Basil of Makri - a sardonic, irascible old man, once immensely rich
and powerful, wakes to discover he is locked in a dark, airless
cellar. Basil's isolation and dreams revive charismatic ghosts from
his past who force him to relive the glories, betrayals and
tragedies of his colourful life. Only his sharp wit and sardonic
humour keep him sane. His fate is bound up with that of Bernard of
Chevreuse, a poor but pious French archer who joins the Fourth
Crusade. As the crusade lurches from one disaster to another,
Bernard gradually learns that wars can never be `Holy' and that
their roots lie in greed for power and money. Through each of them
in turn, the reader experiences both sides of a terrible conflict
and journeys back to another world, another time, and other Gods.
In the end, Bernard must choose between his conscience and his
comrades. For Basil, the conflict first makes him heroic as he
rescues the love of his life, but later brings tragedy - though
also great wealth. During the second half of his life, grief makes
him bitter and cruel while wealth and power increasingly corrupt
him. He neglects and abuses his family, his philandering results in
murder, and he steals the girl that his grandson loves to use as a
concubine. Basil and Bernard are both, initially, ordinary men.
Basil's character personifies the rise and fall of the Eastern
Roman Empire, corrupted by wealth and power, whose downfall comes
at the hands of so-called `allies'. Bernard gives us a `pilgrim's
tale' of lost youth and innocence: the common man as a soldier,
gradually understanding the deceptions and lies of war. The story
also reveals the greatest secret history (and arguably, disaster)
of the medieval age - the destruction of the greatest Christian
city, and Empire, in Europe - by an army of crusaders. There are
dramatic contemporary echoes: hate preachers recruiting for Holy
War, an insane conflict that destroys a great civilisation, and a
humble fisherman who becomes rich by smuggling refugees...
General
Imprint: |
Makri Press
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
The Soul Trader, 1 |
Release date: |
2019 |
Authors: |
Ian Wilkinson
|
Dimensions: |
211 x 140mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Paperback - B-format
|
Pages: |
218 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-9928485-4-5 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-9928485-4-7 |
Barcode: |
9780992848545 |
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