The Phoenix Circle [Paperback]

Boris Raymond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2007

Boris Raymond's The Phoenix Circle travels back in time to bring to life the collapse of the great western Roman empire. It is 448 A.D., barbarians are on the attack and Attila the Hun is threatening invasion. Who will win in this battle?

Editorial Reviews

Review

As a child, I thought of the fall of Rome as one dramatic point in time when barbarians sacked the city, thus ending the empire and changing the course of civilization. The PHOENIX CIRCLE explores the reality of decades in which the empire slowly collapsed from internal weakness as much as from external pressures.

The book weaves together many threads: aristocrats striving to maintain their life of power and indulgence, slaves who will do anything to survive and become free, citizens who expected to be fed and entertained, and barbarians whose values are often more civilized than the Romans. Most importantly, it highlights the role of the Catholic Church as force for stability during a period when the emperors counted their reigns in weeks rather than years. By the end of the book it is clear that Church has supplanted Empire. But, a tension is revealed within the Church as well, between those who seek to wield power and those who seek spiritual growth, which sets the stage for the next 1,000 years of history.

All of these themes are developed through an extensive cast of largely real historical figures. While based on solid research, their thoughts, characters and contexts are vividly evoked, and the action sweeps forward quickly, with the same kind of drama and intrigue found in novels about the much better known time of the first Caesars, almost 500 years earlier.

One does need a map to keep track of all the movements of armies and invading tribes, and distances between the many key locations. Readers are advised to keep an historical atlas handy. This is a book which well repays the reader, delivering insights into about a poorly understood period of history as well as a good read. -- 5 stars As reviewed by Libby Trudell, Sr. Vice President, Market Development Corporate Markets, Thomson Scientific.

I thought THE PHOENIX CIRCLE a wonderful, imaginative take on the last days of Rome's glory and the creation of the City of God. It created a sense of what it would have been like to have lived in the last days of Rome, illustrating the super rich of that period in time, and how they brought about their own destruction in their constant quest for power and glory. I enjoyed the many aspects of Roman life mentioned, and especially the descriptions of times and places of historic events that graphically recreated this period and enlightened me.

I couldn't help but feel that Alexia is the depiction of a very modern woman, with a mind of her own, a strong will, and unwisely subscribing to the wrong mores of her time. Her background could have led her to a life like Eugenia's, but her love of luxury mandated the course she decided upon. Thinking of how many lives she ruined, yet they may have actually been much worse off with someone else. She has the juiciest part of this novel as the most captivating character. The development of the jealousy in the relationship of Orestes, Alexia, and Odovocar is an interesting subplot leading to the thought that this somewhat parallels that of the Illiad and the Odessey, leading to the downfall of Rome in this case.

The character of the stoic Severinus overcoming his debased childhood and rising to sainthood was a very interesting element of this story, as is the development of the Catholic religion and it's importance to Rome. Yet, for me, the most interesting character development was that of Orestes. Seeing him start out as an idealistic, young man, a good, loving son, later in awe of Cassiodorus, someone striving to become a savior of Rome. Yet, he subtly changes and becomes debased in his climb to power. He constantly justifies his excesses, as is so often the case for many, and becomes beguiled by the power he wields and hopes to achieve. His final degredation, in my opinion, is his act of setting his own son up on a throne that could be toppled at any time, all to further his own interests. -- 5 stars As reviewed by Marian Fricano, Head, Access Services, Michel Orradre Library, Santa Clara University

Reading the Phoenix Circle is a bit like watching the movie Titanic. The characters who figure in Dr. Raymond's tragic novel go about their lives, their loves, hatreds, successes and failures but we know when we pick up the book that they are doomed. The sinking ship in this case is the Roman Empire. The hero of the story is Orestes, a young Roman aristocrat who schemes with a small group of patriots to restore the glory that was Rome. The secret group known to each other as The Phoenix Circle is named after the mythical bird that dies and is reborn. The group hopes to eliminate barbarian influence and strengthen the native Roman and Italians to ward off the foreign enemies. Orestes early on attaches himself to Attila the Hun to learn all he can from him to use against Huns, Vandals and other enemies of Rome. By his character and ambition he becomes the head of a vast spy network with agents in both the eastern and western ends of the empire.

Yet despite all his efforts he is unable to restore the ancient glory of the realm. The ship sinks around him and eventually takes him with it. The service that THE PHOENIX CIRCLE provides the reader is to flesh out the skeleton of the history of the times with back stories of the actual participants. We have a richer appreciation of the world that the Romans and barbarians inhabited in the fifth century of the Christian era. We see the visceral change from the rule of the Caesars to the authority of the Pope. Orestes was witness and participant in these events even in the midst of his own personal tragedy. -- 5 stars As reviewed by Glenn Barnett, author of the forthcoming book "THE PERSIAN WAR: The Roman Conflicts with Iraq and Iran".

I've just finished reading THE PHOENIX CIRCLE written by one of our list members, Boris Raymond, and must say it is a totally engaging read. He reworked his previous book, THE TWELFTH VULTURE OF ROMULUS, by concentrating the story in the pov of a central character, Orestes, behind the scenes puppeteer and father of Romulus, the last western emperor of Rome, which added continuity and concentrated the story into an emotionally engaging read by giving us one main character with which to bond.

At the end, when Orestes dies, I found myself transferring my attachment from Orestes to Severinus ... ready to read on about the next phase of Rome's demise and the rise of the Church from the ashes, as the symbolism of the phoenix implies. I can only hope that Boris writes the next phase in Rome's history as beautifully as he penned the last because I'd love to read about how the slave come hermit come holy man helps bring about the ascendancy of the popes and the Church.

There is much to think about beyond the simple story of political jockeying ... from the general acceptance of slavery and sex without boundary for the elite to the characters of the hermit and pope's assistant who each reflected the division in the Church that would finally erupt centuries later between the spiritual visionary and the politically astute. The idea of the Circle is reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's allegation of a coterie that exists even now that moves us all around like pieces on a chessboard and makes for great drama. The parallels to the elite in Boris' book, with the Romanesque toga parties held by the CEOs of the late 1990s, televised around the time of the downfall of their corporations, is particularly striking.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope there is a sequel before long. Boris' writing grabbed me around the third chapter after which I couldn't put the book down until it was finished, at which time I wrote him how much I enjoyed it and made a request for a sequel to THE PHOENIX CIRCLE. -- 5 stars As reviewed by Ginny Wagner

Many historical novels depict ancient Rome, but only a very small number set out to describe one of the fabled city's most complicated eras, its demise. Indeed, a cursory Internet search turns up only one on the fall of Rome, by the nineteenth-century British novelist Wilkie Collins, and this one, Antoninia, is one of Collins' lesser-known works at that. It is precisely this literary gap that Boris Raymond's novel, The Phoenix Circle, beautifully fills.

Perhaps the reason for the paucity of such novels is the fact that there are so many competing theories as to what caused the fall of Rome. Some claim that economic hardship, and the consequent anemia of military coffers, opened Rome to defeat at the hands of otherwise inferior powers. Others claim that Rome's fall can be explained by its moral decadence in the fifth century, while still others believe that the Holy Roman Empire's conversion to Christianity caused the fall by distracting it from its erstwhile classical virtues.

The strength of The Phoenix Circle, however, is precisely that it addresses all of these possibilities, and intertwines them in a plot as intricate and complex as any nineteenth-century novel by Wilkie Collins, or Charles Dickens, or even Dan Brown, for that matter. Put succinctly, the novel is about a very simple organization, the Phoenix Circle, which is given the task of saving the empire from destruction by the Huns, then later the various Goth tribes of the Visi- and Ostro- varieties. But its task is complicated by various internal squabbles resulting in murder and dissension in the government and the Church. At the end, we are left with a Rome that has been destroyed for all of the standard reasons combined.

The strength of The Phoenix Circle is that, despite the complexity of the plot, one nevertheless has the sense on every page of the inevitable about to occur. No matter how desperately the Phoenix Circle attempts to save Rome, its fall is assured, and the various actors are powerless to stop it. The novel proceeds inexorable forward, and the reader gets the harrowing sense of being, as it were, present at the destruction.

In classic mythology, the phoenix is a bird that arises from its own ashes. The hope of the Phoenix Circle is that Rome, too, will rise again, but in fact Raymond has a different interpretation in mind. For with the death of Rome came not its own resurrection, but the beginning of a new era, one where men and women will concern themselves more with the salvation of their immortal souls than with amassing power or riches. In the fall of Rome, Raymond argues, there lies not sorrow but hope. Christianity really was incompatible with a classical civilization, but for Raymond this is the fault not of Christianity but of classical civilization.

This fresh interpretation of the fall of Rome gives The Phoenix Circle one more aspect to its many strengths. This is a fine novel of an ancient time that is fit to stand next to the best among such historical novels. The plot is complex, the prose accomplished, and the moral original and astute. Raymond has done a remarkable job with a very complex subject, and devotees of historical novels will find themselves richly rewarded for picking this one up. -- 5 stars As reviewed by New York Times best-selling author Ellen Tanner Marsh

The late Roman Empire has not yet received its due from professional historians, so the task for the writer of fiction is all the more daunting. But in his elegantly written and long (over 500 pages) novel, Boris Raymond more than meets the challenge and succeeds in producing a credible and highly readable picture of the fascinating effort of a dying elite to forestall the collapse of the great empire. Raymond?s characters in the Phoenix Circle are finely drawn and realized; they are compelling as individuals; and their dialogue rings true. If this is not what actually happened fifteen hundred years ago, Raymond?s version is probably better and certainly more enjoyable. -- Norman G.O. Pereira, Professor Emeritus, Dalhousie University

About the Author

A veteran of WWII, Boris Raymond earned his bachelor degree and two master degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He taught sociology, history and library science at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia from 1974 until his retirement in 1990. Currently an adjunct professor in Arts and Social Sciences at Dalhousie University, Boris Raymond is also an avid student of Roman history. After publishing numerous articles and books, he wrote his first historical novel, The Twelfth Vulture of Romulus in 2003. He lives in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 534 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (January 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419642359
• ISBN-13: 978-1419642357
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,625,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and moving, January 7, 2008

By 

Alan Fisk (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Phoenix Circle (Paperback)

448 A.D.: the frontiers of the Roman Empire are beset by Germans and Huns, while corruption and religious strife are eating away the strength of the Empire from within. Orestes, a young Roman from a noble family, learns the skills of diplomacy, intrigue,and espionage while serving as a secretary to
Attila the Hun.

Afterwards, Orestes is taken into the Phoenix Circle, a group of high-ranking Romans dedicated to the patriotic defence of traditional Roman values. This involves resisting the increasing influence of Germanic soldiers in the Empire's forces. In so doing, the Phoenix Circle unwittingly accelerates the destruction of what it sought to preserve: the German generals, seeing this rejection of their willingness to serve the Rome, decide to hijack the Empire instead and recast it into kingdoms for themselves.

Orestes' obsession helps to bring this about, endangering himself and his young son. Only the Christians, such as the bitter papal secretary Gelasius and the literally saintly former slave Severinus, see the collapse of the old Empire as a foundation on which to build the mediaeval Christian Europe of the future.

This novel is dominated by a sombre atmosphere of decline and despair,but it is often relieved by episodes of happiness and humour. It is an absorbing read, drawing you into the unstable world of the mid-fifth century, with vivid descriptions of places from Hungary to Gaul and from Rome to Egypt. One yearns to burst into the novel and shout at these people that their attitudes are preparing their own downfall.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Phoenix Circle Sheds Light on Social Upheaval in 5th century Europe, September 28, 2007

By 

Mary (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Phoenix Circle (Paperback)

"The Phoenix Circle" by Dr. Boris Raymond is an engrossing and insightful novel that examines the changes occurring in western civilization as the Roman Empire succumbs to barbarian encroachment and the growing power of Christianity and dominance of spiritual philosophy in social experience.

Dr. Raymond, a professor of history, sociology, and library science at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, shares his in-depth knowledge of the period artfully, providing a tactile context for each event and insight into the thoughts and ideas that motivated the key players during this period. His characters are well developed and he changes scenes deftly without confusing the reader or disrupting the overall continuity of his tale.

I particularly found his examination of the various conflicts within the early Christian church interesting. He shows us how the princes of the church struggled for supremacy almost like rival Roman generals vying for the scepter and how the church was impacted by changes in secular power when rulers or their consorts supported or opposed various theological positions. We feel the tension of a society whose people, like Attila's hapless secretary, must have felt like they were tied spread-eagled to four horses precariously controlled by duplicitous power brokers from both church and state.

Dr. Raymond's "The Phoenix Circle" reflects the growth of the author in his understanding of the genre of historical fiction since the release of his first book "The Twelfth Vulture of Romulus" and I recommend this work to Roman history enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in how events of late antiquity forged the society we have inherited.

Mary Harrsch, Editor
Roman Times

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality Thinking, April 25, 2008

By 

Joy (Portland, OR, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Phoenix Circle (Paperback)

THE PHOENIX CIRCLE is a very well-thought-out novel of the last decades of the Western Roman Empire. Professor Raymond loves this time period and spent a great deal of time researching it. Then he created interesting characters and intrigues suited to the time. In addition to being growing human beings living gripping lives, his characters also illustrate the division between spiritual and power hunger that intensified as the Empire degenerated. In spite of the problems to be expected when an author is learning the craft of fiction writing, THE PHOENIX CIRCLE will reward its readers with its character development and broad vision.