book data
82 ratings, 3.88 average rating, 35 reviews
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published
2005
by Faber and Faber
binding
Hardcover, 304 pages
isbn
0571221858
(isbn13: 9780571221851)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 148)
Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
history buffs, those interested in the early confrontations between Islam and the West
This book was very enjoyable, narrative, and engaging effort to explain what is perhaps one of the most facinating and famous clashes of all time. The author took efforts to make the reader understand not only the personalities of the conflict, but the atmosphere and environs in which the events took place. The result is a clear and consise history, with every effort made to remain unbaised and retain historical details, without completely sacrificing the story itself. It is certainly not a b...more
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Read in August, 2008
This was a pretty good and fast read, and gave a very interesting and balanced picture of the two sides in the long-standing conflict between Muslim Asia and Christian Europe. The description of the state of Constantinople in 1453, a once-proud metropolis brought low by disease, corruption and schism, was particularly interesting.
That said, the most interesting chapters by far were the first and last ones, which described much longer periods of time and connected the rise of Islam and disi...more
That said, the most interesting chapters by far were the first and last ones, which described much longer periods of time and connected the rise of Islam and disi...more
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Read in November, 2007
NOV. 19th, 2007: Finished the book and am now reading through all the sources and such. Sorta like extras on a good DVD. I wish I had a real work ethic. I'd turn this into an epic graphic novel and then a few years later get it turned into the most gigantic epic battle movie. It'd be like LOTR without having to tolerate those stupid elves! For all the history lovers but I think this book is written in a friendly enough voice, that it can read almost as a piece of fiction. Almost.
It's fascinati...more
It's fascinati...more
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2 comments
Read in April, 2007
The author is typically English: he tries to make excuses for Moslem atrocities. The author lived in Constantinople and apparently feels the need to justify its history.
While the narrative is ok, the author makes some ridiculous contentions. My favorite example is in trying to talk of the "stereotype" of the "savage Turk" he points out that Christians thought it barbaric how Moslems kidnapped Christian children and raised them to be warriors so Christian children would ...more
While the narrative is ok, the author makes some ridiculous contentions. My favorite example is in trying to talk of the "stereotype" of the "savage Turk" he points out that Christians thought it barbaric how Moslems kidnapped Christian children and raised them to be warriors so Christian children would ...more
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3 comments
Read in September, 2008
recommended to Marina by:
my mom
I gave this book two stars because I was disappointed with it. It tries to tackle a very big subject. That is, the end of the Medieval world, the end of the Byzantine Empire, and the rise of the great Ottoman Empire. That is too much for a book that is this short and limited in scope. For example, the middle chapters give a move by move of the siege of Constantipole by the Ottomans. There is a lot of detail and that is great. The problem is that the first chapter and the last chapter are t...more
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Read in May, 2008
Reading this one now, very exciting, late medieval warfare eminiscent of Lord of the Rings but a true story. I don't give it 5 stars only because it's not what I expected - I am working through several books on the history of Islam and the West trying to put the contemporary era in perspective. This book is light on that level of analysis but is terribly gripping anyway as more of a military history of the last seige of Constantinople. What's interesting is that while historically this is fra...more
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You don't need to go to Instanbul to read this great historical account of the fall of Constantinople, but it sure didn't hurt.
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Read in March, 2008
Apparently I'm reading this. Having just finished the background chapters and gotten to the practically week-by-week accounts of the battle, I hope Crowley calls it like a sportscaster when something's happening and not like those guys blathering on about nothing while someone calls time out. So far it's readable, but not terribly engaging.
Okay, upon finishing: This book did nothing to disabuse me of the notion that reading nonfiction is dull, until the last 60 pages. The final battle and...more
Okay, upon finishing: This book did nothing to disabuse me of the notion that reading nonfiction is dull, until the last 60 pages. The final battle and...more
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Read in October, 2007
This is an account of the fall of Constantinople. For those unfamiliar with the background, the author helpfully provides a very brief background of the history of the city and of its conquerors, the Ottomans.
The bulk of the book is an account of the siege and demonstrates how, despite being seriously outnumbered, abandoned by the Christian kingdoms and bombarded by supersized cannons, the defenders frustrated the Turks who were on the verge of giving up the siege.
Well written account...more
The bulk of the book is an account of the siege and demonstrates how, despite being seriously outnumbered, abandoned by the Christian kingdoms and bombarded by supersized cannons, the defenders frustrated the Turks who were on the verge of giving up the siege.
Well written account...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
history and military buffs
Very detailed and paced well. For someone not steeped in military or Turkish history, however, it was daunting at times. Crowley (as the title suggests) focuses on this year, and does so through a military lens. As such, he weaves in cultural, geographic and other influential elements (divisions within the Christian church and Europe, differences about lineage between Christians and Muslims, etc.) but will spend pages on the canons built by Mehmet. If you're interested in the influence of gunpow...more
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Read in October, 2007
Very entertaining history of the Siege of Constantinople, almost day for day. Especially good were the background chapters. People generally do not know of the Fourth Crusade of 1204 and how Christian soldiers sacked Constantinople and how it never fully recovered. The book is based of a variety of primary sources in translation and secondary sources. It is not a "scholarly" work and the author makes to pretense to such. But as one who studied Near Eastern history in college and grad s...more
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Read in August, 2006
This is a non-stop action packed historical account of the two month siege of Constantinople. Complete with bizarre signs in the heavens which were most likely caused by the eruption of Kuwae, one of the most destructive and environment influencing events in the last millenium, this book gives you detail after detail of the land and sea battles outside the walls, the mining battles as well as sneak attacks.
This was also a very emotional book for me, but I highly recommend it to anyone intereste...more
This was also a very emotional book for me, but I highly recommend it to anyone intereste...more
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Read in July, 2008
This was a great and readable history of the consquest of Constantinople (and the start of Istanbul) by Sultan Mehmet II. It describes a time when the Byzantine empire had shrunk to just one heavily fortified city. It was also the first time gunpowder had been used in the siege of a city. Having been to Istanbul and seen the walls, gates, and areas described, it made it all the more enjoyable.
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Read in September, 2006
A very interesting book that gives great insight into the war between Islam and Western civilization. It helped me understand more about current events today. It's kind of an action-packed history book that makes it fun to read. I stopped half way through and haven't finished it yet, but I'm going to!
I'd love to read more interesting books like this if you can recommend any.
I'd love to read more interesting books like this if you can recommend any.
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Read in October, 2008
Very engaging read - the fall of Constantinople in 1453 is a great story and the author does an excellent job of keeping it fast-paced and always interesting. Provides some interesting insights into the historical relationships between Christianity and Islam and the Orthodox and Catholic churches. Not a "deep" book but still highly recommended as a good history read.
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Read in March, 2008
This is an engaging account of the fall of Constantinople to the Turks. It's a well-paced narrative history of a conquest that changed the shape of the world, in which few thousand Byzantine and Italian soldiers successfully defended the city against many tens of thousands of Turks for more than a month before falling before the onslaught.
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First of all, this wasn't "the last great siege": Belgrade, Malta, Vienna were all great sieges *after* Constantinople. This seems to be simply a re-tread from "1453" - which wasn't that great and was itself a re-tread of other books. For a much better account, read Mansell on Constantinople or even Runciman on the siege.
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Read in October, 2007
With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Roman Empire was finally gone. The story of how this happened is compelling and enlightening. Often, I get annoyed with history writers, but not so much with Crowley. Definitely worth a read, but certainly not one of my desert island books.
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Read in December, 2007
A wonderful, quick read about a brutal little bit of history. Conquest has alwasy been and will always be about land, money and resources. People try to disguise it in all sorts of moral garb and religious gibberish; but it's all about avarice, plain and simple.
Read in January, 2008
I have lived in a hole, and have no perspective on world history. 1453 gives a great view into the end of the byzantine era, and the long standing conflicts between Islam and Christianity. For all that, frankly a slog to get through.
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