Mitchell James Kaplan

Into the Unbounded Night takes place in three places; first in a place the people call Albion that is being destroyed by a marauding army that calls the island Brittania. There we meet Aislin, a young girl under the care of her aunt. We are also introduced to Vespasian, the Roman general in charge of one of the legions conquering the land that modern times will know as England. Vespasian is as cruel as they come and he destroys anything he comes in contact with – all to the glory of Rome, of course. Aislin manages to survive him and through her strength and some luck she finds herself in Rome where she is forced into a relationship with a rich Roman – but that does help her acclimate her to the ways of these people who destroyed all she knew.

But her life in Rome is not settled as the son she bears for her patron is disabled and he is most displeased. As she flees to save the life of her child, she is again in a perilous position – especially in a world that worships perfection. Caught up in the chaos as the great fire starts and rages, Aislin finds herself in prison shackled next to a man named Paul; a member of a new religion that has the Emporor all riled up. He has blamed them for all that ails Rome. As she listens to him she learns his story and he gives her a mission for after her release.

Aislin takes this mission very seriously and when reunited with her son she heads to Jeruslalem to do as Paul has asked. Along the way she meets a man named Yohanan, a teacher. The reader has learned a bit of his story already earlier in the book. These four people – Aislin, her son, Yohanan, and Vespasian will all play important roles in the story of Jerusalem and Rome.

I have to admit that it took me a little while to figure out how all of the players fit together in this tale. Rome, in it’s heyday ruled over a mindblowingly large part of the world and kept trying to conquer more peoples. And they weren’t exactly kind rulers – it was Rome’s way or good bye. I will also admit that like a lot of literary fiction sometimes things happen over my head. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy what I am reading, I just don’t always understand all of the nuances of what is going on.

Mr. Kaplan’s writing is just magical. Despite sometimes not completely understanding what was going on, I found myself lost in the world he created. This is a book I am going to have to read again to gather up all I missed the first time because I was so lost in the beautiful words. Then I might be able to sort out the parts that are smarter than I am – or maybe not. Some books are just like that. Doesn’t mean I don’t love them, just means I don’t fully understand them. I read the book in a day and it was a wonderful day of reading… (altro)

In the year 40 C.E. Aislin lives a hardworking but honest life with her aunt Muirgheal. They live in Albion on what is known as Britannia. When Albion is conquered by the Roman General Vespasian, Aislin is taken hostage and her aunt dies for her village. Used by Vespasian and discarded, Aislin vows vengeance. While wandering, Aislin meets disgraced Roman soldier Septimus. They become travelling companions and Septimus introduces Aislin to the city of Rome. Aislin's introduction is brief as she is thrown on the streets and picked up by Pallas, a wealthy patrician who uses Aislin to beget a son. Aislin delivers a boy, Faolan, who is disabled. Rather than kill her son, Aislin flees with Faolan. While raising Faolan on the streets of Rome, Aislin learns of the best and worst of humanity while finding a true partner in Yohanan.
Into the Unbounded Night is a beautifully told story of the lives of several people during the precarious time period of the formation of monotheistic belief systems in the Roman Empire. I haven't read a lot about this period of time and was very impressed by the historical detail that managed to not derail the storyline and characters. The story follows six very different characters through this time. I was most drawn to Aislin's story and found it a little difficult to keep all of the characters in line at points. Aislin was easy for me to relate to despite living so long ago and her life managed to tie together many of the important elements on her own. I was constantly amazed by the ups and downs of her journey, her ability to survive and how she managed to prevail over all those who sought to destroy who she is and the people she came from. I did enjoy the inclusion of Azazel and wish that story would have been expanded upon.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (altro)

Summary: Historical fiction set in the mid-first century AD in the Roman Empire, spanning conquests from Albion (Britannia), Carthage, and Jerusalem, and the center of power in Rome.

Imagine a narrative that connects the characters of Vespasian, Roman general and future emperor, Saul of Tarsus, and Yohanan ben Zakkai, the rabbi who escaped rebellious Jerusalem and established a center that preserved Judaism after the fall of the temple and Jerusalem. Throw in cameos by Stephen the Martyr, Lucanus (Luke the physician), Caiaphas the high priest, and Josephus. Imagine a narrative that knits together the conquest of Britannia, the fires of Rome, Paul in prison, and the rebellion leading to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

This is that narrative.

What ties this together is a young woman of Albion, Aislin, mentored by the warrioress Muirgheal. When the Romans under Vespasian come, Aislin alone survives, raped and then discarded by Vespasian. Aislin vows revenge. With a soldier who chooses anonymous exile to death, she flees Britannia (Rome’s name for Albion) ending up in Rome. While in Rome, she survives on the streets, bears a mentally deficient but lovable son, and ends up in prison with the Apostle Paul for burning Rome. As the flames spread, she and Paul escape, she agrees to carry a special coin to the Christians in Jerusalem as Paul’s emissary, and meets up with Yohanan ben Zakkai, also traveling there. There she remains as Yohanan forms a rabbinic community while failing to temper the brewing rebellion that brings down the wrath of Rome

Somehow, Aislin survives it all.

The narrative offers a glimpse of how Roman, Jewish, and early Christian history interweave. And somehow, it works as the narrative moves back and forth between Aislin, Yohanan, Vespasian, and Paulus (as he is called in the narrative). The strangest part perhaps is the “Messenger” Azazel, rescuer of scapegoats and lost children. We gain a sense of the rival religions of the empire and the rival hopes and visions of the diverse peoples. We glimpse all these through Aislin as well, who never quite embraces anything besides the remnants of her own spirituality, yet is enriched and moves beyond revenge to love a strange child and a mystical rabbi. We also see the brutal exercise of Roman power in colonial conquest and political decadence. The account is bracketed by encounters between Aislin and Vespasian, who discovers that he can only conquer land, but not the human spirit.

I wasn’t sure this would all work, but strong and complex characters (even Vespasian), a first century world the author brings vividly alive and a plot that spans an empire all come together to spin a fascinating tale. Sometimes we find ourselves puzzling at cultures so different from our own. At others we forget that two millenia separate us from these all-too-human people.

________________________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher via LibraryThing. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (altro)

Kaplan’s novel tells the story of a young woman from what is now Great Britain, who encounters the Roman army as they invade her homeland.
Through a series of events, she and her acquaintances wind up having a close view of the excesses of Nero and the ugly underbelly of Rome.

Kaplan takes a risk by including St. Paul as one of his characters in the story. I was intrigued to see the trial of Stephen, the first Christian martyr portrayed from the perspective of a fictional friend of Stephen. This scene portrayed the trial and outcome differently than most readers are used to. Kaplan decided to take a writer’s liberty with the story and thus left Stephen’s story rather vague. Ultimately, it did not portray a convincing or realistic case of why the Jewish leaders would want him stoned to death.

I was disappointed that the intelligent and eloquent St. Paul was reduced to a modern new-age philosopher speaking of a vague new-age impersonal deity-ish. The Jewish leaders are also portrayed as wishy-washy. While I don’t expect a novel to be fully faithful to first-century Jewish and Christian theology, I expected more than this emaciated modern take.

He makes Satan into a character in his story and attempts to make him sympathetic—just a misunderstood angel trying to help out mankind. I suppose that is how Satan would describe himself, but Kaplan almost seems to side with him.

Perhaps I had the wrong expectations for the story, because while I found it as an interesting portrayal of first-century life—as seen through a 21st century lens—it ultimately landed short of my hopes and expectations.

I received a complimentary copy of this book with the expectation I would provide an honest review in return. This is that review.… (altro)