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The Belt of Gold

SHE WAS LIKE A GODDESS COME TO EARTH...AS DAZZLING AS THE PRECIOUS JEWELS THAT COVERED HER.
She was the radiant Empress Irene of Byzantium in whose awesome presence all men trembled. Yet she was also a woman, inwardly vulnerable, burdened with secrets and desires that she dared to share with no one.

Beneath the seductive opulence of 9th century Constantinople, evil deeds were brewing. The Empress Irene's throne was imperiled, and she knew that all her charm, her matchless beauty, and her infinite passion for power might fail to control the ambitious men who surrounded her.

The high-born Patrician John Cerulis, with an army of her own, was already scheming to steal her throne. The handsome, virile chariot racer Prince Michael, holder of the Belt of Gold, was willing to do her bidding. Her brilliant Treasurer and her wily Grand Domestic might soon turn the power she gave them against her. And finally there was the blue-eyed, fair-haired stranger, Prince Hagen, who rose into Constantinople on a mission of blood revenge and became ensnared in the enchantress's silken web.

305 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

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About the author

Cecelia Holland

79 books219 followers
Pen name used by Elizabeth Eliot Carter.

Cecelia Holland is one of the world's most highly acclaimed and respected historical novelists, ranked by many alongside other giants in that field such as Mary Renault and Larry McMurtry. Over the span of her thirty year career, she's written almost thirty historical novels, including The Firedrake, Rakessy, Two Ravens, Ghost on the Steppe, Death of Attila, Hammer For Princes, The King's Road, Pillar of the Sky, The Lords of Vaumartin, Pacific Street, Sea Beggars, The Earl, The King in Winter, The Belt of Gold, The Serpent Dreamer, The High City, Kings of the North, and a series of fantasy novels, including The Soul Thief, The Witches Kitchen, The Serpent Dreamer, and Varanger. She also wrote the well-known science fiction novel Floating Worlds, which was nominated for a Locus Award in 1975. Her most recent book is a new fantasy novel, Dragon Heart.

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5 stars
27 (17%)
4 stars
57 (36%)
3 stars
51 (32%)
2 stars
17 (10%)
1 star
4 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for mark monday.
1,919 reviews6,685 followers
June 4, 2021
what happens when a hunky barbarian traveling home to the land of Franks meets a sexy senorita from Constantinople on a super secret spy mission? Byzantine fireworks! this historical was a lot of fun. Cecelia Holland writes calmly, gracefully, somewhat somberly, and so - rather sadly - there is not even a whiff of camp to be found. but that's fine. this is not a trashy adventure but instead an enjoyable drama, detailing the internecine politics taking place during the reign of the last (and only) Byzantine Empress, the formidable Irene of Athens. poor Theophano just wants to serve her queen. poor Hagan just wants to avenge the murder of his brother. poor Nicephorus just wants to do his job as royal treasurer and keep the empire solvent. poor Ishmael just wants to finally beat that bastard Prince Michael in the races and finally earn the precious belt of gold. and mean Irene just wants her city strong and her enemy humiliated - namely, the sadistic nobleman John Cerulis, a really hissable villain.

it'll all end in sorrow, screaming, and slaughter because hey this is the Byzantine Empire and despite their love of opulence and taking it easy, the Byzantines can definitely get real when it comes to hatching plots that lead to everyone killing each other. all of the major characters have a winning appeal to them, even the thin-skinned charioteer with his brief descent into religious fanaticism, ugh gross, and maybe least of all our tow-headed fighting machine of a hero. but fortunately the most interesting of all these mainly sympathetic characters is the ruthless Irene. the author really nailed it with her portrait of this very colorful, larger than life, yet still very layered character - one who has been the victim of misogynist historians throughout time. although her bad reputation may also be due to her decision to have her annoying son's eyes gouged out at the dawn of her career. not that I'm judging, he sounded like a pretty uptight kinda guy and plus a queen's gotta do what a queen's gotta do when they get down to claim that crown.
Profile Image for Ozymandias.
447 reviews223 followers
October 21, 2018
I hadn’t really noticed it before because of the general focus of her previous books, but Holland was never very good at subtlety. This explains her fondness for the medieval period (particularly the dark ages) when the approach to problems was to sneak up and whack them in the head with a big sword. Probably her most subtle book, the The Lords Of Vaumartin, still skipped most of the nuances inherent in the political situation beyond the personal ones and even then it dedicated half the book to the decidedly unsubtle practice of chivalry circa 1350.

And the reason this is a problem here is that the Byzantines were subtle. Notoriously so. And for that reason her flaws as an author show up blatantly against the background. Instead of an interesting contrast between different types of civilizations, we get blunt and unselfaware Orientalism, the view that the East can be defined by autocracy and decadence while the West can be defined by manly aggression and a certain level of disorganization. In a perfect recreation of Gibbons’ view, the Byzantines never do anything, they just sit and wait for God to give it to them. To the extent that any of them are more than placid it’s only to weave intricate plots that make no sense. They make pathetic warriors and have no martial spirit, a point-of-view that would be laughable to the Arabs or Bulgars.

And for that reason, most of the characters here spend the entire book in awe of the Frankish barbarian in their midst for his manliness and strength. Also for that reason I spent most of the book disgusted at this insultingly silly contrast. Nobody with even a passing knowledge of Byzantine history will recognize the people who held back the Arab advance while under threat from every side with the effete and decadent people depicted here. Nor are they likely to recognize the strangely pure Frankish knight or especially the jealous and insecure Arab ambassadors.

But that’s not the main reason I’m judging this book harshly. The main reason is that it’s just boring. Nothing happens, and while previous books have this same difficulty they made up for it with interesting cultural studies. And with the cultural elements being the weakest part of this book that’s a problem. Worse still, aside from being dull the plot is also stupid. It relies on people ignoring the most obvious of solutions at all points. The whole usurpation plot makes no sense since the empress commands an army that could exterminate the rebels at any point. It never feels like a real threat. The ending is the worst part of this by far. All the characters it seems are forced into roles that make no sense for them. Motivations are also a confused mess. A laughable mess. I found myself utterly incredulous with how events unfolded. No one could believe this.

Basically, the whole problem with this book is that Holland has no sympathy for the Byzantines or any people who live life in any way but as men of action. And it shows. This lack of sympathy is also a lack of interest, so the byzantine web of lies fall apart at the lightest touch. The characters are not great (although Theophano showed promise) and the feel of the era is beyond wonky.
Profile Image for Richard Derus.
4,597 reviews2,391 followers
December 17, 2022
Real Rating: 2.5* of five

A largely unsuccessful attempt to explore an interesting by-way of history. Empress Irene, holder of supreme power in Byzantium for seven years, is an astonishing figure in history because she's a woman at the head of the ship of state in a time when that was *unthinkably* difficult, and at the head of the most complex and wealthiest ship of state around no less.

The book, as do most of Holland's works, centers around outsider characters. This allows an author such freedom of action! Hagen, her Nordic lordling character, is just a little too transparently a camera-angle and not developed into a being I cared a rat's patootie about.

So, why bother reviewing further...it's not recommended.
Profile Image for Stephen.
2,051 reviews148 followers
October 23, 2014
Two Frankish brothers returning home from a pilgrim to Jerusalem become unwittingly involved in a palace coup when they rescue a damsel in distress on the road to Constantinople. When one is murdered in an inn, the other -- Hagen the White. whose lord is Charlemagne -- vows vengeance. Alone in a Roman empire that never fell, derided as a barbarian, Hagen's efforts to find his brother's assailants take him into the Imperial Palace itself, into the service of the Empress Irene. There, navigating the machinations of political conspiracy as well as the vast city of Constantinople, he struggles to sort out the truth while becoming increasingly undone by love for one of the Empress's servants.

The Belt of Gold is a tale of Byzantine power-plays, interwoven with romance and lots of chariot-racing. The sporting scenes are used to good effect, not just included to show off research but providing a source of intrigue and later, the scene of the novel's climax. Hagen is a suitable hero, primally powerful, ruggedly simple, and operating from a straightforward moral code. Keep faith with your lord and friends, do good by them, and kill those who try to kill you. He's the relief in a cast of schemers, who make plans even in bed with one another (and there are a few pillow scenes), though not dumb. He has wiles of his own, but they don't involve manipulating others. The Belt of Gold is instantly interesting for its setting of the Byzantine empire, whose subjects are a wonder to Hagen and ourselves. They live in Hagen's world, but they also seem otherworldly; their heads are filled with stories long forgotten by the west, and carry on a tradition since faded away. Hagen's quest to avenge his brother and the intrigue stirred up by a man planning to seize the throne provide an easy opportunity to escape into this exotic place for a few days. Holland's research seems to have emphasized the geography of Constantinople and the horseraces, but the main characters in the palace plot did exist, and did attempt a coup. The Empress Irene was a fascinating political character, more vicious in real life than depicted here (for the most part). For the reader looking for a change of scenery -- or one deliberately seeking the Byzantines, as was I -- this may be just the touch.

Related:

Twelve Byzantine Rulers, a history podcast by Lars Brownworth. I just completed listening to the series, and Irene has her own episode. This is what whetted my appetite, of course, and if I'm still hungry for it after I complete my TBR books, Brownsworth's Lost to the West, a history of the Byzantines, may make an appearance..
http://12byzantinerulers.com/

Constantinople: the Forgotten Empire, Isaac Asimov. Before Brownsworth, the sum of my Byzantine knowledge.
http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot....

Steven Saylor's Roma sub Rosa series. Obviously, set in western Rome, but you can't get away from palace intrigues in a series that climaxes with Caesar.
http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot....
Profile Image for Thomas.
215 reviews25 followers
August 21, 2021
Its so much easier to remember historical figures and their legacies if one can attach a face and a personality to them (even if it's only an author's educated conjecture). Cecelia Holland has done just that with an enjoyable drama, detailing the internecine politics taking place during the reign of the Byzantine Empress, the formidable Irene of Athens. Holland draws a portrait of ruthless ruler who is very colorful and larger than life - one obsessed with keeping the empire strong and the darkness of barbarism at bay. I picture Shohreh Aghdashloo of The Expanse playing the part of Irene.

The story is advanced by a cast of fascinating characters who allow us to empathize with their ambitions and fears. The Greek spy Theophano (imagine Valerie Quennessen of the 1982 Conan the Barbarian) wants only to serve her queen. Hagen, (Chris Hemsworth of Thor) the Frankish nobleman she falls in love with, just wants to avenge the murder of his brother. Nicephoros (F. Murray Abraham or Mandy Patinkin of Homeland) the treasurer wants merely to do his job, keep the empire solvent, and eventually retire to a quiet life in the monastery. Finally there are the charioteers - Prince Michael (Richard Egan) the champ who eats, sleeps and breathes racing and Ishmael (Nick E. Tarabay of Spartacus) who just wants to finally beat Prince Michael in the Hippodrome and earn the precious belt of gold.

Only John Cerulis (think of an older, always smiling Peter Lawford) comes off as a two dimensional stage villain who works to depose Irene.

Speaking of charioteers, there's a lot of chariot racing in the story. The great sporting scenes are not included merely to show off research but provide a source of intrigue and also bring about the novel's exciting and breathtaking climax.

Be warned, this novel is not afraid to confront tragic death and does not go for the crowd pleasing finale. Don't get too attached to any character for this book was printed before A Game of Thrones and I fear George R.R. Martin took some pointers from Cecelia Holland.
Profile Image for Keith Currie.
619 reviews18 followers
March 7, 2013
Many years ago I enjoyed Cecelia Holland's wonderful novel, The Death of Attila, a moving and exciting piece of fiction. The Belt of Gold is not as good but remains much better than many recent efforts centred on the ancient and medieval world. What we have here is a clever and fast moving plot which delivers many twists and turns and never fails to hold the reader's interest. What raises it above the pack is the portrayal of a range of fascinating characters who attract varied emotions but who always seem human in their complexity. The moral code of the Greek spy Theophano is quite different from that of Hagen, the Frankish noble man she falls in love with, yet they complement each other in subtle ways. Nicephoros the treasurer and Ishmael the charioteer are among others who allow us to empathise with their ambitions and fears. Only John Cerulis appears as something of a stage villain. The city of Constantinople is pictured as beautiful, mysterious, volatile and unfathomable, but ultimately doomed - much like its empress, the cruel but patriotic Irene. There are wonderful scenes of descriptive writing about the city - chariot races, a dangerous journey home through the city streets by night. This novel presents an exciting adventure, is unafraid to confront tragic death, and does not go for the crowd pleasing finale. Despite some underdeveloped plot strands, it is a very worthwhile read.
Profile Image for Nigel.
Author 12 books71 followers
September 2, 2014
Constantinople, AD 802! Is there any place and period in history Cecelia Holland can't write about with confident authority? Hagen, Frankish warrior on his way home from pilgrimage to Jerusalem becomes ensnared in a nasty little power-struggle between the Basileus Irene and pretender to the throne John Cerulis. A complex, poisonous affair it ensnares court and city officials, diplomats, spies, courtesans and competitors in the hugely popular chariot races. Hagen is just looking for revenge, but he doesn't know what to believe or who, if anyone to trust.

There's some wonderfully manly stuff in this, between barbarian Hagen's fighting prowess, the single-minded charioteers, the hermit from the desert, the imperial treasurer, straining under the weight of empire, all men struggling in manly roles, yet all ruled by a woman. Holland excels at this.
25 reviews6 followers
August 16, 2010
Alexander the Great's mother, Olympias, Augustus' wife,Livy and the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantium's Empresses Justinian's wife Theodora and the three hundred years later Irene are so bad. Contemporary and later historians consider these the Divas from Hell. Whether they were as wicked and really pushed for power as hard as its said they did, it's up for interpretation. And in Ms. Holland's view Irene was a baaad woman. The world of Constantinople is enticingly brought back. It's glamorous, recognizable, exotic, barbaric, it may sound like the backdrop to a sword and sorcery tale. There is a northern barbarian dazed by his immersion in the City of Constantine's political waters. An enjoyable read of another time and what a girl hadda do.
Profile Image for Sara G.
1,745 reviews
March 3, 2017
I loved this book. It's very 1980s in a lot of ways, but once you look past the overly dramatized female ruler in this book, it's a fantastic story about medieval Constantinople under the Empress Irene. We start by finding two Frankish brothers (Charlemagne is their king) who get wrapped up in events that are way over their heads, by helping save a woman at a church from some menacing guys. There are chariot races in the Hippodrome, great detail about the city's layout and churches, and lots of intrigue. I'm probably biased because Istanbul is my favorite modern city, but I absolutely savored the descriptions in this book. I'm keeping this one for sure, and that means a lot since I'm trying to get rid of most of my analog books.
43 reviews
March 11, 2012
A northern barbarian--returning from a pilgramage to the Holy Land--walks into Byzantium during the reign of the bitchy and controlling diva, Empress Irene. Well-researched and a decent read.

I've had my fill of Cecelia Holland for the moment but I would not hesitate to recommend her to fans of historical fiction.
Profile Image for Caroline.
56 reviews
June 17, 2012
I read this a LONG time ago, but it stayed with me. Very refreshing to find a novel of Byzantium AND a strong female lead character.
Profile Image for The Idle Woman.
791 reviews34 followers
June 9, 2018
When Hagan and his brother Rogerius arrive in Constantinople in 802, on their way home to Frankland from Jerusalem, they see it only as a stop on their journey. They have fulfilled their pilgrimage and now look forward to resuming their lives among the mists and forests of their native country. But when an accidental encounter with a beautiful young woman and a gang of thugs leaves Rogerius dead, the heartbroken Hagan vows revenge. Little does he realise that this vow will draw him deep into the midst of the literally byzantine plots unfolding in the Queen of Cities, and entwine his future with that of the beautiful, charismatic, dangerous Empress Irene...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/05/31/t...
Profile Image for L..
1,539 reviews74 followers
July 23, 2023
A vast cast of characters are all running around like ants over a short period of time (I want to say something like 1-2 weeks) during the reign of Empress Irene of Byzantium. There's intrigue, religion, kinda-sorta romance, and lots of horse racing.


Being Kinder To My Books In 2023
Profile Image for Jim Curtin.
302 reviews
June 28, 2022
I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and while the plot was good enough to keep it moving, it wasn't as thrilling as I would have hoped
Profile Image for Lara.
1,597 reviews
December 31, 2011
This is a book my mother gave me after she read it for her book club. It's taken me a while to get around to it, and I found it both interesting and dissatisfying at the same time. The period details were well done, and you had a feel for life in Constantinople under Empress Irene, along with the political machinations of the day. However, I didn't care for the actual story, and felt that the many shifts in perspective keep me from caring about any of the characters. I was also unhappy with some of the chariot racing scenes, and the treatment of the horses. I know this type of behavior was not unusual, and still isn't, but I still didn't want to read about it in any depth. In general, I didn't feel that the chariot racing angle of the story really added much for me.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews