Die Kinder der Finsternis von Wolf von Niebelschütz (1959)

Normalerweise genieße ich Geschichten, die den Leser in einen Schnappschuss aus dem Leben eintauchen lassen. Und ich bin neugierig auf das 12. Jahrhundert in der europäischen Geschichte, insbesondere auf Friedrich I. (Barbarossa) und das Heilige Römische Reich. Der Schreibstil ist sehr gut. Die Charaktere sind interessant. Mir gefiel die interessante Formalität, mit der die Leute miteinander sprachen. Der Grund, warum mir dieses Buch nicht gefallen hat, ist, dass das Eintauchen zu tief war. Es gibt eine ständige, böse, brutale, beiläufige Gewalt und Machtmissbrauch, die sehr deprimierend ist. Jeder hatte ein bizarres Glaubenssystem und eine grundlegende Wahrnehmung der Realität. Die Heiden, Christen und Muslime lebten in einer Fantasiewelt und leugneten die offensichtliche objektive Realität. Ich glaube, diese Beschreibung ist wahr, aber ich wollte mehr über das Gesamtbild erfahren, nicht nur über die kleine Provinz. 2/5 Sterne.

Samarcande by Amin Maluf (1988)

The story is well-translated from the original french and I enjoyed it.  Having read Abbas Amanat's history of Iran, I knew the 19th century part of the story. But the 11th century story of Omar Khayyam was all new to me. 4/5 Stars.

Polostan by Neal Stephenson (2024)

Fantastic!  I am so happy Stephenson is writing another immersive historical fiction series again.  Polostan is the best I have read this year (so far).  I bought extra copies for my kids. 5/5 Stars.

Kingsbridge 5: The Armour of Light by Ken Follett (2023)

Having read the Pillars of Earth in 1989, and following along in the 1990s as the sequels came out, I was happy to discover another book in the series.  This story illustrates growing pains of the industrial revolution, the Napoleonic wars, and societal upheavals of the region.  The church politics are not as prevalent.  The books is good but some of the characters, especially the women, are not portrayed well and others are too one-dimensional.  4/5 Stars.

Yesterday's Spy by Tom Bradby (2022)

An "impulse borrow" from the library the last time I was there, this book reads like a James Bond film script set in 1953.  The author really should have availed himself of professor Amanat's fantastic history book; he made some blunders about the leaders and factions in the 1953 chaos in which the story takes place. But the thriller aspects of the story were fun and it was wildly entertaining, despite how depressing the situation was. 3/5 Stars.

Eifelheim by Michael Flynn

The characters, settings, and writing craft are fantastic but I am disappointed by the plot, character arcs, and story.  3/5 Stars.

Call for the Dead by John Le Carré (1961)

I thought I had read all of Le Carré's books, including the posthumously published Silverview. I could not remember this one when I saw it in the library and sure enough, I had missed it.  The author and his main character are both younger, more passionate and energetic in this book than the later, cerebral novels.  It's a fun1950's cold war spy thriller, 4/5 Stars.

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham

Fascinating look at the rise and fall of the Dixie Mafia with thrilling legal drama and great storytelling. 5/5 Stars.

Swann's War by Michael Oren

I am a big fan of Dr. Oren's history books so when I saw this one in the library I grabbed it.  The story is interesting and good; the mystery is ok, not that great.  I love the historical context and setting. 3/5 Stars.