Byzantium

By: Stephen R. Lawhead

Narrated by: Stuart Langton

Length: 25 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Although born to rule, Aidan lives as a scribe in a remote Irish monastery on the far, wild edge of Christendom. Secure in work, contemplation, and dreams of the wider world, a miracle bursts into Aidan's quiet life. He is chosen to accompany a small band of monks on a quest to the fabled city of Byzantium, where they are to present the beautiful and costly hand-illuminated Book of Kells to the emperor of all Christendom.

During this expedition by sea and over land, Aidan becomes, by turns, a warrior and a sailor, a slave and a spy, a Viking and a Saracen, and finally, a man. He sees more of the world than most men of his time, becoming an ambassador to kings and an intimate of Byzantium's fabled Golden Court. And finally, this valiant Irish monk faces the greatest trial confronting any man in any age: the command of his own destiny.

©1996 Stephen R. Lawhead (P)2001 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Not merely a gripping yarn - and it certainly is that - this is also a novel about faith and the tests life plants in its way. Lawhead, author of the popular Pendragon cycle of fantasies, here makes a sure move into mainstream fiction." ( Booklist)

Character Maturation

Lawhead's skill with subtly developing a dynamic main character throughout a story always amazes me. Byzantium is no exception--Lawhead's exceptional ability to lead the reader through Aidan's philosophical and spiritual journey demonstrates not only his skill as an author, but his intimate understanding of personal development, faith struggles, and the weight of life's unanswered questions.

Highly Recommended for Christian Men

It is hard to find novels that portray traditional Christianity in a positive way and that also will appeal to men. This book definitely does both. The many positive reviews of this wonderful epic adventure are all true. But in addition, this book is also a profoundly moving account of one man's struggle to keep his faith in a world where the good are persecuted and evil always seems to prosper. This book was a tremendous blessing to me, helping me to find meaning in my own recent travails, and in the process sparking a renewal of my own faith.

Fantastic Journey

I love medieval stories and this was by far the best I've read! fantastic imagery and the descriptive power of the author is unrivaled! lots of action and twists and turns make you feel part of the story! I highly recommend this book!

One of the best stories I have ever listened to

What a riveting story about one's personal journey in the land of the ninth and 10th century. The story had it all! Celtic months, Vikings, Saracens, byzantine Romans! It started out a bit slow but quickly picked up and became increasingly more interesting. One of the best stories I've ever read, I highly recommend this book!

Wonderful story,

One of the best books I have read. Thought-provoking heart-wrenching and character building. Artfully read. One I will come back to again and again.

Enjoyable all the way through

Some have complained about the narration, but I enjoyed it. I think the slow pace at times is reflective of the mood of the somewhat epic story.

An adventure in medieval philisophy

This is a long book--and not easy to narrate, so kudos to Stuart Langton. It's in first-person, so it's commendable that he came up with a believable Irish voice for the main character--although Aidan's bitterness throughout much of the story is hard to swallow, you understand more of what he feels because of the narration. It starts out very slow--but you soon grow used to the pace as it's not a typical adventure tale.

Ultimately, this story, while a dramatic adventure saga in which the protagonist is a monk, a slave, a spy, a prince and emissary, is really more of an exploration of the age-old question of this world's suffering. "How could a supposedly loving, omnipotent God allow the suffering of the innocent?" Aidan, who starts out as a monk, decides that God is neither loving nor omnipotent and his bitterness drives much of his experience throughout the book. Really interesting, no matter what your personal beliefs are, since everyone has had to grapple with such questions.

Great Story

What a journey!!! This is a well developed and exciting story, one that you can enjoy over and over. Very much worth the listen.

inspiring adventure

started a little slow, but as I got further into it I realized the necessity of the background story being established. Very good adventure with lots of inspiring fairh-building lessons throughout. Stay with it. You won't be disappointed.

3rd time I've enjoyed this book!

This is the 3rd time I've enjoyed this book and I will no doubt will be carried away by it again some day.