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S'està carregant… Memoirs of a Byzantine Eunuchde Christopher Harris
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Captured and castrated as a boy, Zeno is sold into slavery in Constantinople. Bought by the greatest scholar of the age, he is soon drawn into a labyrinth of sex, heresy, murder and intrigue. Though the empire is threatened by a heretic uprising and a barbarian invasion, its rulers think only of themselves. In the cruel and glittering city of Constantinople, a ruthless general, a bisexual boy-emperor, a worldly patriarch, a peasant usurper and a half-Viking empress all vie for power. Unknown to them, the real power lies elsewhere, among the devious and decadent eunuchs of the palace. Zeno conspires, deceives, manipulates and murders, his divided loyalties leading him deeper into danger until he is forced to betray those he loves. No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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This is Zeno's story told from his comfortable old age. When still a lad from the country, he is captured by Rus warriors [we would know them as Vikings], becomes the slave of Inger, and is castrated. From a squalid tavern at which the drunken Inger's comrades leave him behind and sail to the North and where Inger marries the hostess and has a daughter, Eudocia; he is bought by a Byzantine scholar and is brought to the city. Years pass, then Zeno crosses paths with future Emperor, Michael III. Through the orders of his master and another scholar, Zeno leads him down the path of depravity. In the tavern, Michael meets Eudocia, now a beautiful young lady; she becomes Michael's mistress. After Michael becomes emperor, she is married off to Basil, his favorite, a base-born peasant and stable hand. Much of those types of description were gratuitous and I feel could have been left out. Some of them turned my stomach. The graphic descriptions of violent male rape were especially disturbing. The opening scene: a travesty of the Liturgy, was shocking. Zeno became involved in Byzantine politics, religious heresies and intrigue. I didn't like any belittlement of ecclesiastical institutions. Michael, the last of the Phrygian dynasty, is gruesomely assassinated in bed. Right before dawn, a peasant [Basil the Macedonian] and former tavern-girl [Eudocia] rule the Roman [Byzantine] Empire.
I would have rated this book higher had there not been so much debauch. I didn't like any belittlement of ecclesiastical institutions. When I saw something of either nature coming I skipped over or skimmed it. How much was inserted purely for shock value? Because of so much of this nature, the last few chapters after the murder of Michael were rushed through to the conclusion. The author did a good job of evoking Constantinople, although I don't think I would have wanted to live there at that time. There was a very interesting 'Historical Note'. ( )