Byzantium

Years after listening to Stuart Langton perform this story my husband and I are still able conjur up images with just a word - 'aya' - and that one word brings back all the warmth and integrity of Lawhead's wonderfull characters. I miss them so! Get past the monotone of the first few chapters - trust the writer/reader that it has it's purpose.

I love long, well written, action packed historical
novels. There are a lot of historical novels,
and quite a few of them that have a lot of action.
But there aren't many that have been written well.
By that, most lover's of good literature probably share most of my beliefs as to what "well written"
means.
On the other hand, too many are prosaic in key areas like characterization, plot, and description
to merit "well written". "Byzantium" is well
written. It is innovative, it flows well, and
tells a great story. For one who has read a lot
of this genre, surprise at where the story goes
is a refreshingly pleasant experience. Good
narration, which becomes increasingly apparent,
the deeper one goes in the story. It is a long
story which kept my interest the entire time...the
way I like it.

Great narrations have the potential to make a mediocre book great. Less than stellar performances can detract from a book's greatness to the point that an audiobook becomes a totally ruined experience. Some stories are so great, however, that a less than comparable narration cannot detract so much as to make the listening a totally rewarding experience. This, I believe, is the case with Byzantium.

As others have commented, the book does start off a bit slow but that is perhaps to better portray and contrast the life of Aidan the monk with that of Aidan the adventuresome hero . And what an adventure there is to come. The time is the 10th century. The story begins and ends in an abbey in Ireland but takes the reader to such far away places as Constantinople, Scandinavia and Persia. Throughout these disparate lands, languages and cultures moves a protagonist who is incredibly skilled in diplomacy and who's polyglot virtuosity moves him in circles he might not normally find himself traversing so readily and so gracefully. Aidan is comfortable in the company of humble monks, marauding, barbarian Vikings, exalted emperors and sultans. Our hero is a lowly priest of noble heritage; he's a devout believer who becomes an atheist. and well, as is so brilliantly portrayed to us in the book, "it's complicated." Actually, the book is not so complicated; on the contrary, it is a simple story that is profound and touching on many levels and in many regards. The book will not disappoint.

After reading/listening through Byzantium I am left with a sense of wonder at the adventures told. Only one warning though; it starts out very slowly. But the excitement does pick up once the monk Aidan is out of his Abbey home. This tale is told with a great sense of detail and makes you feel as if you are with Aidan walking the magnificent streets of ancient Byzantium, in a Viking drinking hall, at a Saracen court, or sailing for your life aboard a mighty longship.

The triumphs and despair of the long journey are vivid and the characters are well fleshed out. The narrator does a good job with the changing his inflection and accent to give you the feel that you are listening to the roar of a Viking Jarl, or the clever intelligence of a noble Saracen Emir. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I was sorely disappointed in the reading of this saga. All the characters were delivered in angry or gruff voices, and there was very little vocal difference between the many characters with little or no inflection. When the characters were in Constantinople and Arabia they sounded strangely East Indian, not Turkish, Persian, or Arabian.

I had "wish listed" all the volumes in this series, but as they are all narrated by Mr. Langdon I don't think I'll download them. It's too bad because I loved the story and characters, and I assume the following volumes are just as interesting, but it was so terribly difficult to stay focused while listening to the monotone narrator that I just can't imagine listening to him again.

Story is not bad but I felt I had to suffer through the narrator's very slow and deliberate telling of the story.

Excellent story ruined by gut wrenching, monotone narration. I got used to it about 2/3 of the way through but could not help but think the book would have been much better had i read it rather than listen to it. Great story. Horrible narration.

This was my first by Lawhead. It will not be my last. He is wonderful. His character development is among the best. His plots and story line hold your interest and suspense throughout the book. Above all it is a story of faith that anyone (believers and nonbelievers) will appreciate.

"Life is a school of the spirit." This is the lesson Aidan must learn in this sweeping historical epic set in the 10th century. The story starts a little slow as Aidan and his fellow monks prepare for their journey to take a holy book to the Holy Roman Emperor in Constantinople. Once they are attacked by Vikings, however, the pace quickens and never lets up. That's quite a feat for an 880-page book (paperback edition). It is a well written, well plotted story of discovery of the external world as well as Aidan's heart. I highly recommend it.

I still think back to this book often and remember with longing how engrossed I was in it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. I was completely unfamiliar with the historical events around which this story takes place, but I found the main character Aidan, to be very believable and sturdy. I do think it was a TAD too long...there are places where the story drags a bit, but overall, I enjoyed it very much. For some reason, the narration sounded weird in my car...any "s" sounds or soft "c" sounds came out very grating on my system. I am sure it was just my car, as I did not notice this when I listened to the story on my iPhone. At any rate, I thought the narration was excellent, and the story very well done. I would recommend this to anyone that likes adventure stories, and historical fiction.