Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion

This is the Discussion thread for the April Group Read of Silk Road by Colin Falconer.



1260 AD: Josseran Sarrazini is a man divided in his soul. A Christian Knight Templar haunted by a shameful past, he hopes to find redemption in a dangerous crusade: a journey from Palestine to Xanadu, to form a crucial allegiance against the Saracens at the legendary court of Kubilai Khan - the seat of the Mongol Empire.

Instead he finds the solace he seeks in a warrior-princess from a heathen tribe. Beautiful and ferocious, Khutelun is a Tartar, a nomadic rider of the Mongolian steppe. Although their union is utterly impossible, she will find in Josseran what she cannot find in one of her own.

Parched by desert winds, pursued by Saracen hordes, and now tormented by a passion he cannot control, Josseran must abandon Khutelun if he is to complete his journey and save his soul. Worse, he must travel with William, a Dominican friar of fearsome zeal who longs for matyrdom, but whose life Josseran is sworn to protect. And worse yet, he will arrive in Xanadu just as the greatest empire in human history plunges into civil war.

Winding through the plains of Palestine and over the high mountains of the Hindu Kush, from the empty wastes of the Taklimakan desert to the golden palaces of China, Silk Road weaves a spellbinding story of sin, desire, conflict and human frailty onto the vast tapestry of the medieval orient.

My library has this cover
but I much prefer the purple-grey one.

I have reserved my copy of Silk Road for April.

My library had about 5 copies and they are all due back approx 5th April.

there is no way that there will be a hold up this time (unlike other group reads where I have reserved books for the read and something happens to postpone it).
Because they have so many copies and they are all due back early April I will definitely be starting Silk road in the first week of April.

I will kick off the month with the other group read (the Ancient one) Conspiracies of Rome then come onto the Silk Road group read as soon as I finish that up.

I have this one in my possession now.
I will read the other group read first come April 1 I think as it is a smaller book.

Have added a short 6 minute video on the Silk Road to the group to coincide with the Silk Road group read.
http://www.goodreads.com/videos/40725...

welcome Colin.

Welcome Colin. Great to have you join us.

And thanks to those who tweeted Colin to let him know we are reading Silk Road this month.

I don't know how many will be on the two group reads this months as I know some of our regular group readers cannot source the books at their libraries.

I hope as the month progresses that more and more will join in the read, but until then, there are definitely a couple of us who will be reading your book in April and commenting here, Colin. :)

I started the month out with our 'Ancient Group Read' Conspiracies of Rome so I will still be a few days off starting Silk Road.

RE: Covers
I'll have you know. That purple cover is one of my new favourite historical fiction covers. Everytime I see it I find it really pleasant to the eye. :)

Thank you for joining us Colin
I'm all moved in to my new abode, so I'll be starting this tomorrow. :)

What a fantastic offer.
I will let some people know! Hopefully they aren't committed to other books and can jump in and read it this month.

It keeps surprising me the amount of authors that aren't gettign taken up by US publishers. They must be so cautious right now with the ecomony and the whole ebook and Amazon market.
You are not our first author to have this issue. (and won't be our last I imagine).
We had Andrew Swanston's book The King's Spy recently and our US members just couldn't get his book, and the ebook edition was over $15.
Same problem with Richard Blake with this months April 'Ancient' read. He has 10 books and yet he isn't readily available in the US market.
Another was Michael Arnold who has a four book series.

you are all successful authors who have written many high quality books and yet the US and North American market is very reluctant to give you all deals.

It is a shame the book market is in such an uncertain state of affairs right now. It is to the detriment of authors and readers.

I shall let people know that you are making your ebook available for the group read. :)

(for the record..I am paper all the way..I don't like ebooks)

Beginning to read this book today (kobo in case anyone is wondering). Looking forward to this as I find the idea fascinating.

Daniel wrote: "Beginning to read this book today (kobo in case anyone is wondering). Looking forward to this as I find the idea fascinating."

Kobo! Well good on you. :)

Great to have you along on another group read, Daniel!

Colin wrote: "Teri, I understand how readers like print books (even though I am a complete eBook fanatic - I am child-like in my need for immediate gratification I guess!) but it's print publishers who are partl..."

I also don't think publishers know their HF audience yet. I think they know some of the female demographic as the ladies do like the more female targeted type of HF. They seem to sell like hot cakes.
They also know some of their male market, thanks to Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden.
But I sometimes wonder if the big6 are learning their way with what I call 'unisex' HF. HF that can be marketed at both sexes. The kind of books you will find in here.
As you can see on the Groups Recommended Reading List: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/24...
I am seeing more of these 'unisex' reads becoming available in the UK and Europe. UK publishers seem to me more trusting that they will sell. I hope soon that the US publishers will take leaps of faith with books that are marketed at both sexes.

Amen.

Bryn wrote: "Amen."

Agreed.

On other notes, finished Part 1, it was ok. I have a feeling it was written more to introduce the characters and setup the situation then explore 'life among the Templars' or describe the cities of Tyre and Antioch. So far, 3 of 5. I am intrigued as to what is happening.

Since I completely missed last month's read, I'll give this one a try. Unfortunately, it's not at either of my public libraries, so I'll have to order it from work. Maybe I'll even get it read!

Wow, can't even get it from work. I'll have to check the bookstores!

Have my ebook version loaded up on the Kindle...thanks to Colin for his generous offer. Will be starting this read soon as well.

Marty wrote: "Wow, can't even get it from work. I'll have to check the bookstores!"

If you're an eBook reader Marty, check out message #10. The author can send you a copy if you like.

Getting into this story. nearing a 4 :)

Daniel wrote: "Getting into this story. nearing a 4 :)"


ooo..intriguing...:)

I've read the first two parts, and am enjoying it. The sort of 'vignette' style chapters make it, I think, a more honest travel story. Rarely is there always something going on from one place to the other. Also, I think that the economy of words allows for a large story to be told in a reasonable amount of space.

There are some mythical/mystical aspects, but they are all reasoned out as part of the religion. For comparison: unlike Manda Scott, the story isn't about the interpretation of the message, rather it enhances the understanding of a particular group's belief system.

My book arrived today... :D
Nice smell. Beautiful cover illustration. No complaint with the font used. Very positive first impression.

I wish I owned this book with the purple cover. Is that the cover you have, Lia? The purple one in this thread title?

I have a library copy and it has the white cover I mentioned at the beginning of the thread.

I have the one in the thread title.

Terri wrote: "I wish I owned this book with the purple cover. Is that the cover you have, Lia? The purple one in this thread title?

I have a library copy and it has the white cover I mentioned at the beginning ..."

Yes, paperback with the purple cover . I've been looking at the cover (front and back) for almost one hour now.

You lucky things!!! :)

Colin wrote: "Hi Teri, rapt that you've chosen SILK ROAD as one of your books to read this month. Thanks to Michelle and Darcy for letting me know and inviting me to drop by. I'd be delighted to answer any quest..."

So glad you're joining us, Colin! Personally, I love the white cover. Of course, it's the edition I own so I guess I'm partial. =O)

purple. But this is my cover as well.

I like the white one. Love the purple.
Was having a close look at the white one today...admiring the lovely gold embossing. :)

Going by ebook measures I'm 30% through this book. (view spoiler)[ I'm having difficulty connecting to any of these characters. There hasn't been enough depth developed to any one of them for me to like, dislike, or empathize with. So far they are fairly stereotypical so I'm having them represent 'cultural views' rather than seeing them as individual characters. (hide spoiler)] Which may not be a bad thing...

Monica wrote: "Going by ebook measures I'm 30% through this book. [spoilers removed] Which may not be a bad thing..."

I agree with what you say in spoiler, but I have found something that is keeping me coming back to the story. Not sure what it is yet. 'I don't know art, but I know what I like' type thing.

Dawn wrote: "If you're an eBook reader Marty, check out message #10. The author can send you a copy if you like."

Thanks for pointing that post out, Dawn. Hopefully I can get started on the book today.

I just started last night..(I am finishing a review book and another group read) So grateful to Colin who went above and beyond to make sure I had a readable copy..apparently I just did not know how to transfer a MOBI. Bunches of Thanks!

Enjoying the small amount I read so far..Acre is familiar to me as a reader of medieval and crusades.. Thanks Terri for the video, I do love to understand what is happening and where.. flipping back and forth between authors notes and narrative is clumsy with the Kindle ( which is new to me)
Kathleen

Daniel wrote: "I have found something that is keeping me coming back to the story..."

Ahh yes, an itch that needs to be scratched ;-)

Kathleen wrote: "Thanks Terri for the video, I do love to understand what is happening and where...."

You are most welcome. :)

Now 60% through the ebook. Not sure I need to qualify this as a "spoiler", but to respect other readers, I have. (view spoiler)[ For me the story is finally coming into its own. More richness in the attention to detail, cultural exchanges, and depth of characters. Can begin to feel the story rather than view it from the sidelines. (hide spoiler)]

I'm opening your spoilers, Monica, and for my part, I don't find them spoilerish -- nothing specific and plotty given away. Your last makes me look forward to it, too.

Bryn wrote: "I'm opening your spoilers, Monica, and for my part, I don't find them spoilerish -- nothing specific and plotty given away. Your last makes me look forward to it, too."

Thanks Bryn, good to know. I don't want to "plant" any preconceived notions for anyone. These are just my thoughts on the book as I go along.

Finished the book. I'll put my opinions inside the "spoiler" so as not to sway other readers. Had it's moments, but...(view spoiler)[There is a very good story here, left just beneath the surface. At times it pops up and flows along (as it did for me from the 60%-80% mark of the ebook). But, what could have carried through as a rich story was drowned out by the overkill of a wave of sterotypical one-note vices. Would have liked to have seen a greater emphasis on the culture and its importance in shaping history, rather than using it as merely a setting for the story. (hide spoiler)] Anyone else have thoughts on the book?

I felt the book had its moments too. (view spoiler)[I expected the story to either be about the Silk Road or that it would be a 'character'. There's only time when I thought that the essence of the Silk Road was born out. The rest I found to be about a series of quests: redemption for one man, for ultimate success of another, and true love for a woman who should otherwise be a leader. In that respect I was disappointed; (hide spoiler)]. However, I found the pace worked well and (view spoiler)[ Josseran's self doubt to be thoroughly fleshed out (hide spoiler)].

almost finished, really, really enjoyed it.
l look forward to writing review for it, a well deserved 4 stars will be coming from me.
The desert and mountains were so well described, felt like l was there.

I am on page 146. I like this book.

I enjoyed the ending of this story, it had a nice pacing to it and tied up things well. 3.5

I began this on the bus, 18%. Quite enjoying it; I like the travelogue.

I am 68% through the book, and I am still enjoying it. I did not know what mobi was. Tom, the man I am married to, the computer whiz, acted like he did not know what Mobi was either. I fall for his 'I don't know what you mean darlin, but I would help you if I could' look every time he pulls it on me. The author was so gracious in sending me an e copy that would work on Nook. As soon as I finish this book, I am going shopping for a mobi app, and I am sending the bill to Tom. I have a few looks of my own.

mobi is the format used by MobiPocket Reader. It can be read by other readers (Kindle, Kobo, etc) and the desktop application Calibre.

Colin, you did send me a pdf, and I am enjoying it. Thank you so much.
Daniel, thank you for the info. Still don't understand it, but maybe one day I will. Of course Tom knew what mobi was. He just didn't want to help me at that moment. (I STRESS ' at that moment'). You men know what I am talking about!
Terri, I hope your back is better. If you live long enough you are bound to have some back problems. My swimming routine has helped the sciatica and sprained foot.

Thanks for all of your help.

Just requested a copy of Silk Road. Looking forward to this month's read.

It is great that so many US members have taken Colin's ebook offer up. :-)