12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book on dark-ages Europe., November 1, 1999
This review is from: The Barbarians: Warriors and Wars of the Dark Ages (Hardcover)
This book covers the various barbarian invaders of Europe, beginning with the Huns and Germans in the Fourth century and continuing through to the Mongols. The book is written in an easy to read manner, and the excellent pictures in this book are crowned by 16 full-page pictures by the incomparable Angus McBride.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
It is a little childish but otherwise....., April 12, 2010
THE BARBARIANS by Tim Newark.
The story of the various barbaric hordes that ravaged Western civilization precipitating the fall of the Roman Empire and there after for roughly the next several hundred years. The Huns, the Vandals, the Goths, the Muslims, the Vikings, the Magyars and the Mongols are all covered in what is a rather cursory, shallow and childishly revistionistic manner. Rather like a cliffnotes version of Gibbon's DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. Overtly Pro-Muslim. Covertly anti-Christian. We learn that the Muslims, for example, were just so nifty and keen that Jews and Christians were giddily happy to be conquered by them and could not wait to convert to Islam. Islam is, of course, the religion of peace who would never harm the chin hair of a goat. Somehow they managed to reach the borders of France on a cloud of love until those stinking intolerant Europeans just said no.
Written in 1985 when Academia was doing everything it could to save the Soviet Union from that mean old defender of Western Civilization, Ronald Reagan so the author tries...and fails...to make a comparison between the Barbarians and the Soviet Union saying that the West's animus towards the Eastern invaders was really just a matter of perception and not motivated by a genuine concern over a genuine and serious menace. Once the West decided that the Barbarians were no longer really so bad, everything became all wonderful and happy. Better barbarian than dead and all that rot.
Yeah. Right.
The book is okay. Nothing special.
History for the cotton candy dayglow crowd.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Empires being neither up nor down,do not fail. They change their appearance.", December 5, 2007
When I first saw this book,I thought it was a juvenile book for Middle schools.This impression came first from the cover which is an illustration of Middle Age Warriors on horseback.Something like you see on Sci-Fi or Fantasy books. Then the size.It is large,71/2"X10",and only 3/4 " thick,including hard covers.A quick thumb-thru indicated it had a lot of pictures and illustrations.I picked it up anyway.Although I read a lot of history,I am pretty weak on the history of the Middle Ages. I thought this book would give a simple overview of this period.Was I ever in for a surprise!!. This is an excellent history of this very long and complicated period.I does a good job of sorting out all those groups of people,and endless series of conflicts and invasions ,across all of Europe and the Middle East.Just looking at the cultures that rose and fell,it is little wonder it gets confusing.If you think this area of the world is complicated today, just imagine what it was during these 1500 years; when we had the: Alans,Anglo-Saxons,Arabs,Huns,Avars,Barbarians,Berbers,Bulgars,Bazentines,Romans,Carolingians,Celts,Danes,Franks,Gauls,Germans,Ostrogoths,Viaigoths,Greeks,Khazars,Magyars,Christians,Mongols,Moors,Norwegians,Slavs,Rus,Teutons,Vandals,Vikings,Wahshi and many others.
This part of the world has seen a continuing string of conflicts where oppression and domination has attempted to destroy Western Civilization. Forces are at work today with the same intent.The character,intents and cultures we have seen in the past have not gone away;and in fact are very active today.A study of this area and period is very helpful in trying to see what happens when evil forces are accomodated and allowed to succeed. It was not a pretty picture in the past and what is taking place today must be taken very seriously.
The book is very well written and the B&W and Color Artwork and Illustration are excellent and bring this history to life and make it more understandable.
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