Tim B

This was a fantastic book. I did originally “judge the book by the cover” I thought it was a lighthearted comedic book. Boy was I wrong on that. It is very dark with thoughts of suicide and being a “martyr” but it really is about making your life a life worth living. 
The conversations between Cyrus and the dying artist, Orkidah, are the true backbone of the novel. Often very poignant.
This is probably one of the best books I have read in years. Thought provoking and very well written. I wish I had a book club to discuss.
I cannot recommend this book more.

Okay it has been a week later and I am still thinking about this book. It has burrowed into my brain. I have so many questions, especially about the ending. I keep having different theories as to what actually happened and what the clues might have been. No spoilers but all I can say is that it is a great book. Updated to 5 stars. If you live in my brain for a week you deserve it 

Excellent read.

As i write this review it was a very weird week in the world. There is a school board in Tennessee that banned the book Maus which is about the holocaust in WWII. It was also Holocaust Remembrance Day this week. I did not know when I picked up this book it was about anti-semitism through the ages. As a novel it is not overly dramatic in that sense but it does bring about what has happened in the past.
The author writes in the novel “That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox.” I feel this is the heart of the book. It is a book about being a human and treating everyone with respect.
Another reason I loved the book is that I am one of those people who go into museums and think about the person who made an item and how it was used. Just trying to imagine what the item meant to people even if it was just a tool. I feel that in this book. It is the story of a book and the people who lived around the book. Very imaginative and full of life.
I cannot recommend this book enough.

The life of the nouveau riche. So self absorbing not a care in the world. The world is theirs and no one else's. Once you dies they leave you to be as you are no longer important At least that is what I got out of this book. If you want you you need to change who you are only to try and impress those you truly do not care for. In the end you you only have you and no one else. Maybe I did get more out of this novel than I thought. It was not bad but not as good as people say it is. Is it perhaps a little dated. This was written before the second world war and the stock market crash. Would the novel been written the same way ten years later? Would we have seen Mr. Gatz in a breadline?
The journey is fun while it lasts with wonderful parties and the lief of luxury. It is quite enjoyable to see how the “better half” lives.

At first I was unsure if I was going to like this book at all. I almost gave up after about half way through. But boy that ending was fantastic. I was going to rate this book between 2 and 3 stars but the pace really picks up and does not let go. No spoilers but I think the twist of this book is really great. Plus Mystery and Sci-fi and I think late 19th early 20th century who would have thought up that combo. Look forward to the authors next book

Great start to what looks to be a great series

This was an interesting historical novel. It truly is a work of fiction, but it does capture the imagination.

This is the story of Uhtred who is taken by the Danes at an early age. He is raised to be a Danish warrior. But fate has other plans and England wants him back.