Ramadhan, I decided to do another book challenge with a difference: finishing a novel of two parts. On my book shelf where books are hardly moving due to lack of time for reading — I’m barely finishing a book per month — I picked up two books that were gifted to me by my brother in 2007. They are part of a series called The Time’s Tapestry by Stephen Baxter.
The first one is called Emperor and it starts in the year 4 BC when a woman called Brica struggling through a painful labour starts speaking in Latin — a language not known to her or to any of her family members — and delivering a prophecy that would be called the Prophecy of Nectovelin. The prophecy is of 16 lines and is recorded and preserved by the family through many generations as it seems to unfold every decade or so. It speaks of the rise and fall of the Roman empire with special mention of few emperors that play part in shaping British history at the time.
The book is divided into different chapters that starts with the invasion of Britain by Emperor Claudius in 43 AD through the visit of Emperor Hadrian and the start of constructing his famous wall in 122 AD to the different revolts against the Romans in England — famously started by Boudicca in 60 AD — that succeed in ending their rule in 409 AD (also known as the British Revolution). What’s interesting about this part is the amount of historical information that Baxter represents in his narrative which ancient history junkies — like myself! — would truly enjoy.
England in Roman times is a subject that I’d never read before and found really fascinating especially when Christianity starts spreading and is introduced as the official religion replacing paganism. Characters of different eras must pass through Bana, the place where the prophecy begins.
The second part is called Conqueror and is set in medieval Britain with the arrival of the Germanic tribes — known much later as the Anglo-Saxons in the year 410 AD. There is a different prophecy this time that highlights main historical events from this period to the Danish and Norman invasion in 1066. Baxter focuses on the transition that takes place from a Roman to an Anglo-Saxon Britain and later to a Viking one when the Danish arrive to the island of Lindisfarne in 793.
The story could be confusing if you’re not familiar with British history as there are many characters and wars fought between different factions, not to mention the native British nation that makes a shy appearance from time to time. If you’d watched the series Vikings or The Last Kingdom (both available on Netflix) then you’ll find this book easier to follow as many historical characters and events from the series are mentioned there (I had to google some of the names to remember how they looked like in both series!).
I found this part more enjoyable and occasionally missed iftar as I was totally immersed in the plots that discussed King Alfred’s fight against the Vikings in the 880s and how William the Conqueror came into power after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Also, how all of this made Britain unique genealogically and language-wise. I discovered later that Stephen Baxter had added two more parts to the series: Navigator that is set during the Islamic era in Spain and Weaver that takes place in the early days of WWII. I’ll be ordering these books soon and who knows? Maybe they’ll be my next Ramadhan challenge! Watch this space!
Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com
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