. Ima nas više, tačno. Ali nije samo to. Doneli smo nešto drugačije. [...]
Ja sam Turčin. Ima me na stotinje hiljada. I došao sam da osvojim tvoj grad."
"Pogledaj me, Turčine.
Pogledaj na čemu stojim. Na zidinama koje su hiljadu godina prkosile svakom nasrtaju... Da ti kažem šta ne vidiš? Ne vidiš šta je u mom srcu. Jer je oklopljeno bolje nego ja. Očeličeno je pouzdanjem koje nikakvo oružje ne može probiti. [...]
Ovo je moj grad, Turčine. Uzmi ga ako možeš."
April 30, 2019
Fascinating, well-written novel documenting the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans, May 29, 1453, from both the Turkish and Greek sides. Many of the personages actually lived, but the story follows two [fictional] twin brothers: one, Gregoras Lascaris, wrongly accused of treachery, has had his nose cut off--a common punishment among the Byzantines--and exiled. He has come back to the city as one of several mercenaries led by a Genoese. His brother, Theon, is a diplomat; both love the same woman. We see preparations for the more than seven-week siege by both the Greeks, from emperor to the common people along with their allies from Western Europe, and the Turks from the sultan on down to the humblest peasants. The sultan's plan is to use the latter as "cannon fodder", with elite troops fighting later when the Greeks are worn out. We follow the progress of the siege, the author moving from one group to another. Then follows the aftermath where we see what finally is everyone's fate.
This novel kept my interest all through, although I know what the outcome would be. Several times the characters' remarks were clues to some of the later plot twists. The sea battle after Gregoras' rescue and the final onslaught were most gripping. I had most sympathy for the emperor and for the peasant Achmed. On the whole, characterizations were well drawn. I did wonder about the fact the author neglected a possible subplot: the historical fact that Urban, the cannon's inventor, first approached Emperor Constantine XI to sell it to him. Constantine turned down the offer, since he was not able to pay the inventor's price. So Mehmet did buy it and it was a big factor in the successful siege. Constantine did pay the price, not in money per se, but in dying in battle and in losing his whole realm.
Highly recommended.
This novel kept my interest all through, although I know what the outcome would be. Several times the characters' remarks were clues to some of the later plot twists. The sea battle after Gregoras' rescue and the final onslaught were most gripping. I had most sympathy for the emperor and for the peasant Achmed. On the whole, characterizations were well drawn. I did wonder about the fact the author neglected a possible subplot: the historical fact that Urban, the cannon's inventor, first approached Emperor Constantine XI to sell it to him. Constantine turned down the offer, since he was not able to pay the inventor's price. So Mehmet did buy it and it was a big factor in the successful siege. Constantine did pay the price, not in money per se, but in dying in battle and in losing his whole realm.
Highly recommended.
January 6, 2018
1453 Constantinople!
It’s a period of history I’m aware of but not fully familiar with in that part of the world & so I was drawn to this book a while back but then pushed it up my list having read CC Humphrey’s excellent story about Vlad the Impaler at the very start of 2017 � In fact my absolute favourite of the year as it turned out! And so thought it a good way to end the year with the same author.
We begin with a map of the siege & the surrounding region (Balkans) & are introduced to personas dramatis...... the story then starts in the preceding year to the final siege of Constantinople where we are initiated with all the major players through a POV telling of the story. It’s this build-up which lays out the inevitable fall of Constantinople which had been coveted by many for around 800 years since the Eastern Romans named it their capital, Byzantium, which went on to become a great empire spanning the Balkans & Asia Minor. Come 1452 all that was left of this empire was the city of Constantinople as the Turks had taken Asia Minor & gone past the city to take control of the Balkan region & threaten the gates of Christendom in the West.
I enjoyed very much his characterisations of the MC’s, all believable in their way, adding to the story through their interactions & intrigue as they overlap some knowingly.... others by pure chance.... some say destiny? However there are a few dull parts which mostly revolve around that nasty R word “romance� and the resulting love action does detract from the main story for not much addition in truth dragging the pace/intrigue of the read downwards I have to say.... but overall....... The action is about right, the horrors of the siege for the common civilian is retold in fine style without glorifying it, individuals lives are followed in battle giving a feel of realism to it, heroism & duty to ones Emperor are written about along with sacrifice & treachery. The final battle is also excellent & he does it full justice as the fate's of all hang in the balance.
A wonderful story told in an eminently readable style, 4 stars rounded up from a very high 3.*
It’s a period of history I’m aware of but not fully familiar with in that part of the world & so I was drawn to this book a while back but then pushed it up my list having read CC Humphrey’s excellent story about Vlad the Impaler at the very start of 2017 � In fact my absolute favourite of the year as it turned out! And so thought it a good way to end the year with the same author.
We begin with a map of the siege & the surrounding region (Balkans) & are introduced to personas dramatis...... the story then starts in the preceding year to the final siege of Constantinople where we are initiated with all the major players through a POV telling of the story. It’s this build-up which lays out the inevitable fall of Constantinople which had been coveted by many for around 800 years since the Eastern Romans named it their capital, Byzantium, which went on to become a great empire spanning the Balkans & Asia Minor. Come 1452 all that was left of this empire was the city of Constantinople as the Turks had taken Asia Minor & gone past the city to take control of the Balkan region & threaten the gates of Christendom in the West.
I enjoyed very much his characterisations of the MC’s, all believable in their way, adding to the story through their interactions & intrigue as they overlap some knowingly.... others by pure chance.... some say destiny? However there are a few dull parts which mostly revolve around that nasty R word “romance� and the resulting love action does detract from the main story for not much addition in truth dragging the pace/intrigue of the read downwards I have to say.... but overall....... The action is about right, the horrors of the siege for the common civilian is retold in fine style without glorifying it, individuals lives are followed in battle giving a feel of realism to it, heroism & duty to ones Emperor are written about along with sacrifice & treachery. The final battle is also excellent & he does it full justice as the fate's of all hang in the balance.
A wonderful story told in an eminently readable style, 4 stars rounded up from a very high 3.*
July 26, 2011
A Place Called Armageddon was the number one expected historical fiction of mine in 2011 and one my top expected books overall and I bought it the first moment i could and read it asap; high, high expectations and what can I say: the author not only delivered but surpassed them.
I will write the FBC review and c/p it here
INTRODUCTION: C.C. Humphreys came to my attention with “Vlad: The Last Confession�; despite my deep misgivings about it being another stupid rehashing of the myth of Dracula, the novel was actually very well researched and offered maybe the best English language portrait of the real-life Vlad the Impaler and his lifelong fight against the Turks without glossing over his darker impulses, but without any Dracula nonsense either.
So when not that long ago, I found out about Mr. Humphreys' new offering "A Place Called Armageddon" about the siege of Constantinople in 1453, the novel became the number one expected non-sff of mine in 2011 and I bought it the first moment I could and read it asap. Ultra high expectations and what can I say: the author not only delivered but surpassed them and I will explain why next.
Before continuing, I would add two things: despite being a very well researched and reasonably accurate historical novel, "A Place Called Armageddon" is also brimming with the fantastic - there are prophecies, mystic books, alchemists and fortune tellers and while it is a stretch to call the novel speculative fiction, it should greatly appeal to sff lovers for those elements and the superb world building the authors manages in the book's almost 500 pages.
There a lot of nice touches in the novel that tie-in with “Vlad: The Last Confession� including recounting of some earlier events there and a prophecy about one of the main characters here that we know how it will be fulfilled in the earlier book. Of course the structure of the two books is very different since "A Place Called Armageddon" is about a moment in historical time, so it essentially takes place over some weeks with a prologue a year before and an epilogue years later, while “Vlad: The Last Confession� takes place over decades, so there is no particular order in which to read the two novels.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "To the Greeks who love it, it is Constantinople. To the Turks who covet it, the Red Apple. Safe behind its magnificent walls, the city was once the heart of the vast Byzantine empire."
When looking at a novel like "A Place Called Armageddon" that is about a pivotal moment in world history, moment that has been studied intensively across time and has been fictionalized in many novels of which in English, Dark Angel by Mika Waltari remains my big favorite, there are several aspects to consider.
Paramount remains reasonable historical accuracy, meaning being accurate about all main events of the siege and getting right the atmosphere of the time since I have never understood why someone writing historical fiction alters major events and says: "well you know, it's fiction"; why bother writing about event "x" rather than write a fantasy/alt-history in which you can modify what happened to your own heart's content?
And here "A Place Called Armageddon" delivers in spades with an impressive recreation of the major moments of the siege; as one of many such examples, the naval battle between the four big Genoese vessels trying to break the blockade and the hundreds strong Ottoman fleet and the reactions of both the besiegers and Mehmed and his entourage, as the fight turned and twisted is done in such a manner that despite knowing very well how things ended, it still felt like reading it for the first time. And I could go on and on, from the firing of the huge siege gun, to the Galata crossing, to the various wall battles, everything is memorable and true to the numerous accounts we have of the siege.
The world building and the little details are pitch perfect: weapons, buildings, ships, armies, historical characters and their psychological makeup - the untried, moody and easily angered but brilliant young Sultan Mehmet whose determination to become Fatih aka "The Conqueror" and practical ideas keep the siege going despite the early reverses and the long history of failed sieges across almost 1000 years, the last major one being led by none other than his father, the late Sultan Murat a warrior of much higher repute than Mehmet at the time, Hamza Bey, the tanner's son from the middle of nowhere who became the Sultan's falconer and confidant and who knows that the siege will make or break Mehmet and his "new men" like himself so he does his utmost to "manage" the Sultan, intrigue with possible Byzantine turncoats and lead soldiers when it comes to crunch time, or the relatively new emperor Constantine who wears the same name as the founder of the city - a bad omen as the last (western) emperor of Rome was Romulus Augustulus after all - a notable soldier but untried as politician and leader of a state and whose continual defiance and determination in face of the steadily worsening odds is also unforgettable.
But "A Place Called Armageddon" is also a human story with four major fictional characters at its center. The twin Lascari brothers with vastly different personalities and destinies: Theon, the smart diplomat, confidant of Constantine and Gregoras, the formerly handsome and valiant soldier, exiled as a mutilated cut-nose traitor, now moonlighting as the Ragusan mercenary "Zoran" in the famous' Genoese condotierre Giovanni Giustiniani Longo's army and who wants nothing to do with his erstwhile native city.
And the women in their lives: Gregoras' former fiance and secret lover Sophia, now (un)happily married with Theon, mother of boy Thakos and girl Minerva who is turning to God for solace and hope amid despair and fortune teller Leilah, a former slave who tries to make her own way in a harsh man's world and whose prophecies inspire Mehmet among others, though of course there is a huge risk in fortune telling for the mighty.
In addition, there are two more important characters: Johannes Grant a Scotland alchemist who is badly wanted by the Sultan (dead) and by Longo and the Byzantines (alive) for his presumed knowledge of how to recreate the famous Greek Fire recipe and Achmed, a huge but gentle poor Anatolian peasant whose much loved daughter Abal's death at 5 mostly due to poverty, leads him to enroll in the "canon fodder" troops recruited for the siege and whose pov shows the siege from the rank and file Ottoman side.
Each of the characters is very distinctive and the interaction between them ranges from the expected to quite a few twists and turns. All these personal threads mix in various ways and produce a lot of emotional moments, sometimes in quite unexpected places. Despite the different and often opposite interests and goals, the author is very skilled at making us care for all his main characters, including the ones who would have been so easy to depict as "evil", like Theon Lascari or the Sultan Mehmet.
Of course by the same token, not everyone can succeed, so there is heartbreak galore, but there is joy too and the ending is just superb with an epilogue 7 years later, followed by one just three weeks after the end of the siege. This offers a chance at a great twist which actually surprised me though I have seen it before in a G.G. Kay novel.
Overall "A Place Called Armageddon" (A++) is a magnificent accomplishment, a novel that is both a recreation of a pivotal moment in history and a tale of interesting characters we get to care and root for.
I will write the FBC review and c/p it here
INTRODUCTION: C.C. Humphreys came to my attention with “Vlad: The Last Confession�; despite my deep misgivings about it being another stupid rehashing of the myth of Dracula, the novel was actually very well researched and offered maybe the best English language portrait of the real-life Vlad the Impaler and his lifelong fight against the Turks without glossing over his darker impulses, but without any Dracula nonsense either.
So when not that long ago, I found out about Mr. Humphreys' new offering "A Place Called Armageddon" about the siege of Constantinople in 1453, the novel became the number one expected non-sff of mine in 2011 and I bought it the first moment I could and read it asap. Ultra high expectations and what can I say: the author not only delivered but surpassed them and I will explain why next.
Before continuing, I would add two things: despite being a very well researched and reasonably accurate historical novel, "A Place Called Armageddon" is also brimming with the fantastic - there are prophecies, mystic books, alchemists and fortune tellers and while it is a stretch to call the novel speculative fiction, it should greatly appeal to sff lovers for those elements and the superb world building the authors manages in the book's almost 500 pages.
There a lot of nice touches in the novel that tie-in with “Vlad: The Last Confession� including recounting of some earlier events there and a prophecy about one of the main characters here that we know how it will be fulfilled in the earlier book. Of course the structure of the two books is very different since "A Place Called Armageddon" is about a moment in historical time, so it essentially takes place over some weeks with a prologue a year before and an epilogue years later, while “Vlad: The Last Confession� takes place over decades, so there is no particular order in which to read the two novels.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: "To the Greeks who love it, it is Constantinople. To the Turks who covet it, the Red Apple. Safe behind its magnificent walls, the city was once the heart of the vast Byzantine empire."
When looking at a novel like "A Place Called Armageddon" that is about a pivotal moment in world history, moment that has been studied intensively across time and has been fictionalized in many novels of which in English, Dark Angel by Mika Waltari remains my big favorite, there are several aspects to consider.
Paramount remains reasonable historical accuracy, meaning being accurate about all main events of the siege and getting right the atmosphere of the time since I have never understood why someone writing historical fiction alters major events and says: "well you know, it's fiction"; why bother writing about event "x" rather than write a fantasy/alt-history in which you can modify what happened to your own heart's content?
And here "A Place Called Armageddon" delivers in spades with an impressive recreation of the major moments of the siege; as one of many such examples, the naval battle between the four big Genoese vessels trying to break the blockade and the hundreds strong Ottoman fleet and the reactions of both the besiegers and Mehmed and his entourage, as the fight turned and twisted is done in such a manner that despite knowing very well how things ended, it still felt like reading it for the first time. And I could go on and on, from the firing of the huge siege gun, to the Galata crossing, to the various wall battles, everything is memorable and true to the numerous accounts we have of the siege.
The world building and the little details are pitch perfect: weapons, buildings, ships, armies, historical characters and their psychological makeup - the untried, moody and easily angered but brilliant young Sultan Mehmet whose determination to become Fatih aka "The Conqueror" and practical ideas keep the siege going despite the early reverses and the long history of failed sieges across almost 1000 years, the last major one being led by none other than his father, the late Sultan Murat a warrior of much higher repute than Mehmet at the time, Hamza Bey, the tanner's son from the middle of nowhere who became the Sultan's falconer and confidant and who knows that the siege will make or break Mehmet and his "new men" like himself so he does his utmost to "manage" the Sultan, intrigue with possible Byzantine turncoats and lead soldiers when it comes to crunch time, or the relatively new emperor Constantine who wears the same name as the founder of the city - a bad omen as the last (western) emperor of Rome was Romulus Augustulus after all - a notable soldier but untried as politician and leader of a state and whose continual defiance and determination in face of the steadily worsening odds is also unforgettable.
But "A Place Called Armageddon" is also a human story with four major fictional characters at its center. The twin Lascari brothers with vastly different personalities and destinies: Theon, the smart diplomat, confidant of Constantine and Gregoras, the formerly handsome and valiant soldier, exiled as a mutilated cut-nose traitor, now moonlighting as the Ragusan mercenary "Zoran" in the famous' Genoese condotierre Giovanni Giustiniani Longo's army and who wants nothing to do with his erstwhile native city.
And the women in their lives: Gregoras' former fiance and secret lover Sophia, now (un)happily married with Theon, mother of boy Thakos and girl Minerva who is turning to God for solace and hope amid despair and fortune teller Leilah, a former slave who tries to make her own way in a harsh man's world and whose prophecies inspire Mehmet among others, though of course there is a huge risk in fortune telling for the mighty.
In addition, there are two more important characters: Johannes Grant a Scotland alchemist who is badly wanted by the Sultan (dead) and by Longo and the Byzantines (alive) for his presumed knowledge of how to recreate the famous Greek Fire recipe and Achmed, a huge but gentle poor Anatolian peasant whose much loved daughter Abal's death at 5 mostly due to poverty, leads him to enroll in the "canon fodder" troops recruited for the siege and whose pov shows the siege from the rank and file Ottoman side.
Each of the characters is very distinctive and the interaction between them ranges from the expected to quite a few twists and turns. All these personal threads mix in various ways and produce a lot of emotional moments, sometimes in quite unexpected places. Despite the different and often opposite interests and goals, the author is very skilled at making us care for all his main characters, including the ones who would have been so easy to depict as "evil", like Theon Lascari or the Sultan Mehmet.
Of course by the same token, not everyone can succeed, so there is heartbreak galore, but there is joy too and the ending is just superb with an epilogue 7 years later, followed by one just three weeks after the end of the siege. This offers a chance at a great twist which actually surprised me though I have seen it before in a G.G. Kay novel.
Overall "A Place Called Armageddon" (A++) is a magnificent accomplishment, a novel that is both a recreation of a pivotal moment in history and a tale of interesting characters we get to care and root for.
May 7, 2012
Based on the books that Chris Humphreys has written to date no one can ever accuse him of taking on the easy subjects, Vlad the last confession was my number one read of 2009 and that was against some seriously good competition, but the book was exceptional.
In this new book "A Place Called Armageddon" brings us a climactic end and a new beginning, it is the Siege of 1453 of Constantinople, and as usual Chris Humphreys writes so well on the epic scale, but when doing so always manages to keep the emotional attachment and the sense of being part of the events. As a reader you don't feel like a voyeur you feel like a participant in events and its that distinction that makes his writing so much of a triumph. As a part of the story you then do care about the characters, you do care who lives who dies, who wins who loses and the whole sweeping story of events just sweeps you along, especially the action scenes which as usual leave you breathless with the speed power and ferocity of the writing and the emotions felt by each and every character.
I don't know if it will be my book of the year this year... but it's a contender.
Highly recommended.
(Parm)
Product Description (from Back of Book)
To the Greeks who love it, it is Constantinople. To the Turks who covet it, the Red Apple. Safe behind its magnificent walls, the city was once the heart of the vast Byzantine empire. 1453. The empire has shrunk to what lies within those now-crumbling walls. A relic. Yet for one man, Constantinople is the stepping stone to destiny. Mehmet II is twenty when he is anointed Sultan. Now, seeking Allah's will and Man's glory, he brings an army of one hundred thousand, outnumbering the defenders ten to one. He has also brings something new to the city - the most deadly threat the ancient walls have ever faced. And yet, through seven weeks of sea battles, night battles, by tunnel and tower, the defence holds, and will until the final assault and a single bullet that will change history. But a city is more than stone, its fate inseparable from that of its people. Men like Gregoras, a mercenary and exile, returning to the hated place he once loved. Like his twin and betrayer, the subtle diplomat, Theon. Like Sofia, loved by two brothers but forced to make a desperate choice between them. And Leilah, a powerful mystic and assassin, seeking her own destiny in the flames. This is the tale of one of history's greatest battles for one of the world's most extraordinary places. This is the story of people, from peasant to emperor - with the city's fate, and theirs, undecided... until the moment the Red Apple falls.
In this new book "A Place Called Armageddon" brings us a climactic end and a new beginning, it is the Siege of 1453 of Constantinople, and as usual Chris Humphreys writes so well on the epic scale, but when doing so always manages to keep the emotional attachment and the sense of being part of the events. As a reader you don't feel like a voyeur you feel like a participant in events and its that distinction that makes his writing so much of a triumph. As a part of the story you then do care about the characters, you do care who lives who dies, who wins who loses and the whole sweeping story of events just sweeps you along, especially the action scenes which as usual leave you breathless with the speed power and ferocity of the writing and the emotions felt by each and every character.
I don't know if it will be my book of the year this year... but it's a contender.
Highly recommended.
(Parm)
Product Description (from Back of Book)
To the Greeks who love it, it is Constantinople. To the Turks who covet it, the Red Apple. Safe behind its magnificent walls, the city was once the heart of the vast Byzantine empire. 1453. The empire has shrunk to what lies within those now-crumbling walls. A relic. Yet for one man, Constantinople is the stepping stone to destiny. Mehmet II is twenty when he is anointed Sultan. Now, seeking Allah's will and Man's glory, he brings an army of one hundred thousand, outnumbering the defenders ten to one. He has also brings something new to the city - the most deadly threat the ancient walls have ever faced. And yet, through seven weeks of sea battles, night battles, by tunnel and tower, the defence holds, and will until the final assault and a single bullet that will change history. But a city is more than stone, its fate inseparable from that of its people. Men like Gregoras, a mercenary and exile, returning to the hated place he once loved. Like his twin and betrayer, the subtle diplomat, Theon. Like Sofia, loved by two brothers but forced to make a desperate choice between them. And Leilah, a powerful mystic and assassin, seeking her own destiny in the flames. This is the tale of one of history's greatest battles for one of the world's most extraordinary places. This is the story of people, from peasant to emperor - with the city's fate, and theirs, undecided... until the moment the Red Apple falls.
March 23, 2019
Πολύ καλό αλλά τέραστιο σε μέγεθος ιστορικο μυθιστόρημα... Πολύ καλές περιγραφες και ζωντανή αφήγηση. Κουράζει το μέγεθος
August 9, 2016
“I am Constantine Palaiologos, emperor, son of Caesars. I am a baker, a ropewright, a fisherman, a monk, a merchant. I am a soldier. I am Roman. I am Greek. I am two thousand years old. I was born in freedom only yesterday. This is my city, Turk. Take it if you can.�
It’s 1453, and the Byzantine Empire is an empire only in name. Its last bastion is Constantinople and the brilliant, arrogant young sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II, has his sights set on it, set on completing his father Murad’s work in eliminating his Greco-Christian foes once and for all. Murad was everything his son was not � statesman, soldier, commander � and Mehmet’s accession to the throne saw him immediately shadowed by his father’s legacy. Mehmet, however, was exceedingly arrogant and fancied himself akin to Caesar and Alexander, and he set his eyes upon the walls of Constantinople to prove himself worthy of the title Fatih, conqueror � the walls his ancestors had dashed themselves upon siege after siege for a millennium to no success.
Gregoras Lascaris is a man betrayed and exiled from Constantinople. His face is disfigured and missing a nose, and he has no desire to ever return to the city he once called home. Travelling and selling his sword under different names, fate ends up calling him back to Constantinople, where he discovers his twin brother Theon, his betrayer, married to his lover Sofia. Fictional characters from a historical family stand alongside many historical characters that Humphreys portrays exceptionally well. The aging Constantine, emperor of but one city, who sees his people facing their doom, the heroic Genoan Giovanni Giustiniani Longo leading the defense of Constantinople, the innovative German/Scottish engineer Johannes Grant, the aforementioned Sultan Mehmet, as well as some more minor characters fighting for reasons beyond plunder.
Mehmet was truly brilliant (historically as well) despite his somewhat childlike tantrums when he didn’t get his way. For a taste: can’t get your ships through the chain blockading the Golden Horn? Try laying a bunch of greased logs along the shore and rolling the ships to the side! Yes, he actually did these things.
Humphreys nails the blend of historical accuracy and fiction, from the thunder of Basilica, the 27-foot long cannon that launched massive 600lb cannonballs more than a mile to the fierce fighting on the walls, the citizens of Constantinople fighting for their very livelihoods. What follows is a heartbreaking story which, despite knowing its historical end, was still gut-wrenching, down to Constantine’s final charge.
Do yourself a favor if you enjoy historical fiction as deftly written as Christian Cameron and Paul Kearney.
"Oh my lords, my brothers, my sons, the everlasting honour of Christians is in your hands."
Κωνσταντῖνο� ΙΑ� Παλαιολόγος
It’s 1453, and the Byzantine Empire is an empire only in name. Its last bastion is Constantinople and the brilliant, arrogant young sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II, has his sights set on it, set on completing his father Murad’s work in eliminating his Greco-Christian foes once and for all. Murad was everything his son was not � statesman, soldier, commander � and Mehmet’s accession to the throne saw him immediately shadowed by his father’s legacy. Mehmet, however, was exceedingly arrogant and fancied himself akin to Caesar and Alexander, and he set his eyes upon the walls of Constantinople to prove himself worthy of the title Fatih, conqueror � the walls his ancestors had dashed themselves upon siege after siege for a millennium to no success.
Gregoras Lascaris is a man betrayed and exiled from Constantinople. His face is disfigured and missing a nose, and he has no desire to ever return to the city he once called home. Travelling and selling his sword under different names, fate ends up calling him back to Constantinople, where he discovers his twin brother Theon, his betrayer, married to his lover Sofia. Fictional characters from a historical family stand alongside many historical characters that Humphreys portrays exceptionally well. The aging Constantine, emperor of but one city, who sees his people facing their doom, the heroic Genoan Giovanni Giustiniani Longo leading the defense of Constantinople, the innovative German/Scottish engineer Johannes Grant, the aforementioned Sultan Mehmet, as well as some more minor characters fighting for reasons beyond plunder.
Mehmet was truly brilliant (historically as well) despite his somewhat childlike tantrums when he didn’t get his way. For a taste: can’t get your ships through the chain blockading the Golden Horn? Try laying a bunch of greased logs along the shore and rolling the ships to the side! Yes, he actually did these things.
Humphreys nails the blend of historical accuracy and fiction, from the thunder of Basilica, the 27-foot long cannon that launched massive 600lb cannonballs more than a mile to the fierce fighting on the walls, the citizens of Constantinople fighting for their very livelihoods. What follows is a heartbreaking story which, despite knowing its historical end, was still gut-wrenching, down to Constantine’s final charge.
Do yourself a favor if you enjoy historical fiction as deftly written as Christian Cameron and Paul Kearney.
"Oh my lords, my brothers, my sons, the everlasting honour of Christians is in your hands."
Κωνσταντῖνο� ΙΑ� Παλαιολόγος
March 29, 2013
I've got to face the fact that, as much as I wanted to like this book, I didn't. I don't know why. I usually enjoy historical fiction and am pretty tolerant of some wild flights of creative fancy. But just didn't connect. I was ready to quit after 30 pages but forced myself through the first 100, just to be fair. I restarted twice, but the attraction of other books--even children's books--proved stronger than slogging through more of this.
The author jumps between characters, trying to establish his large cast and theme, but I never connected with either the story nor the characters. (I found it odd that he pursued the Greek Fire technology sub-plot rather than the much more obvious and historically decisive sub-plot about how a European sold his wall-smashing cannon to the Turks rather than the Greeks.)
Sorry. It just didn't work for me.
The author jumps between characters, trying to establish his large cast and theme, but I never connected with either the story nor the characters. (I found it odd that he pursued the Greek Fire technology sub-plot rather than the much more obvious and historically decisive sub-plot about how a European sold his wall-smashing cannon to the Turks rather than the Greeks.)
Sorry. It just didn't work for me.
August 12, 2023
Посредством историјског Влада презентованог књижевним пером Хамфриза, тог скупоценог примерка за којим многи трагају, али и изузетно позитивног утиска након читања Пресфилдове Огњене капије, на ред за читање дошао је и тај град над градовима блиског нам оријента. Хамфриз, који се у својим радовима бави пре свега историјским темама, храбро се одлучио да се упусти у писање књиге о паду византијске престонице, престонице источног римског царства, Цариграда, Константинопоља или данашњом терминологијом Истанбула. Лични утисак о књизи је позитиван, и више од тога, књигу бих препоручио свим љубитељима историје јер ово и јесте у историји утемељена фикција, можда мало више романсирана за мој укус, али као и у случају Владове последње исповести веома лепо написана. Ипак уколико бих књигу упоредио са поменутим књигама, па чак и да у промер укључим књиге Настасијевића, Армагедон је књига која ми се за нијансу мање допала од свих поменутих књига. Разлог за то је управо превише романсе у историјском приповедању и превише супер јуначких особина дариваних одређеним јунацима књиге.
На главној сцени налази се Грегора, раније грчки борац, стрелац, означен за издајника у Константинопољу, а сада плаћеник, са обележјем срамоте, одсеченог носа, под плаштом маске и Дубровнику примереног имена Зоран. Грегора добија задатак да спаси пакленог Немца Гранта који једини може да проникне у тајну грчке ватре преко потребног оружја у покушају да се од надирућих Турака одбране зидине Константинопоља. Грегора је у сталном животном сукобу са братом близанцем Теоном, са којим од првог удаха води борбу око свега, а највише око Софије, Теонове супруге и мајке дечака и девојчице. У стални однос три наведена лика укључена је и Лејла пророчица која читајући позитивне хороскопске знаке, али и из жеље да сама стекне своју слободу, султану Мехмеду касније познатом под именом Освајач, предвиђа успех у покушају да пробије древне зидине неосвојивог града. Љубавне игре, превирање и љубомора ова четири лика прожимају књигу од почетка до краја и чине основу за централни лајтмотив књиге, а то је једна од највећих историјских битака, која се заправо вероватно и данас води на одређени начин. Султан Мехмед и цар Константин Палеолог у бици на биткама, бици за зидине града, за сам град, али и за религију, правоверне и неверне, зависно од тачке гледишта, борбе за православну цркву и џамију уједињене у људској пошасти да објасне необјашњиво, да се боре и гину за недокучиво, под сводовима заједничке куполе Свете Софије или Аја Софије. Могуће је да је поменута православна црква претворена у џамију једина на овом свету која обједињује метафизику људске борбе око нечега што не разумеју и чега се наравно боје. Припрема за освајање, припрема за борбу, вазали и поробљени са једне стране, они жељни злата и наде за бољи живот, и браниоци са сарадницима и у крсту уједињеним борцима, жељним славе и задржавања тренутног стања на историјском и географском пољу. Оно што је планирано деценијама, различита ситна освајања, слабљење противника на тактичком плану, довело је до тренутка да браниоци бивају исцрпљени, да се народ под теретом наступајућег рата одавно иселио. Бројнији освајачи потпомогнути вазалима, који су за поимање освајача и неверници, пре свега Бугари и Срби, али и одредима професионалне војске, Анадолцима и Јаничарима, напали су малобројне браниоце, потпомогнуте католичким Ђеновљанима и Венецијанцима. Описи борби, тактичких замисли и једних и других, филовани историјским чињеницама и описима бедема и кула, али и других цркава и наступајућих џамија у самом граду, описи Босфора, приступнице и одступнице, прилази и критичне тачке на којима ће се водити борбе, као и описи разног оружја и оклопа специфичних за различите војске, културе и обичаје ратовања, напросто заводе и нагоне на махнито читање пуно уживања. Хамфриз приповеда попут одличног професора историје, са жељом да приближи сам догађај, да вас натера да пожелите и додатно да се распитате о времену о коме у делу пише. О романсираним јунацима немам толико да кажем, нису ми се допали превише, није им овде било место, можда велики јунак Ђустинијан, Грегора, заједно са владарима, али и Хамза лик који је напросто заборављен, а требао је имати већу улогу, напросто је тражио да он и Грегора буду главни, али не Софија или Лејла, па ни близанац Теон. Најмање ми се допао плен који је припрости џин Ахмед узео за себе, и касније прихватање ропства као нечега нормалног од стране тог истог плена, тај део је за турске или раније шпанске лимунаде, а не за једну овако моћну борбу за бедеме великог града.
Свидело ми се и то што сам у појединим деловима књиге препознао жељу писца да се бави асасинима, пре свега кроз Грегору и Лејлу, али изгледа да се тог подухвата оставио за неко будуће дело. Додао бих да је књига са разлогом распродата и да је својом занимљивошћу вредна сваког труда, и поред истакнутих недостатака, који вероватно само мени сметају.
На главној сцени налази се Грегора, раније грчки борац, стрелац, означен за издајника у Константинопољу, а сада плаћеник, са обележјем срамоте, одсеченог носа, под плаштом маске и Дубровнику примереног имена Зоран. Грегора добија задатак да спаси пакленог Немца Гранта који једини може да проникне у тајну грчке ватре преко потребног оружја у покушају да се од надирућих Турака одбране зидине Константинопоља. Грегора је у сталном животном сукобу са братом близанцем Теоном, са којим од првог удаха води борбу око свега, а највише око Софије, Теонове супруге и мајке дечака и девојчице. У стални однос три наведена лика укључена је и Лејла пророчица која читајући позитивне хороскопске знаке, али и из жеље да сама стекне своју слободу, султану Мехмеду касније познатом под именом Освајач, предвиђа успех у покушају да пробије древне зидине неосвојивог града. Љубавне игре, превирање и љубомора ова четири лика прожимају књигу од почетка до краја и чине основу за централни лајтмотив књиге, а то је једна од највећих историјских битака, која се заправо вероватно и данас води на одређени начин. Султан Мехмед и цар Константин Палеолог у бици на биткама, бици за зидине града, за сам град, али и за религију, правоверне и неверне, зависно од тачке гледишта, борбе за православну цркву и џамију уједињене у људској пошасти да објасне необјашњиво, да се боре и гину за недокучиво, под сводовима заједничке куполе Свете Софије или Аја Софије. Могуће је да је поменута православна црква претворена у џамију једина на овом свету која обједињује метафизику људске борбе око нечега што не разумеју и чега се наравно боје. Припрема за освајање, припрема за борбу, вазали и поробљени са једне стране, они жељни злата и наде за бољи живот, и браниоци са сарадницима и у крсту уједињеним борцима, жељним славе и задржавања тренутног стања на историјском и географском пољу. Оно што је планирано деценијама, различита ситна освајања, слабљење противника на тактичком плану, довело је до тренутка да браниоци бивају исцрпљени, да се народ под теретом наступајућег рата одавно иселио. Бројнији освајачи потпомогнути вазалима, који су за поимање освајача и неверници, пре свега Бугари и Срби, али и одредима професионалне војске, Анадолцима и Јаничарима, напали су малобројне браниоце, потпомогнуте католичким Ђеновљанима и Венецијанцима. Описи борби, тактичких замисли и једних и других, филовани историјским чињеницама и описима бедема и кула, али и других цркава и наступајућих џамија у самом граду, описи Босфора, приступнице и одступнице, прилази и критичне тачке на којима ће се водити борбе, као и описи разног оружја и оклопа специфичних за различите војске, културе и обичаје ратовања, напросто заводе и нагоне на махнито читање пуно уживања. Хамфриз приповеда попут одличног професора историје, са жељом да приближи сам догађај, да вас натера да пожелите и додатно да се распитате о времену о коме у делу пише. О романсираним јунацима немам толико да кажем, нису ми се допали превише, није им овде било место, можда велики јунак Ђустинијан, Грегора, заједно са владарима, али и Хамза лик који је напросто заборављен, а требао је имати већу улогу, напросто је тражио да он и Грегора буду главни, али не Софија или Лејла, па ни близанац Теон. Најмање ми се допао плен који је припрости џин Ахмед узео за себе, и касније прихватање ропства као нечега нормалног од стране тог истог плена, тај део је за турске или раније шпанске лимунаде, а не за једну овако моћну борбу за бедеме великог града.
Свидело ми се и то што сам у појединим деловима књиге препознао жељу писца да се бави асасинима, пре свега кроз Грегору и Лејлу, али изгледа да се тог подухвата оставио за неко будуће дело. Додао бих да је књига са разлогом распродата и да је својом занимљивошћу вредна сваког труда, и поред истакнутих недостатака, који вероватно само мени сметају.
March 13, 2013
This is one of those books where I wish I could give it two ratings. When Humphreys sticks to the historical facts the book is informative and very interesting. When he covers the fictional characters it reads like a soap opera, very UN-interesting and totally predictable.
This historical novel about the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 was one that I did not know a lot about. The Muslims had literally surrounded Christian Constantinople by 1453 and its fall was all but inevitable. The Sultan Mehmet, who was the start of the Ottoman Dynasty, had amassed an army that vastly outnumbered the city's defenders. The Greek Orthodox inhabitants of Constantinople asked the Christians of the Roman Catholic church for help in defending their city but very little was offered. A small army of Genoans and Venetians did help in the fight and fought aggressively but their help was no where near enough that was needed.
The siege lasted almost two months and it was a brutal struggle with significant causalities on both sides. Mehmet was reasonably merciful as the victor and recognized that if Constantinople, now Istanbul, was to remain a great city he would need the help of the Christian inhabitants. He invited them to remain and become part of the new society but make no mistake, Constantinople was now a Muslim city.
As I said the fictional part of the book was kind of dopey and really didn't contribute much to the overall story of this significant historical event.
This historical novel about the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 was one that I did not know a lot about. The Muslims had literally surrounded Christian Constantinople by 1453 and its fall was all but inevitable. The Sultan Mehmet, who was the start of the Ottoman Dynasty, had amassed an army that vastly outnumbered the city's defenders. The Greek Orthodox inhabitants of Constantinople asked the Christians of the Roman Catholic church for help in defending their city but very little was offered. A small army of Genoans and Venetians did help in the fight and fought aggressively but their help was no where near enough that was needed.
The siege lasted almost two months and it was a brutal struggle with significant causalities on both sides. Mehmet was reasonably merciful as the victor and recognized that if Constantinople, now Istanbul, was to remain a great city he would need the help of the Christian inhabitants. He invited them to remain and become part of the new society but make no mistake, Constantinople was now a Muslim city.
As I said the fictional part of the book was kind of dopey and really didn't contribute much to the overall story of this significant historical event.
August 2, 2016
Necu da davim: trk u najblizu biblioteku/knjizaru I uzimajte ovo!
May 31, 2015
Pages: 480
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, Illinois
Review source: Publisher
Rating:
Reviewed by: Kathy Davie
It's the battle in 1453 that sees the end of an era in Constantinople.
My Take
Oh man, Humphreys has me by the first page of the prologue! I'm tense with fear at the description he provides of the Turk flowing to the walls of Constantinople. Heck, I wanna just open the gates and tell 'em to have at it. How can he possibly fight against a mass of men like this? And yet the men fighting to save Constantinople do last...for longer than anyone could have expected.
While Humphreys is a romantic who skims the truth of Constantinople, I do appreciate his even-handedness in presenting both sides. As sad as it was to see so beautiful a city cut down, for so many men to die, Constantinople needed to die as it was. It had become so corrupt, decayed. It needed to be reborn like the phoenix. It's been a Muslim city for almost 600 years now and it is thriving. Only the future can tell if Istanbul will last longer than Constantinople's 1,100-plus years. Yes, I'm taking poetic license with the facts.
Humphreys wrote a good story weaving in the personal with their own smaller dramas. I was disappointed that his lyricism petered out after his prologue and became more of a soap opera framed by battle. The manner in which he incorporated the history of this famous battle was superb and while, as I mentioned above, I appreciate that he gave us a look on both sides of the wall, it took some of the tension out of it for me. I'm not sure if it became too balanced or if it was simply my pre-existing knowledge of the outcome that made the difference.
There are many betrayals in this story: Theon's stand out the most and Sofia has her share. It's anasty metaphorical twist, using the beautiful flower of the Judas tree; it and its pink petals keep cropping up everywhere. Theon has met with Hamza in the emperor's garden amidst the Judas tree's falling pink flowers, so many petals settling on his clothes that he chooses "not to wipe them off. There were so many, there didn't seem much point". Much like the Turkish army outside the walls of Constantinople.
After all that Theon's done to her, he wants a kiss??
Okay, we know Leila has been shooting at him, but I must say I never expected her actions at the end nor his response. It does tend to resolve that pesky triangle that was looming, however. Interesting.
I did appreciate the epilogue at the end with a last look back at some of the principal characters on whom Humphreys had focused, summing up their lives seven years later. Although, I'm still confused about Sofia. Did she return? Is she still in Ragusa? What happened to Thakos?
Overall, it's a sad story with its Cain and Abel, youthful love versus mature, life's dramas that will twist the path you follow.
The Story
A young man visits a seer, one who sees his future, warns of missteps if undertaken too early or too late.
Like the seer, he is of a practical mind and sends Hamza to Genoa to persuade the doge to uphold their treaty. To persuade Constantinople's envoy to choose the Turk over the reluctant pope and Genoans.
Leila has her own agenda and it includes Gregoras helping her to salvage the "manual of alchemy writen by Jabir ibn Hayyan, whom others called Geber. …[and]...his answers to life itself."
It's a rendezvous in Chios for Grant, Gregoras, Longo, and Sofia. A very disappointing one for Longo has no gold to pay Gregoras for his accomplishment and heis a man who has lost everything. Who has spent the last seven years throwing his life into harm's way. .
It seems Gregoras will be going to Constantinople anyway.
The Characters
Mehmet is the fiery twenty-one-year-old sultan of all the Turks, a gardener, the future Conqueror, the Fatih. Hamza is thirty and the former sultan, Murad's, cupbearer and lover.
Leilah is a prophet? seer? and Mehmet comes to see her for her visions. I like that she's been brought up with a practical sense. Her mother's visions and her father's focus on knowledge. She has two men important in her life now and she would see to it that both are safe for as long as she needs them. It is curious how her heart changes...
Candarli Halil Pasha is Mehmet's grand vizier, the Elephant; Ishak and Karaca are belerbeys of Antaloia and Rumelia, the Ox and the Buffalo. Then Zaganos, the Cheetah, and Bataoglu, the Bear. Both converts. Both in the sultan's favor. Then Imran, the agha of the janissaries. A man undecided. Urban Bey is the mother of the mammoth cannon.
Johannes Grant is a Scot, but thought to be German, renowned for his skill with Greek Fire and the mechanics of war (Dorothy Dunnett also makes use of his character in her House of Nicolo series and in this same city).
Genoa
Gregoras "Rhinometus" Zoran is Theon's twin brother, his face marred by the lack of a nose. It only needs one more campaign to have the funds to build his retirement. But there is not enough money in the world to entice him to fight for Constantinople, the city of his birth and disgrace. They thought he had opened the gate at the Hexamilion in 1446 and they cut off his nose. He will not fight there, but Giustiniani has another contract. Find Grant and take him from the pirates who hold him prisoner.
Sofia has been brought here from Constantinople by her thug of a husband, Theon Lascaris, leaving their two children behind---Minerva who demanded and her book-loving Thakos. He had thought to use her to sway the Genoans to aid Constantinople. The twins had fought from the beginning: Theon, the elder, had the intellect while Gregoras had the physical skill. Gregoras had thought they had a truce, but Theon took the woman Gregoras loved through treachery and betrayal. Theon's greatest happiness is that he hurt Gregoras and Sofia. His continuing happiness is to hurt anyone.
Giovanni Giustiniani Longo is a deeply religious Genoan, a successful mercenary leader. Soon to be the supreme commander. Enoz the Sicilian and Amir the Renegade are his lieutenants. Gregoras met Amir when Gregoras was a slave aboard the ship Amir commanded. The ship caught on fire, the slaves' chains were slipped to allow them their best chance of survival, and Gregoras stayed aboard to help Amir fight the fire. Only the two of them. Giustiniani and his men came upon them and took them on.
Anatolia, Turkey
Achmed is going to war, but is first determined to leave his family as prepared as he can should he never return. His daughter, Abal, was too weak from starvation to fight off the illness; his wife, Farat, wails for her loss. And Achmed is plowing his land. Mounir is seven and Mustaq is five. It is to Raschid he comes with his promise of gold.
Constantinople
Constantine Palaiologos, the Despot of the Morea, is now Emperor of Constantinople. Theodore of Karystenos is still alive, still "captain of archers for the Imperial Guard and the man who had taught Gregoras everything". George Sphrantzes is "court historian and friend to emperors past".
Flatenelas is Gregoras' uncle and the captain of the grain barge.
The Cover
Whoa, at first glance, I thought I was looking at an orange science fiction cover due to the very smooth helmet the character is wearing. A closer look reveals absolute chaos and armor. Metal gauntlets, leather boots, and he's ready to scale this massive brick wall, sword in hand to join in the battle.
It certainly was that...A Place of Armageddon. Even the sultan was appalled. It certainly suits the quote from Revelations.
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, Illinois
Review source: Publisher
Rating:
Reviewed by: Kathy Davie
It's the battle in 1453 that sees the end of an era in Constantinople.
My Take
Oh man, Humphreys has me by the first page of the prologue! I'm tense with fear at the description he provides of the Turk flowing to the walls of Constantinople. Heck, I wanna just open the gates and tell 'em to have at it. How can he possibly fight against a mass of men like this? And yet the men fighting to save Constantinople do last...for longer than anyone could have expected.
While Humphreys is a romantic who skims the truth of Constantinople, I do appreciate his even-handedness in presenting both sides. As sad as it was to see so beautiful a city cut down, for so many men to die, Constantinople needed to die as it was. It had become so corrupt, decayed. It needed to be reborn like the phoenix. It's been a Muslim city for almost 600 years now and it is thriving. Only the future can tell if Istanbul will last longer than Constantinople's 1,100-plus years. Yes, I'm taking poetic license with the facts.
Humphreys wrote a good story weaving in the personal with their own smaller dramas. I was disappointed that his lyricism petered out after his prologue and became more of a soap opera framed by battle. The manner in which he incorporated the history of this famous battle was superb and while, as I mentioned above, I appreciate that he gave us a look on both sides of the wall, it took some of the tension out of it for me. I'm not sure if it became too balanced or if it was simply my pre-existing knowledge of the outcome that made the difference.
There are many betrayals in this story: Theon's stand out the most and Sofia has her share. It's anasty metaphorical twist, using the beautiful flower of the Judas tree; it and its pink petals keep cropping up everywhere. Theon has met with Hamza in the emperor's garden amidst the Judas tree's falling pink flowers, so many petals settling on his clothes that he chooses "not to wipe them off. There were so many, there didn't seem much point". Much like the Turkish army outside the walls of Constantinople.
After all that Theon's done to her, he wants a kiss??
Okay, we know Leila has been shooting at him, but I must say I never expected her actions at the end nor his response. It does tend to resolve that pesky triangle that was looming, however. Interesting.
I did appreciate the epilogue at the end with a last look back at some of the principal characters on whom Humphreys had focused, summing up their lives seven years later. Although, I'm still confused about Sofia. Did she return? Is she still in Ragusa? What happened to Thakos?
Overall, it's a sad story with its Cain and Abel, youthful love versus mature, life's dramas that will twist the path you follow.
The Story
A young man visits a seer, one who sees his future, warns of missteps if undertaken too early or too late.
Like the seer, he is of a practical mind and sends Hamza to Genoa to persuade the doge to uphold their treaty. To persuade Constantinople's envoy to choose the Turk over the reluctant pope and Genoans.
Leila has her own agenda and it includes Gregoras helping her to salvage the "manual of alchemy writen by Jabir ibn Hayyan, whom others called Geber. …[and]...his answers to life itself."
It's a rendezvous in Chios for Grant, Gregoras, Longo, and Sofia. A very disappointing one for Longo has no gold to pay Gregoras for his accomplishment and heis a man who has lost everything. Who has spent the last seven years throwing his life into harm's way. .
It seems Gregoras will be going to Constantinople anyway.
The Characters
Mehmet is the fiery twenty-one-year-old sultan of all the Turks, a gardener, the future Conqueror, the Fatih. Hamza is thirty and the former sultan, Murad's, cupbearer and lover.
Leilah is a prophet? seer? and Mehmet comes to see her for her visions. I like that she's been brought up with a practical sense. Her mother's visions and her father's focus on knowledge. She has two men important in her life now and she would see to it that both are safe for as long as she needs them. It is curious how her heart changes...
Candarli Halil Pasha is Mehmet's grand vizier, the Elephant; Ishak and Karaca are belerbeys of Antaloia and Rumelia, the Ox and the Buffalo. Then Zaganos, the Cheetah, and Bataoglu, the Bear. Both converts. Both in the sultan's favor. Then Imran, the agha of the janissaries. A man undecided. Urban Bey is the mother of the mammoth cannon.
Johannes Grant is a Scot, but thought to be German, renowned for his skill with Greek Fire and the mechanics of war (Dorothy Dunnett also makes use of his character in her House of Nicolo series and in this same city).
Genoa
Gregoras "Rhinometus" Zoran is Theon's twin brother, his face marred by the lack of a nose. It only needs one more campaign to have the funds to build his retirement. But there is not enough money in the world to entice him to fight for Constantinople, the city of his birth and disgrace. They thought he had opened the gate at the Hexamilion in 1446 and they cut off his nose. He will not fight there, but Giustiniani has another contract. Find Grant and take him from the pirates who hold him prisoner.
Sofia has been brought here from Constantinople by her thug of a husband, Theon Lascaris, leaving their two children behind---Minerva who demanded and her book-loving Thakos. He had thought to use her to sway the Genoans to aid Constantinople. The twins had fought from the beginning: Theon, the elder, had the intellect while Gregoras had the physical skill. Gregoras had thought they had a truce, but Theon took the woman Gregoras loved through treachery and betrayal. Theon's greatest happiness is that he hurt Gregoras and Sofia. His continuing happiness is to hurt anyone.
Giovanni Giustiniani Longo is a deeply religious Genoan, a successful mercenary leader. Soon to be the supreme commander. Enoz the Sicilian and Amir the Renegade are his lieutenants. Gregoras met Amir when Gregoras was a slave aboard the ship Amir commanded. The ship caught on fire, the slaves' chains were slipped to allow them their best chance of survival, and Gregoras stayed aboard to help Amir fight the fire. Only the two of them. Giustiniani and his men came upon them and took them on.
Anatolia, Turkey
Achmed is going to war, but is first determined to leave his family as prepared as he can should he never return. His daughter, Abal, was too weak from starvation to fight off the illness; his wife, Farat, wails for her loss. And Achmed is plowing his land. Mounir is seven and Mustaq is five. It is to Raschid he comes with his promise of gold.
Constantinople
Constantine Palaiologos, the Despot of the Morea, is now Emperor of Constantinople. Theodore of Karystenos is still alive, still "captain of archers for the Imperial Guard and the man who had taught Gregoras everything". George Sphrantzes is "court historian and friend to emperors past".
Flatenelas is Gregoras' uncle and the captain of the grain barge.
The Cover
Whoa, at first glance, I thought I was looking at an orange science fiction cover due to the very smooth helmet the character is wearing. A closer look reveals absolute chaos and armor. Metal gauntlets, leather boots, and he's ready to scale this massive brick wall, sword in hand to join in the battle.
It certainly was that...A Place of Armageddon. Even the sultan was appalled. It certainly suits the quote from Revelations.
October 23, 2018
Odličan istorijski roman. Lepo opisane bitke za grad i ambicije ljudi koji učestvuju u događajima vezanim za pad Carigrada. Zanimljiv deo priče o Ahmedu koji gubi svoju ćerku i pronalazi je ponovo u žaru bitke za grad. Mali fali do odličnog ali i ovako je dobra.
November 23, 2012
I've read several books by Mr. Humphreys, but this was by far my favourite. The characters were so well developed, and such clear individuals, that it felt as though they were standing beside me, waiting to tell me their stories. The battle scenes were so clear in my mind that I stopped reading the book and started seeing it, instead. Whether you like historical fiction or not, this is an excellent story.
August 20, 2018
Hamfriz je majstor u oslikavanju atmosfere. Ne samo da je paralelno razrađivao kako poteze, razmišljanja, strahove i planove Muslimana sa jedne strane i Hrišćana sa druge, nego je dočarao i sjaj i strukturu Konstantinopolja. Opisi bitaka vrlo plastični i muški, bez kitnjastih viškova. Posebnu draž imaju njegovi aktovi seksualne požute, mrvljenja snage, doživljaj čitavog čina i efekat ponovljenog zadovoljstva, bez trunke vulgarnog ili prostačkog.
May 19, 2021
7/10.Πολύ καλό ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα για την άλωση της Κωνσταντινούπολης. Οι πολεμικές επιχειρήσεις και οι μάχες περιγράφονται με παραστατικότητα. Εκτός φυσικά από αναγνώστες που τους αρέσουν τα ιστορικά μυθιστορήματα ,θα το πρότεινα και σε όσους τους αρέσουν βιβλία επικής φαντασίας(έχει μπόλικο υλικό με ήρωες, πόλεμο κτλ). Θα μπορούσε να ήταν 150 σελίδες λιγότερες, αλλά όσα κεφάλαια είναι βαρετά τα «πηδάς» με άνεση χωρίς να χαλάσεις την ροή.
July 8, 2019
Que dire ? à part que j'ai lu d'une traite et que j'ai aimé tous les personnages de cette histoire se situant dans les années 1450
L'auteur aborde la prise de Constantinople sous tous les angles (différents personnages très attachants et bien différenciés) sans lasser le lecteur Les détails semblent authentiques sans tomber dans "l'info dump" ; de l'action mais aussi de la réflexion... avec des scènes souvent réalistes et dures (coeur sensible, s'abstenir ...)
bref un régal ! et comme cela fait trop longtemps que je n'ai pas passé un aussi bon moment de lecture qui m'a fait remonter le temps, j'ai (enfin !) mis un 5 étoiles Tout arrive !
L'auteur aborde la prise de Constantinople sous tous les angles (différents personnages très attachants et bien différenciés) sans lasser le lecteur Les détails semblent authentiques sans tomber dans "l'info dump" ; de l'action mais aussi de la réflexion... avec des scènes souvent réalistes et dures (coeur sensible, s'abstenir ...)
bref un régal ! et comme cela fait trop longtemps que je n'ai pas passé un aussi bon moment de lecture qui m'a fait remonter le temps, j'ai (enfin !) mis un 5 étoiles Tout arrive !
October 6, 2011
This is not a book I would have read had I not met the author at the Kelmarsh festival this summer. I'm fairly averse to books about Christianity versus Islam and it's not my era - but, having met Chris, I bought it and am immensely glad that I did. Like "The Religion" by Tim Willocks (which is undoubtedly a 5* book - must review it soon), this looks at a siege from both sides of the conflict, in this case, the siege of Constantinople in 1453 (handily, the part title tells you this). The leading character on the defending side is Gregoras - who's nose has been cut off for treachery in his past. The love triangle between himself, his brother and the woman who his now his brother's wife (but whose son is by Gregoras) is finely wrought, passionate and comes to a somewhat unexpected, but nonetheless satisfying, conclusion, and the second love triangle, in which Gregoras must choose between the two women who love him (the second, beyond his brother's wife, is a fortune teller whose visions of the future are both true and life-changing. She's one of the most fascinating characters in a fascinating cast)
Gregoras is the archetypal wounded hero and he comes across as flawed, dangerous and immensely likeable, surrounded by a full, deep supporting cast which is one of this book's great strengths: nobody is a cipher, no character fails to engage early and completely. In a world where historical novels are so often full of twentyfirst characters in drag, and even those are two dimensional, this book is so full of three-d, real people, it's impossible not to want both sides to win. In the end, only one can, and it's heart-breaking, tho' I suspect it would have been just as bad had it gone the other way.
From a writing perspective, what's so interesting about CC Humphreys' style is that he switches viewpoint mid-scene on a regular basis. Few people attempt this and even fewer succeed in doing it smoothly. Humphreys does it with style and panache and it gives an interesting insight into some of the trickier encounters. It's not something I'd imagine doing, but I'm impressed with it here...
Gregoras is the archetypal wounded hero and he comes across as flawed, dangerous and immensely likeable, surrounded by a full, deep supporting cast which is one of this book's great strengths: nobody is a cipher, no character fails to engage early and completely. In a world where historical novels are so often full of twentyfirst characters in drag, and even those are two dimensional, this book is so full of three-d, real people, it's impossible not to want both sides to win. In the end, only one can, and it's heart-breaking, tho' I suspect it would have been just as bad had it gone the other way.
From a writing perspective, what's so interesting about CC Humphreys' style is that he switches viewpoint mid-scene on a regular basis. Few people attempt this and even fewer succeed in doing it smoothly. Humphreys does it with style and panache and it gives an interesting insight into some of the trickier encounters. It's not something I'd imagine doing, but I'm impressed with it here...
March 19, 2015
Historical fiction with good characterizations and moral crises, both personal and societal. I found the moral relativism a bit overdone but it was a fine historical novel. Unity is hard but the west will not survive without it. We will realize it too late, I am sure.
November 18, 2018
A long, dense read. A good story, though not told by the best storyteller. The two starring brothers are totally Thor and Loki, straight out of the Marvel movies, and you'll never convince me otherwise.
It's nice to read a book about lesser covered regions that have tremendous history.
It's nice to read a book about lesser covered regions that have tremendous history.
November 8, 2021
An ambitious historical novel about a key event in European/Asian history that is overlooked these days.
There was a lot I enjoyed about it and the beginning was excellent. I appreciated the way he just throws the reader into the politics of the time and gives you just enough to catch up and figure out what you need to.
But as it went on, I found it plodding and too disparately focused. It's an admirable approach to portray the conflict from both sides and this approach can work. But not here - it's hard to know who we're rooting for.
The various fictional characters never really came to life for me and the way they connected to each other (especially in the dénouement) didn't convince.
A lot of interesting stuff here. And I appreciated many aspects of the writing and the history lesson.
But overall a bit disappointing. And lengthier than it needed to be.
PS. And why call it "A Place Called Armageddon"? There is a short quote from Revelation, referencing Armageddon, before the book begins. But this is almostly immediately forgotten and the quote barely seems relevant and the allusion is never made again.
There was a lot I enjoyed about it and the beginning was excellent. I appreciated the way he just throws the reader into the politics of the time and gives you just enough to catch up and figure out what you need to.
But as it went on, I found it plodding and too disparately focused. It's an admirable approach to portray the conflict from both sides and this approach can work. But not here - it's hard to know who we're rooting for.
The various fictional characters never really came to life for me and the way they connected to each other (especially in the dénouement) didn't convince.
A lot of interesting stuff here. And I appreciated many aspects of the writing and the history lesson.
But overall a bit disappointing. And lengthier than it needed to be.
PS. And why call it "A Place Called Armageddon"? There is a short quote from Revelation, referencing Armageddon, before the book begins. But this is almostly immediately forgotten and the quote barely seems relevant and the allusion is never made again.
September 28, 2012
The battle for Constantinople is one of history's defining moments; the "Rome of the East" falls to "the Turk" and one of the most glorious cathedrals ever built, the Hagia Sophia was looted and turned to a Mosque. So began the reign of the Ottoman Empire over what is now called Istanbul. Mehmet II was a young sultan of 21 when he did what none of his ancestors had been able to do before him - breach the walls of Constantinople and call himself "fatih" or conqueror.
This novel, though is a tale of both sides of the conquest; Christian and Muslim and Mr. Humphreys tells both sides well. There is a greater concentration on inside the walls as his hero is Gregoras, a man falsely accused of betrayal. His twin brother Theon, always jealous, always a feeling a bit inadequate next to Gregoras was there to save him from losing more than his nose (yes, you read that correctly) but there is far more to this story of twins and it develops over the course of the book.
The book is very well researched and this battle is legendary in history. Mr. Humphreys tries to fit in as many of the unique occurrences as possible and as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. The story moves along at a roaring clip and being one who loves a meaty historical tale I was enthralled from beginning to end. Obviously it being a book of war it is not a pretty book but the gore and violence are kept tamped down compared to other books I have read in the genre.
The main characters, both fictional and historical are well drawn and you feel drawn into their world. Even knowing the outcome of the battle I kept feeling as if it might change as I turned the pages. And I was turning them very quickly. Mr. Humphrey had a way of getting inside the heads of his characters so the reader was there too. His descriptions allowed for a true feeling of place which was good - until the battles started and then I was right in the middle of it. I didn't want to be there but I had Gregoras with me and he was a good man to lead the way through a fight.
A bit more of sultan Mehmet's story is part of Mr. Humphrey's book Vlad: The Last Confession
This novel, though is a tale of both sides of the conquest; Christian and Muslim and Mr. Humphreys tells both sides well. There is a greater concentration on inside the walls as his hero is Gregoras, a man falsely accused of betrayal. His twin brother Theon, always jealous, always a feeling a bit inadequate next to Gregoras was there to save him from losing more than his nose (yes, you read that correctly) but there is far more to this story of twins and it develops over the course of the book.
The book is very well researched and this battle is legendary in history. Mr. Humphreys tries to fit in as many of the unique occurrences as possible and as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. The story moves along at a roaring clip and being one who loves a meaty historical tale I was enthralled from beginning to end. Obviously it being a book of war it is not a pretty book but the gore and violence are kept tamped down compared to other books I have read in the genre.
The main characters, both fictional and historical are well drawn and you feel drawn into their world. Even knowing the outcome of the battle I kept feeling as if it might change as I turned the pages. And I was turning them very quickly. Mr. Humphrey had a way of getting inside the heads of his characters so the reader was there too. His descriptions allowed for a true feeling of place which was good - until the battles started and then I was right in the middle of it. I didn't want to be there but I had Gregoras with me and he was a good man to lead the way through a fight.
A bit more of sultan Mehmet's story is part of Mr. Humphrey's book Vlad: The Last Confession
September 30, 2012
This book was so historically rich it was like reading a very entertaining text book. It’s nice to read both sides of the battle even though the main character is a Greek man named Gregoras. It switches back and forth between the point of views of various characters from both sides - my personal favorites would be Leilah and Achmed.
Although it might seem there’s a lot of characters it does focus on a select few so it’s easily memorable. There’s various story arcs to follow, but what I liked about the book is they all somewhat tie in together and bring the characters together into one seamless plot. It’s almost like an intricately woven fabric that tells a rich detailed story. The historical accuracy is pretty good (from what I know of this particular period) and the end authors note was very interesting and helpful.
What I enjoyed was the ending, all the characters stories were all tied together and some of their outcomes were unexpected and a complete surprise to me. My favorite ending was what happened to Achmed. That was completely unexpected but a wonderful ending to his story. Some characters are memorable and you get attached to them, others aren’t very nice and get a well deserved ending. (Take that Theon! yeah!)
The battle scenes are well done and can be easily pictured. There are some various terms that I was not familiar with but there is a helpful glossary at the back of the book. They’re well written, and very detailed (so yes, there’s a lot of blood) but not to the point where it’s overly ridiculous. You can certainly ‘feel� what the Greek side was feeling. They certainly did put up a fight and you felt for them.
Definitely recommended for historical fiction lovers (those love reading a good battle, or two. Or three). It’s worth the read, with rich interesting characters, with a fantastic setting.
Although it might seem there’s a lot of characters it does focus on a select few so it’s easily memorable. There’s various story arcs to follow, but what I liked about the book is they all somewhat tie in together and bring the characters together into one seamless plot. It’s almost like an intricately woven fabric that tells a rich detailed story. The historical accuracy is pretty good (from what I know of this particular period) and the end authors note was very interesting and helpful.
What I enjoyed was the ending, all the characters stories were all tied together and some of their outcomes were unexpected and a complete surprise to me. My favorite ending was what happened to Achmed. That was completely unexpected but a wonderful ending to his story. Some characters are memorable and you get attached to them, others aren’t very nice and get a well deserved ending. (Take that Theon! yeah!)
The battle scenes are well done and can be easily pictured. There are some various terms that I was not familiar with but there is a helpful glossary at the back of the book. They’re well written, and very detailed (so yes, there’s a lot of blood) but not to the point where it’s overly ridiculous. You can certainly ‘feel� what the Greek side was feeling. They certainly did put up a fight and you felt for them.
Definitely recommended for historical fiction lovers (those love reading a good battle, or two. Or three). It’s worth the read, with rich interesting characters, with a fantastic setting.
October 1, 2016
Really, such a well-researched tale replete with so many interesting characters should get a rating of at least 4 stars. But I didn't finish this book. I made myself keep reading until exactly halfway, and then I gave up in relief. Why? The problem was not of the author's devising - it was the topic itself! Good fiction makes you care about its characters, or at least some of them. Humphreys made me care, and that was the very root of the problem. I knew full well that, after an epic siege and great loss of life, Constantinople would fall. I really couldn't bear to read on and 'witness' the horror through these characters' eyes. Silly me. It's only fiction, but I really should have thought before I picked up the book.
Just a tiny little historical grumble: p.73 shook my readerly trust in Humphreys as a historical novelist for two reasons 1) a character makes reference to a plant by means of its scientific Latin name, Pinus halepensis (the system of double-barreled Latin names wasn't invented until the 1700s!); and 2) he concludes the page by having the hero say, ominously for us readers with historical hindsight, "Welcome to 1453." This immediately rang a discordant note for me as the speaker of these words is Byzantine-educated and thus would think in an entirely different dating system! "Welcome to 6961 AM" definitely doesn't have the same dramatic effect ...
That said, historical novelists face an enormous challenge - providing a myriad of minute but historically accurate details to create verisimilitude. It's the rare historical novelist indeed who manages to avoid such pitfalls, and an impossible task entirely to evoke the past with absolute accuracy. Humphreys does a fine job in the main.
Just a tiny little historical grumble: p.73 shook my readerly trust in Humphreys as a historical novelist for two reasons 1) a character makes reference to a plant by means of its scientific Latin name, Pinus halepensis (the system of double-barreled Latin names wasn't invented until the 1700s!); and 2) he concludes the page by having the hero say, ominously for us readers with historical hindsight, "Welcome to 1453." This immediately rang a discordant note for me as the speaker of these words is Byzantine-educated and thus would think in an entirely different dating system! "Welcome to 6961 AM" definitely doesn't have the same dramatic effect ...
That said, historical novelists face an enormous challenge - providing a myriad of minute but historically accurate details to create verisimilitude. It's the rare historical novelist indeed who manages to avoid such pitfalls, and an impossible task entirely to evoke the past with absolute accuracy. Humphreys does a fine job in the main.
May 31, 2013
This book was free on Amazon for a short period earlier this year. Thank you, Amazon. This author both passed and failed the mechanics of good writing test. The read was both boring and exciting. The author's sentence fragments maddened me yet allowed me to feel his style of writing. I found myself reading about 'he' for pages before I realized I did not know who 'he' was. This was a story about the Turkish/Islam siege on Christian/Constantinople in 1453. The story-line was sound. The fighting was brutal, but expected. Of all the characters I liked the man without a nose best. Gregoras was his name. How he lost his nose is essential to the story. This book has been reviewed many times, so I will not repeat what others have so ably stated.
WARNING: read the book slowly and take not one single word for granted. The first chapters lended themselves to fast reading, but by mid-book I had to re-read chapters because I was lost in the story. Two situations bothered me as I read, and they bother me now: How did the attacking army build a very tall tower in one night? Was Gregoras cozy with two women at the same time?
Thank you, Mr. Humphreys, for a very good read. You had my attention much longer than most.
WARNING: read the book slowly and take not one single word for granted. The first chapters lended themselves to fast reading, but by mid-book I had to re-read chapters because I was lost in the story. Two situations bothered me as I read, and they bother me now: How did the attacking army build a very tall tower in one night? Was Gregoras cozy with two women at the same time?
Thank you, Mr. Humphreys, for a very good read. You had my attention much longer than most.
May 15, 2014
Humphreys makes alive a pivotal date in history, the date of Constantinople's conquest by Muslims. He tells the story through the eyes of two rival brothers, the woman they both love but one marries, Mehmet the Muslim conquerer, and other key players including the Emporer Constantine. The story is further complicated by Leilah, a mystic, assassin, and sorcerer.
It is a graphic tale of attack and repulsion, privation and despair until after 53 days of seige using horrific guns and overwhelming force the walls are breached. The city falls and is pillaged.
The research, I'm sure, is impeccable. The descriptions of the seige quite amazing. But the problem for me was, despite quality of writing, many passages were too long and complicated.
It is a graphic tale of attack and repulsion, privation and despair until after 53 days of seige using horrific guns and overwhelming force the walls are breached. The city falls and is pillaged.
The research, I'm sure, is impeccable. The descriptions of the seige quite amazing. But the problem for me was, despite quality of writing, many passages were too long and complicated.
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