Timothy VenningRecensioni

As others have said, it is poorly organized. Information is repeated with no reference to the previous content. Sometimes it sounds like two comic book guys arguing over whether superman or the hulk would win in a fight with references to specific issues of comics and digressions into whether movies or TV shows count. By that I mean there is a lot of detailed and accurate information but the telling jumps back and forth, repeats, as I have said before, and assumes knowledge that the reader may or may not know. Possible branch points are mentioned and then not explored. They come one after another. There are dozens and dozens of possible branches mentioned and I have no suggestions on what would have been a good way to handle them, but there must have been a better way.

If you are already familiar with the history of the Roman Empire, both eastern and western, as well as the Dark Ages and the Arab invasions, then this book would be interesting for you. It is just not an easy read.

For most of the early Middle Ages, England was divided into a series of kingdoms ruled over by different houses. Over centuries these kingdoms were absorbed, conquered, and annexed to form the England we know today, with many of the details of the men who ruled them subsequently lost to history.

Pat of the challenge for anyone seeking to study the era is sorting through this collection of names so as to understand who ruled where and when. In this respect Timothy Venning's book is a useful tool. Dividing the era into a series of chronologically arranged chapters, he offers brief biographies in chronological order of the kings who ruled during that time, as well as a few of the most notable queens. The biographies themselves vary in length, with some only a paragraph long while others cover several pages. Together they provide a summary of the basic facts about the monarch's life and reign, with little in the way of analysis or context. While a handy volume, Venning provides little that is not already more easily available online. This may raise questions of utility for some, but for those who want a useful reference guide at hand Venning's book meets the need adequately.

Unfortunately I abandoned this book a third of the way through. It reminded me of why I dropped ancient history at university and focused on archaeology. It is extremely dry and boring, page after page of names and dates, events and relationships. The book does not captivate the reader and truly make them wonder what might have been, it sedates them and makes them wonder if the Western Empire collapsed because somehow Venning transported his book back in time and everyone read it!

hist