The Light Bearer [Paperback]

Donna Gillespie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Her name is Auriane. She is a warrior, a priestess, and a threat to the powers of Ancient Rome. This breathtaking saga from acclaimed newcomer Donna Gillespie unveils a fascinating world of pagans and slaves, warriors and nobles--and the extraordinary life of a legendary woman they called the Light Bearer.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Quo Vadis for our times! Well, not exactly. It's been awhile since anyone tackled the Roman Empire as entertainingly as Gillespie has done in this book, a nearly-straight historical novel which should please readers of fantasy, too. Germanic Auriane is a combination of the noble, natural savage, and the heroine marked from birth for great deeds. Roman Marcus Julianus is the personification of the highest civilized, republican Roman values. Both are typical and atypical of their societies, fighting for what each believes to be just. Their individual struggles with the clashing Roman and Teutonic cultures are carried out in the Northern forests and in the salons and arena of Rome. Strongly- drawn characters, a setting both familiar and exotic (we all know something of imperial Rome, but very few of us are well-informed about it), a whiff of New-Age ancient mysticism, and a subdued but important romance subplot drive the sweeping novel of Auriane's growth and maturity and Rome's decadence.

From Publishers Weekly

Probably the greatest compliment to Gillespie's first novel is that at 800 pages, the book isn't too long. Spanning the years between A.D. 52-shortly before Nero's accession-and Nerva's accession in 96, the novel invokes tribal warfare, two tyrants, Domitian's terror, gladiatorial spectacles, blood vengeance, imperial intrigues and a mythic love. At the center is Auriane, the daughter of a Chattian chieftain fated to lead her tribe against Rome but also to disgrace it by murdering her father. On the other side of the Alps is Marcus Julianus, a philosophically disposed nobleman trying to salvage justice under the despotic Nero and Domitian. Marcus is haunted by his late father's vague records of a German warrior maid and the two finally meet when Auriane is captured in Domitian's Chattian campaign. Gillespie depends too much on the reader's indulgence when describing the lovers early meetings; they are portentous fated conjoinings rather than a naturally evolving attraction. But this is a quibble because the romance is secondary to the mature couple's greater, more pressing concerns. For anyone interested in this tumultuous period of Roman despotism and Germanic tribes, Gillespie's epic is an intriguing recording of everyday detail, national issues and, more impressively, overarching influences of religion and psychology. Advertising.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1024 pages
• Publisher: Jove (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515119660
• ISBN-13: 978-0515119664
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comparable to Tolkien--based on Historical Facts. Exciting!!, July 23, 2002

By 

Frater V "The Truth is Absolutely Not Absolut... (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Light Bearer (Paperback)

Since I picked-up this book, I have not been able to put it down. Not since Tolkien's trilogy have I been so captivated by a story. The characters are surprisingly well-developed and "real."
Normally, fiction does not affect me the way this novel has, but this is one of those extremely Rare novels that makes you want to jump into the book and avenge the characters, or fight by their side.
I love the format of the book. The author uses a Stephen King style, in the sense of starting one character's story, then alternating between the main character's life story, and other integral character's life stories, keeping you on the edge of your seat, with anticipation.
The characters are very well developed. I have not cared this much about fictional characters, for a long time! The author not-only lets you see through their eyes, but makes you feel what they feel. She creates scenes which draw you in and will not let you go.
I strongly suggest giving a weekend to this novel.
So much happens to the main characters, in the first 100 pages, you wonder what the rest of the book could possibly be about! However, the book just keeps getting better and better, as you read. There are times, when you just cannot imagine what may happen next. This is the most Unpredictable novel I have read, in years.
If most fiction bores you, purchase The Light Bearer, now. The historical detail and the amazingly descriptive text, combined with the author's obviously vast wealth of spiritual and cultural insight, make this novel a treasure.
I hope I can one day be half the Anthropologist the author seems to be! If history were taught in this format, I believe young people would be more excited about learning.
The battles, the love, the glory and the defeat are all described with wonderful detail--but, not boring detail. The details are subtly worked into the storyline and in no way detract from the excitement and fast-paced action.
This is the only book I have ever owned that kept my rapt attention on EVERY page. Only Tolkien even compares with this author, in my mind. I only hope this is not her last book.
For anyone interested in History, Archaeology, Culture or just-plain GOOD fiction, this is the book to put on your Wish List!
This novel is also a very good gift for feminists, and women who enjoy the idea of the protagonist / hero being a female.
I swear the main character (Auriane) of the novel is the most "real" character I have experienced. There are no "filler" characters, in this amazing novel-each character has a role to play and the most trivial background character may serve a higher purpose at some time.
This author knows how to describe her world (our world), and she knows how to create tension, excitement, despair, glory.....she evokes Emotions like no other writer I have experienced reading.
I am stunned by this author's ability with writing, and I am enthralled by "The Light Bearer."

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aurinia Regina!, January 15, 2003

By 

Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Light Bearer (Paperback)

"Better a spirit that does not quite fit in this world than one that is broken."

Such is said by Baldemar, chieftain of the Chattian tribe on the border between the wild lands of Germanis and the ever-encroaching Roman empire. His daughter Auriane is our heroine for this rousing adventure tale, and she proves her father's words in spades.

As a young girl, Auriane wants nothing more than to be a happy wife and mother, like her own mother, comfortable and beloved by the hearthfire. But her first taste of battle leaves her unsatisfied with such a life; fighting awakens a dark passion in her that she does not quite understand. Adding to her confusion, the high priestess Ramis predicts that Auriane is also gifted with the powers of magic. Then Auriane is thrown into the middle of the Roman-Chattian war. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but let me just say that violence, treachery, danger, and true love abound.

Gillespie is talented at depicting her world. She is equally at home in the forests of Germania and the crowded streets of Rome, and she takes us along with her. She has the gift of a Margaret George or Kathleen Winsor for showing us historical detail we never could have imagined. She's obviously done her research on everything from Roman politics to pagan customs to battle tactics. But don't be deceived--this is no dry historical text! I was so caught up in the story I was yelling cheers at the good guys and obscenities at the bad guys, not to mention begging for more as I realized I was on the last page. My only gripe is that Auriane seems too good to be true at times--but maybe I wouldn't have liked the book so much had she not been "larger than life". It's hard to say.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great portrayal of the paradigms of the times, September 27, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Light Bearer (Paperback)

One of the finest examples of HISTORICAL fiction I have read. There is a romance component to this novel, but it is very much in the sub-plot category. The characters are complex and developing throughout the book, the setting - including the warring psychology and belief systems of Rome and the 'barbarians' - are wonderfully described. I am still 'haunted' by some of the imagery and marvelous juxtapositions in this book (after a couple of weeks). On the other hand, the historical detail does not prevent this from being a page-turner - and a pretty easy read.

After reading this book, Donna Gillespie has made it high on my list of favorite historical fiction (loosely defined) authors, which includes Margaret George, India Edghill, Edward Rutherfurd, Steven Pressfield, Diana Gabaldon, Ken Follett, Irving Stone, and Sharon Kay Penman. All of these authors have varying styles, but what unites them is portrayal of the paradigms of the times about which they write through well-researched detail. The Light Bearer is a perfect example of this amazing talent. If you enjoy HISTORICAL historical fiction, and some of the authors above, this is a book for you.