Review by G. Poirier for Last Pagan Rating:
Before reading this book, I knew nothing about the Emperor Julian. Consequently, I was surprised to see, through this superb biography, what a remarkable man he was. The author is very successful in bringing Julian to life. He discusses the man from his birth to his death, as well as the times just prior to and after this period. The religious climate of the times is particularly well developed – especially in view of Julian’s religious beliefs. The author is very careful in identifying his sources and in pointing out certain details that may be less certain and occasionally controversial. Julian’s influence on the literature of the medieval period and thereafter is also discussed near the end of the book. Overall, Julian is portrayed as a remarkable man who, had he lived longer, may have been classified as one of the Roman Empire’s better emperors. The writing style is authoritative, accessible, friendly and quite engaging. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, but it will likely be of particular interest to ancient history buffs.
Review by Suzanne for Last Pagan Rating:
Julian is an endlessly fascinating figure, and this biog is a well written & credible study of a true turning point in history. The section on the different ways Julian has been portrayed through history was particularly good, and the new material on his death was interesting.
Review by for Last Pagan Rating:
loved this – a great and human insight into a period of classical history that normally gets ignored. I remember bits of classical Greece or Caesar’s times, but hadn’t ever looked at the later years of the Romans – the fourth century AD. The research has been well done, but condensed into a story about a single man – real insight into the society and structure of the late Roman times. And of course the whole episode of his invading Mesopotamia (Iraq now) was fascinating – from his mistakes and over-reaching to his eventual death. (The detective work round his cause of death was particularly interesting).Highly recommended.
Review by Leon Napo for Last Pagan Rating:
At first, I did not like the popular approach to this history of Julian the Apostate; however, by the time I finished, I realized that the popular style is really what the author brings to the discussion of Julian, especially in the last chapter. For example, we are given a modern travelogue to Julian’s life and military campaigns. I can now retrace Julian’s routes through Europe to Asia Minor (should I ever get the itch). The last chapter gives a short account of historical, artistic, and literary work on the subject of Julian, many of which I was not familiar with. However, he strangely omits recent historical accounts by G.W. Bowerstock, Athanassiadi Polymnia, or Roland Smith.The author offers a balanced historical account of Julian’s life, discussing his strengths and weaknesses; however, there is not much new in the way of analysis or historical facts. Regardless, I enjoyed the read, although some of the modern analogies were a bit stretched.
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(out of 4 reviews)
Review by G. Poirier for Last Pagan
Rating:
Before reading this book, I knew nothing about the Emperor Julian. Consequently, I was surprised to see, through this superb biography, what a remarkable man he was. The author is very successful in bringing Julian to life. He discusses the man from his birth to his death, as well as the times just prior to and after this period. The religious climate of the times is particularly well developed – especially in view of Julian’s religious beliefs. The author is very careful in identifying his sources and in pointing out certain details that may be less certain and occasionally controversial. Julian’s influence on the literature of the medieval period and thereafter is also discussed near the end of the book. Overall, Julian is portrayed as a remarkable man who, had he lived longer, may have been classified as one of the Roman Empire’s better emperors. The writing style is authoritative, accessible, friendly and quite engaging. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, but it will likely be of particular interest to ancient history buffs.
Review by Suzanne for Last Pagan
Rating:
Julian is an endlessly fascinating figure, and this biog is a well written & credible study of a true turning point in history. The section on the different ways Julian has been portrayed through history was particularly good, and the new material on his death was interesting.
Review by for Last Pagan
Rating:
loved this – a great and human insight into a period of classical history that normally gets ignored. I remember bits of classical Greece or Caesar’s times, but hadn’t ever looked at the later years of the Romans – the fourth century AD. The research has been well done, but condensed into a story about a single man – real insight into the society and structure of the late Roman times. And of course the whole episode of his invading Mesopotamia (Iraq now) was fascinating – from his mistakes and over-reaching to his eventual death. (The detective work round his cause of death was particularly interesting).Highly recommended.
Review by Leon Napo for Last Pagan
Rating:
At first, I did not like the popular approach to this history of Julian the Apostate; however, by the time I finished, I realized that the popular style is really what the author brings to the discussion of Julian, especially in the last chapter. For example, we are given a modern travelogue to Julian’s life and military campaigns. I can now retrace Julian’s routes through Europe to Asia Minor (should I ever get the itch). The last chapter gives a short account of historical, artistic, and literary work on the subject of Julian, many of which I was not familiar with. However, he strangely omits recent historical accounts by G.W. Bowerstock, Athanassiadi Polymnia, or Roland Smith.The author offers a balanced historical account of Julian’s life, discussing his strengths and weaknesses; however, there is not much new in the way of analysis or historical facts. Regardless, I enjoyed the read, although some of the modern analogies were a bit stretched.