The Inheritance Of Rome: Illuminating The Dark Ages, 400-1000 (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I really wanted to give this book four stars because it is a great piece of writing, broad and ambitious scope, and very well researched. And it must be said that this work, unlike many other historical books I have read, actually did challenge my view of the early medieval period. But unfortunately like many other readers I found that the lack of a single unifying narrative structure disappointing. It is obvious that Prof Lands has a point he is trying to inculcate and, not for the first time, I wish that he (and hundreds of other brilliantly gifted academics) could see past the need to be perfect in order to tell us what he really wants to say. Still a great book by an undeniably talented academic and a must read in my opinion. This one is going to take a long while for me to finish. The book covers huge amounts of time and information, but touching in on enough details that the reader really needs to be able to sit down with this book for long stretches of time. I have only 20-30-minute snippets of time, and so I have to keep flipping back to remind myself of this or that Senator or General or this or that invasion or revolt that informs the next thing the author talks about. Also, while the author explains in the entire introduction of the book how he was writing more for the masses than for historians and how his work diverges from traditional academic views, I think readers will get a lot more out of the book if they're already familiar with the history and with how ancient Roman society was structured and how different and new this was to the rest of the ancient Western world. On the other hand, I'm not that far into the book, so maybe when I get deeper in more of that will be explained. So, I guess I'm saying, if you want a quick overview of the development of Western European civilization, this book is not for you. If you're a history buff and you want a fresh academic take on the development of Western European civilization, then give this book a shot.
What do You think about The Inheritance Of Rome: Illuminating The Dark Ages, 400-1000 (2009)?
A look at the development of feudalism out of the ashes of the Roman empire. Great book so far.
—deanna
This is an exceptionally detailed and well thought out book.Fantastic read - a real pleasure.
—michelle
Very good. nicely balanced. Information and ideas that generally don't get communicated.
—Lilia
Very good history of what happened after the collapse of the western Roman empire.
—donna
very good, read Champlain's Dream after this. ~1600-1650
—Scott
