June Books 22) Byzantium! by Keith Topping

[nwhyte]

There are some aspects of this book that are so awful that I almost wanted to claw my eyes out. It is set in the city of Byzantium (the future Constantinople / Istanbul) in the first century AD. The city's population appears to be mainly Jewish (divided between Zealots, Christians and those in between), with a Greek minority and a settled Roman

Comments

[artw]

See now I'm wanting to know where the minaret idea came from and to what extent they were a new invention when Islam begun. Wikipedia has not helped me with this.

[nwhyte]

A bit of googling led me to the conclusion that they started coming in about the time of the construction of the Great Mosque of Damascus in about 705.

The context in the book makes it clear that Topping is thinking of the minarets on the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, so really there is no excuse!

[swisstone]

I can't take it off you for research purposes, as I already own it, thoiugh I've never read it. Not sure I will now ...

[peteyoung]

Not wishing to dogpile here, but of all the Telos novellas I felt Ghost Ship was certainly the least good, the kind of story that somehow fell apart simply with the act of reading it. And it doesn't sit easily alongside the brilliance of Fallen Gods or Citadel of Dreams.

[altariel]

And it's definitely not all for comic effect?

I'm very curious, and will gladly take this bullet for you. (*hopes that is asking nicely enough*)

[nwhyte]

Happy to send on - you are still at the same address as you were when I sent The Rising of the Moon in February?

[altariel]

Yes, same address. Many thanks!

[nwhyte]

Sent - enjoy!

[shinyjenni]

I did at least manage to finish Byzantium!, which puts it slightly ahead of Ten Little Aliens and The Indestructible Man. The good writing for Barbara helped, I think, though on the other hand Ian's dialogue sounded like it had been lifted directly from The Bumper Book of 60s Slang without much reference to the way Ian actually speaks.