Customer Reviews

Deus Io Volt!: Chronicle of the Crusades

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I picked the book as I enjoy History, and Historically Based Fiction. The latter genre allows the reader to enjoy a story based on History without necessarily being very well versed in the period. The cover of this book says "A Novel By...", not even close.

Mr. Connell describes the book thusly "I think of this as a book about the crusades, not an "historical novel" a term that suggests imaginary experiences and unlikely conversations. Monologues and dialogues in the book are paraphrased or condensed from those in medieval documents. Every meeting, every conversation, every triumph or defeat, no matter how small, was recorded centuries ago..."

I do not spend much time reading the book jacket/advertising, so I found myself with a History book on the Crusades, despite the publisher's comment "a towering work of the imagination". I wondered if the jacket and the book matched.

Listen to the man who wrote the book. What makes this book special is that it is so well written that the result is highly readable, this is not a textbook of the Crusades, or at least does not read like one.

So Jean, a soldier on the Christian side of this epic, takes the reader with him and shares the immediacy of a firsthand experience. There are maps provided so that those names of places and cities that have not survived the last 1000 years, can be found easily by reference.

It's true that the more you know about the topic the more easily you may read through this work. However, if your knowledge is limited as mine was at page one, you still will enjoy the book.

Novel, Historical Fiction, or History? From the standpoint of a reader's enjoyment, it matters little. The writing talent overcomes what the reader may lack, and the reading experience is excellent.

In this book, Evan Connell has engaged in a masterful literary exercise. He has consolidated a great deal of historical material into a pseudo-chronicle covering all of the Crusades. But while I can appreciate the difficulty for a modern author to master the material and an archaic style of writing, I couldn't help wondering whether this exercise was more interesting for the author than the reader. Connell faithfully captures the tone of medieval texts as he combines his sources into a harmonious whole. But what's the point for the reader? There are scholarly collections of translated medieval documents available. There are better interpretive histories of the Crusades available. And there is informative and entertaining historical fiction involving the Crusades available. Connell's book is somewhere in between all these. His tampering with original texts makes it inadequate to the scholar. It offers little in the way of interpretation of events or elaboration on context, so it fails as a history textbook. As historical fiction, its lack of dramatic tension keeps it well away from the likes of 'Ivanhoe' or even Harold Lamb's classic 'Iron Men and Saints'. 'Deus Lo Volt!' rises to the challenge of imitating medieval European texts, but like such texts, it's not terribly exciting to read. In the end, regrettably, it just never really engaged me as a reader.

This is a very thick and heavy book, and looking through it, I can understand how someone might be hesitant to read it - every page is packed with dense text. No dialog breaks up the long paragraphs; it's almost as if you're looking at a history book. And in some ways, that's all Deus Lo Volt really is. It's like the history book I always wanted to read. Whereas the texts you read in school were dry and boring, Connell has spiced everything up with gory battle descriptions and popular rumors of the day. Every Crusade is covered, but most attention is given to the First and Third, and later on the narrator's experiences in the last Crusades. What Connell has done is conglomerate a ton of historical texts on the Crusades, most notably that of Jean de Joinville, and expanded upon them. It's hard to categorize this book. It isn't a novel and it isn't history. I'd say it's something like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood; like that book, which was deemed creative nonfiction, I'd say Deus Lo Volt is creative historical nonfiction. It also has a healthy dose of Cormac McCarthy-type prose; even Blood Meridian wasn't this descriptive about war and death. I also got a good chuckle out of the narrator's zeal; anytime a Turk is killed, Jean is sure that his soul will go immediately to hell. And anytime a Crusader falls in battle, his soul immediately ascends to Heaven, even if he was in the process of pillaging and destroying. The sad thing is that these Medieval jokers really believed this was true; I don't think they really understood the hypocrisy of their war. In their effort to "serve" a Christ who preached peace, they murdered hundreds of thousands and razed most of the Middle East. But that's not to say the Turks were completely innocent. But anyway, that's a historical debate that's been going on for ages. The point is, I found this book very entertaining and rewarding. The entire First Crusade impressed me the most, especially when the battle-weary Franks would experience "divine visitations," which would increase their desire to capture Jerusalem. Particularly funny is when one of them discovers what is obviously a Saracen spear, but claims that a vision told him that it was really the spear which pierced the side of Christ. Also, the Templars are featured in the book, and that's always good. All things considered, I'd recommend this book, but only if you're into history, or if you really want to delve into another time and place. Because unlike most other "typical" historical novels, Deus Lo Volt isn't just a period piece, with characters much like us who just happen to live in the Middle Ages; it is much more realistic than that, and the characters who populate it and the bloody events that transpire are very indicitave of the times. I wouldn't say it's a fun book, but I got some laughs out of it, especially the Fourth Crusade, when the pilgrims skipped Jerusalem and pillaged Constantinople instead. Those crazy Crusaders. What will they do next?

If you are a reader simply looking for something to keep you entertained while traveling, lying on the beach or some other pursuit just to pass the time, "Deus lo volt!" is probably not for you. If you are reading with all your twenty first century sensibilities brought to the fore, read something else. If, on the other hand, you have a lifelong fascination with history and seek insight into the mindset of people who lived during a time as different from our own as life on another planet, you will find this book absolutely fascinating. Told through the literary "voice" of an actual person contemporary to the first Crusades, Evan Connell has crafted a novel that personifies a time in the history of the Middle Ages rivaled only by the late Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror: A History of the Clamitous 14th Century". Through the voice of a real life crusader and chronicler of the 12th century life, Connell provides insight into the passions, prejudices, virtues and vices of this turbulent time. For Christians, it is a sobering look back at the murderous prejudices unleashed by "religious" leaders in a naked grab for power and political and military control over the known world in a time before the notions of tolerance and understanding of cultural and religious differences found a home in the minds of western European civilization. The blending a savage cruelty and devout piousness in even the most nobel of the crusaders will disturb even the most sophisticated reader. For Jews and followers of Islam, this book will give insight into the roots of prejudice in western European culture that while chilling may also give some cold comfort that the climate for such beliefs has become much more hostile in our present time. For all readers new to this approach to history, it might be a first step into understanding just how silly the notion of "the good old days" really is. Deus Lo Volt is also a gripping adventure story. Just who are the good guys and who are the bad guys is left up to the reader, and opinions may change from one page to the next. The only flaw in this otherwise brilliant work is Connell's overreliance on the rhetoric of the time which can become tedious from repetition. Still, for a reader fascinated with the darker periods of human endeavor, "Deus Lo Volt" will be an unforgettable experience.

Just to be clear on this point, Deus Lo Volt! is not a novel per se (or at least, not what I would think of as a novel). It certainly has nothing in common stylistically with the better historical fiction of Graves or the First Man in Rome. It is told in the style of a period history, perhaps as a piece of oral history written down. I must admit I found the style (and the total absence of dialog) rather tedious. For example, every other chapter seems to end with a lengthy rationalization (a.k.a. "rant") on the justness of the Crusades. Such text is also liberally sprinkled throughout the text. Authentic, perhaps, but I became rather tired of reading it after a while (and I think that seeing as we all now live in the 20th Century, most readers will probably agree with me on this point if nothing else).

When I first started reading the book, I found it tedious, boring, and unreadable. The "period recitation of history" style (with zero actual dialog) makes all the characters and events seem distant, indistinguishable, and flat, as if vainly trying to peer through the mist. Even the narrator is a distant, poorly-defined character.

And yet, I do still give it 3 stars - because despite all this, the oddity is that the book did end up capturing my attention. I can only assume it's because of my near-complete ignorance of the Crusades and of the entire time period. Despite a style which could charitably be called "difficult", a lot of stuff does happen, and being such a crucial event in history it is interesting. If you can get into the zone with the unusual perspective, it's an interesting book. My first attempt at reading it I couldn't find it and couldn't even make it through 50 pages; second try, though, I was taken in. Even if it's not going to make my Top N list this year.

Still, even if it is worth trying, I'm not sure this is not a book I would reccomend buying. Check it out of the library first (I'm told these still do exist in many areas of the country; here in the heart of Silicon Valley, I wouldn't know).

"Deus lo Volt!" is a very impressive work. It could never be classified as an "easy read"; there are many minute historical details, not to to mention a vast cast of characters to keep straight. Connell's vocabulary is simply astounding; I kept a dictionary by my side as a read, but several words were too obscure to have a listing.

The medieval Christian perspective of the book is what makes it so incredible. The depth of the facts makes it seems like a text book, yet the reader is constantly reminded who the "good" and "bad" guys are. I admire Connell for writing a book that so defies contemporary concepts of political correctness and religious tolerance; he gives "Deus lo Volt!" a sense of authenticity. Yes, it is a bit troubling to see every Crusader described as ascending to heaven, even if they were raping innocent Saracen women at the time. Yet everything must be regarded in proper historical context, and that may be a challenge for readers. Overall, this is an excellent, informative book for students of medieval history.

Although this novel (if it is correct to call it a novel) is structured without the use of a traditional plotline or character development, I found it one of the most readable and interesting books of the year. Using the chronicle form, Evan Connell nonetheless achieves subtle characterizations and shadings in this history of the Crusades. The centerpiece around which these events takes place seems to be the portrayal of the rivalry of Richard Lionheart and Saladin, and the similarity of their religious zeal The book is like a great medieval painting or tapestry with hundreds of minor characters and depictions. Quite an original literary feat and one that Connell has pulled off with great success.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Crusades, but didn't know to ask. This work is filled with facts and trivia, that is fascinating in the short term, but difficult to sustain the readers' interest over its length. The narrative is much less engaging than the author's earlier work on Custer. His research is to be commended. There was little virtue on either side of these conflicts and we thank the Lord not to have been chosen to participate. Sex and violence for the greater glory of ...?

This book is written in a simplistic style that I found fascinating. Connell's interjection of questions makes the writing feel like a manuscript from that period. His narration of events as the Franks moved through Eastern Europe, to Antioch, and eventually ending in Jerusalem describes the events in the simple way that a true believer of the Middle Ages would.

The fact that Jean, the narrator, is not a member of the Crusades, but the grandson of a Crusader, adds to the feeling of a tale handed down from father to son. He writes as a man who did not live the experience but feels the effects nonetheless as the son of the son of a Crusader.

It is important to remember that Jean is not a character in the story, only the narrator. Since the book is based on medieval documents, it is a bare-bones chronicle of what occurred in the march to the Holy City. The reader must also bear in mind that the book is written in the style of the medieval document. This is not the book for someone looking for deep character development and Hollywood-type "history".

My only criticism is that I would have liked to see sources cited. The author mentions "documents" in his writing about *Deus lo Volt*, but I doubt he sat down in a monastery in Jerusalem and plied through letters and records written on vellum. He must have researched the battles and marches using books, and I'd like to read those references.

This book is very entertaining. It took me about four tries to get through it, but I kept coming back for more. Since characters come and go over the more than a century and a half sweep of this narrative and there is no simple overarching plot, it doesn't suffer much from such sporadic reading, particularly if you have some prior knowledge of the history it covers.
Deus Lo Volt doesn't whitewash or demonize the history of the Crusades. It shows fools, villians, and flawed characters, but it also shows heroic and pious characters (such as the saintly King Louis IX). The brilliant device of using a 13th century crusader (with unexplained access to everything written about previous crusades by Christian or Mohammedan chroniclers) as the narrator adds a ring of authenticity and allows it to take, at least on the surface, a frankly and unawkwardly pro-Christian tone. What the real author's historical judgement is, whether he sympathizes with or means to mock the narrator's perspective of Faith and desire for Christianity to survive in the Holy Land, thus becomes irrelevant. Spared the prospects of either heavy-handed modernist moralizing and revisionist history or apologetics and romanticizing, we can just enjoy a rollicking good ride through an exciting period of history filled with colorful characters, gritty details, and amazing anecdotes. I only wish Ridley Scott had allowed us to have this much unpoliticized fun at the movies.
Incidentally, I've read a couple of history books on the Crusades and recognized many of the events related in this book. So, although Connell doesn't give sources or make any strong claims, I can believe Deus lo Volt!, at least in all of its main features, is basically history collected and presented in the form of an entertaining, novel-like chronical, rather than being historical fiction. If many of the asides and exotic anecdotes are fabricated, they sure are imaginative and enjoyable.