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403rd out of 3,151 books
—
13,812 voters
The Light Bearer
by
Donna Gillespie (Goodreads Author)
On the day of her birth, Auriane received a mysterious amulet from a priestess-and a doubleedged prophecy of doom and glory. The daughter of a Germanic tribal chieftain, Auriane witnessed unspeakable horrors committed against her people by ruthless invaders. And when tragedy tore her family apart, she took the oath of a warrior, and vowed revenge. Tales of her brilliant sw
...morePaperback, 1024 pages
Published
November 1st 1996
by Jove
(first published January 1st 1994)
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May 29, 2012
Lance Greenfield Mitchell
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
It took me a long time to read this book, because it is a long book. It is way, way, way, way, WAY too long!
The story is great, but there were many times when I found myself wanting to shout a the words in front of my eyes, for page after page, "Just get on with it!" There was a long period during which reading this book reminded me of my marathon running days. I thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience, but it was sometimes a labour of love: between the 21 and 25 mile points. I suppose that e...more
The story is great, but there were many times when I found myself wanting to shout a the words in front of my eyes, for page after page, "Just get on with it!" There was a long period during which reading this book reminded me of my marathon running days. I thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience, but it was sometimes a labour of love: between the 21 and 25 mile points. I suppose that e...more
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I'm really interested in the history of Ancient Rome and my favorite way to learn about history is through a well researched historical novel. I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the Roman Emperors, Nero and Domitian.
Half of the story follows the heroine, Auriane, through her struggles against the Roman invasion of the Chattian tribe, of which she is a warrior. I liked her character. Dispersed between Auriane's story is another subplot that takes place in Rome from the POV of Marcus Arr...more
Half of the story follows the heroine, Auriane, through her struggles against the Roman invasion of the Chattian tribe, of which she is a warrior. I liked her character. Dispersed between Auriane's story is another subplot that takes place in Rome from the POV of Marcus Arr...more
I read this book every spring for several years, bought multiple copies as gifts and even emailed the author to express my gratitude. I still keep two copies on hand, just in case I need to give one away. I stumbled across this book when I had no particular inclination to historical fiction. It rocked my world, made me ask difficult questions of my own person character and helped me remember why I loved storytelling.
Donna Gillespie isn’t one of those writers who puts a book out every year, and...more
Donna Gillespie isn’t one of those writers who puts a book out every year, and...more
Epic in scope, truthful and historically convincing writing, and extremely clever plotting. I love the portraits of Roman emperors and politicians. It inspired me a few times to go to wikipedia and compare. It's awesome.
The one aspect of the story that bothered me was that it was predicated on "fate". There seem to be prophecies and souls and destinies. The Germanic people see the world as a magical place, fraught with spirits, omens, souls, and gods. This makes perfect sense, and it's interest...more
The one aspect of the story that bothered me was that it was predicated on "fate". There seem to be prophecies and souls and destinies. The Germanic people see the world as a magical place, fraught with spirits, omens, souls, and gods. This makes perfect sense, and it's interest...more
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This was much better than I initially thought it was going to be (I guess that is why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover...even if it does have a Celtic warrior princess on it). Gillespie is a magnificent writer who breathes life into her realistic and often flawed characters. She fills her well researched descriptions with the sights, sounds and smells of millenia past. I was also pleasantly surprised by the philosophical nature this book had and the author even questions (through other ch...more
Excellent! This novel was a true pleasure to read - very well-written with a wonderfully twisty-turny plot. The story begins in the time of Nero and shifts seamlessly back and forth between two young people from totally different worlds - Auriane, daughter of a Chattian war leader; and Marcus Arrius Julianus, a slave boy turned Roman senator and imperial adviser. Of course, their lives eventually cross.
Fans of traditional romance may be disappointed with this one. This is NOT a romance. It is a...more
Fans of traditional romance may be disappointed with this one. This is NOT a romance. It is a...more
I enjoyed The Light Bearer very much, not only for its classical setting, being something of a Classics scholar, but also for its entertainment appeal. It was a great word of historical fiction, and I especially applaud Gillespie on her extensive knowledge or Roman culture and history which as far as I can tell is fairly accurate. The dual storyline following the heroine of the Germanic tribes, Auriane, and the Roman senator and philosopher, Marcus Arrius Julianus, was highly enjoyable. My only...more
Nov 05, 2007
Aiyaruk
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of Margaret George or anyone interested in historical fiction
Shelves:
read-fiction
I rarely give books five stars, even if they're spectacular or have changed my life. I have strict criteria for the five-star book, and this is a perfect example of it. This book captured my imagination like none other, with a sense of realism and fantasy intermixed. When I read this book, I felt that the events taking place might possibly have really happened, even though there was a touch of fantasy! I was 14/15ish when I first read this book, and while I was probably a little young for some o...more
If you're interested in the intersection of ancient Rome and the Germanic tribes, this is a wonderful fantasy novel about a young Germanic tribal priestess who is captured by Roman soldiers and forced to fight as a gladiatrix. Set in the time of Nero and Domitian, this book took author Donna Gillespie 12 years to research and write. It's a long book, but a fast-paced read, and is perfect for vacation or late-night reading.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When I took on this book the first time I was in high school, and it increased my passion for reading and writing. This book is absolutely mind blowing, and the ending leaves you speechless. Donna Gillespie explains Auriane's people in a mystical way. Her skill at weaving a web with Roman politics is amazing. I wish every book could sew such and intriguing, heart-wrenching, and engaging plot. Wonderful!
Awhile ago I went through a huge historical fiction phase. While I still love the books I don't focus on only them so much any more. However, I rememeber this one as one of my favorite. Set during the time of the Roman Empire, this book is filled with gladiators, blood, violence, intrigue and love. I especially love the part when Auriane, the female main character, chokes another gladiator with her hair.
This book beautifully illustrates the mores of both Roman and Germanic society. Auriane is a girl from the Chats (one of the Germanic tribes), who can feel the gods and goddesses surround her. The rushing of the wind through the trees is the laughter of Freya, the thunder in the sky an answer of Wodan. Rituals and divination are intertwined with day-to-day life, in the continuous battle against the Roman empire. Auriane has ideas to help them, but they lead her away from the normal life and norm...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I have a master's degree in ancient history, so take this with a grain of salt... but this has been my favorite book since I was twelve. The sequal is equally as good, and the story hasn't been finished. I'm hoping for at least a third. The books have ancient Roman political intrigue, love, passion, war, action...
Donna Gillespie writes with such rich language that she had me tumbling into her story. I traveled along with a feisty Germanic leader captured by the Romans. She made me cold in the bleak winter and sweaty in the Roman sunshine. A great adventure well worth reading. (Read it over Winter Break!)
I read this a while ago, but it was my first-ever historical fiction novel. I really liked it. The characters were great, and I actually learned a lot about Rome and the germanian tribes, and pagan lore of he time. Plus it was a fabulous adventure novel. I think I still have a copy somewhere.
Another well written historical novel of Ancient Roman and Germania.
The sequel was written many years later and I didn't think it was half as good.
A germanic woman in the circuses of Rome.
The sequel was written many years later and I didn't think it was half as good.
A germanic woman in the circuses of Rome.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a great read. The characters keep you interested. I learned a lot about how conquered tribes dealt with the invasion of the Romans. Great descriptions of Rome during this era.
I think I read this around age 16, and at 1000+ pages, I think it is still the longest novel I've read. That said, I really think that it flew for me. Even in my teens, this novel was engaging enough to make me forget the fact that it was twice the size of most of the other books I read (I'm not squemish when it comes to larger novels, but most authors simply don't write them). I gave this four instead of five stars, because it seems to be a one time read. I tried to go back and re-discover it a...more
Very long, meaty historical fiction novel about the daughter of the chieftain of an early Germanic tribe, the Chattians, as they try to resist being conquered by the Roman Empire. Admirable amount of interesting historical detail about the times and a main character that you care about enough to stick with her for 700+ pages as her life undergoes many trials and tribulations... there is romance in this book, and you root for it, but I found it a tiny bit lacking... not enough time spent on devel...more
This was a pretty creative historical fiction story that I enjoyed, it's not the best out there, but overall worth reading.
This is a great book, very detailed with an incredibly absorbing story. This book takes you back in time. Well worth the effort.
Read this book numerous times before i even went to highschool, remains a favourite.
I read this book in German when I was a teen and absolutely loved it.
Overly long, many things crucial to the plot never explained.
May 04, 2008
Laura
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Laura by:
Misfit, Selene
On the day of her birth, Auriane received a mysterious amulet from a priestess-and a doubleedged prophecy of doom and glory. The daughter of a Germanic tribal chieftain, Auriane witnessed unspeakable horrors committed against her people by ruthless invaders. And when tragedy tore her family apart, she took the oath of a warrior, and vowed revenge. Tales of her brilliant swath of conquest carried as far as Rome, to the renowned statesman Marcus Julianus-who felt his destiny intertwined with Auria...more
This book is start to finish A-MAZE-ING!!!
Now I know why Rome fell. Certainly the author has done her research. There was a lot of violence in the book - a bit strong for many tastes. The plot and concern for the main character kept me turning pages.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Ancient Historica...: Donna Gillespie | 2 | 8 | Dec 20, 2012 07:35pm |
Donna Gillespie is the author of two historical novels set in first century Rome, The Light Bearer (Berkley/Putnam, 1994) and Lady of the Light (Berkley/Putnam, 2006). The Light Bearer has been translated into German, Dutch, Russian and Italian. An international bestseller, it was optioned by Hallmark Entertainment for a miniseries. Her second novel, Lady of the Light, is the sequel to The Light B...more
More about Donna Gillespie...
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