Written in the Ashes in Q&A with K. Hollan Van Zandt

May 26, 2012 Teddy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, ancient-times, egyptian, read-in-2012

Written In the Ashes takes place in the 5th century after the Roman Empire collapses, in Alexandria Egypt. It opens with teenager, Hannah, a shepherd girl roaming the desert with her father in search of a new place to live that has water for their sheep and themselves to live. One night Hannah sleeps close to the sheep to keep an eye on them but she is awakened by men who kidnap her and rape her. They bring her to Alexandria and auction her off as a slave to the highest bidder, Tarek. However, T Written In the Ashes takes place in the 5th century after the Roman Empire collapses, in Alexandria Egypt. It opens with teenager, Hannah, a shepherd girl roaming the desert with her father in search of a new place to live that has water for their sheep and themselves to live. One night Hannah sleeps close to the sheep to keep an eye on them but she is awakened by men who kidnap her and rape her. They bring her to Alexandria and auction her off as a slave to the highest bidder, Tarek. However, Tarek is a young man, still living in his father's house. His father, Alizar soon discovers Hannah.

Alizar recognizes the beauty and talent in Hannah for her intelligence and singing voice. He decides to give her the opportunity to buy back her freedom and sends her to the Library of Alexandria to get educated and is taken under the wings of Hypatia, the library's headmistress and other's. When Hypatia gives lectures, she invites Hannah to sing and the audience is mesmerized.

Meanwhile, the Bishop, Cyril vows to rid Alexandria of all he views as pagan, including Jews and Hypatia. Cyril does find a way to chase the Jews out and a great many are killed. How far will he go? Does he and his disciples have anything to do with the burning of the Great Library? How will Hannah fair in all of this?

You must read Written In the Ashes to find out! Yes, this is a must read for all historical fiction lovers. This is K. Hollan Van Zandt's first book but you would never guess it. It sung to me like the main character, Hannah with beautiful prose, gleaming characters and 5th century Alexandria, Egypt being brought to life. The words poured off the pages and as hard as I tried to savour each word, I could not put Written In the Ashes down. I cried at the end because I was so upset that the book ended!

Written In the Ashes is book one in what Van Zandt hopes to be a trilogy. It has been optioned by Mark R. Harris, Academy Award-Winning Producer (Crash, Gods & Monsters) for a TV mini-series! Van Zandt told me that one of the big publishers really loved the book but doesn't think that readers are interested in 5th century Alexandria, Egypt and the burning of the Great Library. I find that hard to believe and I hope you will help K. Hollan Van Zandt, I, and others prove them wrong. Written In the Ashes is in my top 5 books of all time, I hope it will be yours as well! ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2011 Patty rated it it was amazing

I finished this book a few days ago and I wanted it to settle before I wrote my review. The novel, by the author's admission is part history, part imagination and part magic. Going back so far in time leaves an author with little written record to rely on for fact. The burning of the Great Library at Alexandria was a monumental loss to humanity. The facts of the matter aside, this novel was truly arresting and I had a hard time putting it down to get anything done.

Ancient history fascinates me. ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 Anagha Uppal rated it really liked it

"Save your hate for someone who deserves it."
This and other beautiful quotes fill the pages of Written in the Ashes :)

Written is the Ashes was at first refreshing because this is the first non-YA book I've read in weeks, which is highly unusual. It's also a historical novel, which I don't read very often.

Every once in a while, a book comes along that restores my faith in indie/small pub books. I read indies to discover books like this - brilliant, unique, original and well-written reads - gems t ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2012 Ruth Hill rated it really liked it

This is the first time I have ever read a book that takes place during the 400's, and it was definitely a well-written, well-researched book. I was impressed with the scholarship and research that was displayed in the book, and I came to love a good share of the characters. The story had a plethora of dramatic components, and very often I found myself either drawn in or repulsed. And I loved the strength of the women in these books--unusual for this time period, or so I thought!

I was quite impre This is the first time I have ever read a book that takes place during the 400's, and it was definitely a well-written, well-researched book. I was impressed with the scholarship and research that was displayed in the book, and I came to love a good share of the characters. The story had a plethora of dramatic components, and very often I found myself either drawn in or repulsed. And I loved the strength of the women in these books--unusual for this time period, or so I thought!

I was quite impressed with the realistic elements and description the author included in the book. I never felt that the book was too violent or gory, but there were moments that I was glad I was not watching a video. I found myself talking with others about the horrible punishments and deaths recorded in the book, and I marveled at the fact that much of the historical information was unfamiliar to me. Why had I never heard of the Jews being slaughtered during the 400's in Alexandria? That is the key right there--I know very little (if anything) of Eastern history. I only know marginally more when it comes to Western history. It amazes me how many things we do not teach students!

I found the author's description of the Christian religion quite intriguing and entirely accurate--unfortunately. And we wonder why the world hates and distrusts Christians! I always hate to see what people who have claimed my faith have done in the name of Christ! And the author's story of how the worship of Mary came about was fascinating--trust or not, it was plausible.

As much as I liked a lot of this book, I am afraid I do have a few criticisms. I will not be criticizing bedroom scenes--they were not detailed nor offensive. The language in the book was acceptable, but I would have preferred not reading slang terms for bodily functions--I did not feel that was appropriate for a book of this calibre, but that is just my opinion. I also did not like the parts that seemed to imply that the gods and goddesses were real. I don't want to give anything away, but at times I struggled to tell the difference between reality and fable. I am not well-versed in the portion of history, but I sometimes felt this story revered the pagan beliefs over anything else. I also had another pet peeve. Whenever the author got to a transition, the word "so" appeared. I found this annoying after a while. Sometimes I felt there was too much description. But all that is just my opinion. In fact, all of my criticisms are just that--my opinion.

I have given this book a 4-star rating. I loved the first section, did not care for the second section, but basically enjoyed the final section. I am not saying I definitely would not read a sequel--second books are often better than firsts--but it would not be on top of my "to do" list.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all opinions are 100 percent mine. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2011 K. Zandt rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Like

Aug 01, 2011 K. Zandt rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Like

From the Bookshelf of Q&A with K. Hollan Van Zandt…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

Q&A with K. Hollan Van Zandt