Customer Reviews

In Search of the Dark Ages

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Wood is best known as a BBC "presenter" of the PBS variety, but he's also an Oxford-trained historian. His books (and television series) are solid history but still accessible. This book and his <I>Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England</I> are almost two halves of a whole, an investigation of what happened in England between the departure of the legions and the arrival of William's Normans, and why, and what the effects were on the further development of the "English" (. . . Celtic, Danish, Norwegian, Norman French . . .) people. Lots of maps and illustrations, lots of archaeological plats, and a nice turn of phrase in nearly every paragraph.

I loved the care this book took not to become too dryly academic, but at the same time to provide good, useful information. Interesting topics and figures in early English history such as Eric Bloodaxe, Stonehenge and Sutton Hoo are introduced in an engaging way, with many intersting illustrations and maps. This is the perfect book for someone looking to find out more about this subject, but not wanting to be put to sleep.

We can only hope that the television series upon which it is based will someday become available for purchase as well.

This book was conceived as a companion volume to the author's 1981 BBC documentary series of the same name, and it stays current with a postscript penned in 2001. IN SEARCH OF THE DARK AGES tackles some of the same territory of at least two of Wood's subsequent books, DOMESDAY and IN SEARCH OF ENGLAND, though his objectives and lens are different each time.

Wood's Dark Age parameters are framed by the Roman triumph over the last, first century A.D. Celtic rebellion led by Boudica (that's right; "Boadicea" was a misreading of the calligraphy in the original source) and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In between, he selects a pageant of personages to elucidate succeeding generations and the overlay of first Roman, then Anglo Saxon, Viking and finally Norman cultures: King Arthur, the nameless Sutton Hoo man, Offa, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, Eric Bloodaxe, and Ethelred the Unready. The Dark Ages are quite the challenge in which to go looking for the truth, thickly crusted as they are with the opacity caused by too few extant primary sources and too many Medieval fictions, as well as so many change-ups in cultures, language and leadership. Wood does a quality job of reading the sources, critiquing the fictions and sorting out contemporary scholarship and archeological finds.

Wood writes in an astoundingly lucid voice that rings with wonder. The immediacy of his tone, though unsensational, does leave you feeling blood-soaked as you emerge from these violent times. Despite the ruinous invasions and battles, you can see a shift in values, the coloring of what would become the English language and the evolution of a nation. This is an excellent book for general readers wishing to shore up their knowledge of western civilization.

This is an excellent introductory work to one of the more troublesome blocks of western history. Fast-paced and easily readable, Wood explains how the collapse of Roman Britain heralded the onslaught of different peoples and cultures into Britain and how these vastly differing groups occasionally reached a goal of total mastery of modern England. Celts, Angles, Saxons and Vikings are drawn as the source material and archaelogy reveal them: at once heroic and monstrous, petty and far-seeing. I recommend this book for anyone "in search of" that English historical quicksand prior to the Norman Conquest.

Michael Wood's book is a great resource for the little understood period of English history commonly known as the Dark Ages. He traces English history from the fall of Roman England, the rise of Boudicca, Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions, Alfred the Great, the little known Aethelstan, Ethelred the Unready, Eric Bloodaxe (not to be confused with Eric the Red, who discovered Greenland) and William the Conqueror (who never even learned to speak English). A good concise history with nice pictures and interesting insights.

This is a well-written and concise account of England in the Dark Ages. Author Michael Wood seems especially qualified for this sort of subject since he is amazingly proficient in dealing with a time period that has conflicting and missing sources - as he was also with the Trojan War. While the history of the Dark Ages is obscure - in more ways than one - he manages a very clear, concise and accessible narrative. As he was previously only known to me as the host of historical TV shows, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of his writing. (When it comes to history, he is evidently the king of all media.) I particularly like Wood's diligence in trying to reveal history without a lot of personal opinions or filling in gaps with conjecture masquerading as fact.

In this fairly short book the casual historian will almost certainly acquire a significant amount of interesting new knowledge about Dark Age England. My favorite is the chapter on Athelstan (of whom I'd previously never even heard), an enlightened king who conquered the entire island of Britain - something even the Romans never accomplished! The amazing story of Alfred the Great, while less obscure, also makes great reading.

There is a surprising amount of relatively unknown and important history packed into this slim book. This is a period of time when reality was often hazy even for the contemporaries. The borders of now largely-forgotten kingdoms shifted and disappeared as people of different cultures, religions and languages clashed over and over. The results had a profound impact on our present day culture and language. (How different things would have turned out if Alfred had not, against all odds, refused to give up!) While many may know how England and the British Empire helped shape the modern world, this book tells you a lot about what shaped England.

My one criticism is that the title is misleading. In this book you won't find out much about the world in general, or even continental Europe, during the Dark Ages. It is almost entirely concerned with (what is now) England. But that was enough to make it a very interesting piece of work to me.

I like the way Michael Wood presents history. His BBC documentaries are excellent. "In Search of the Dark Ages" reads like a TV series (and apparently is based on one), as its chapters are a series of vignettes of some of the most important British historical figures during the period of the first millennium (and in the case of William the Conqueror, just beyond).

Wood tells us about the Celtic warrior queen Boadicea; the defender of Roman Britain King Arthur; the Anglo-Saxon chieftain buried at Sutton Hoo, the Anglo-Saxon rulers Offa, Alfred the Great, and Athelstan; the Viking Eric Bloodaxe; the long-reigning failure Ethelred the Unready; and the Norman William the Conqueror, who ended Anglo-Saxon Britain with his invasion of 1066.

This is a book aimed at Britons, as there are things taken for granted that non-Brits may not understand. The biggest flaw is the total lack of maps. This book cries out for them, especially for those of us with a less than total understanding of English geography.

The only other weakness is that in an attempt to be relevant when the book was written in 1981, Wood often describes events in the past with modern counterparts. We get Vietnam references to guerilla warfare (and he probably would have used the term "ethnic cleansing" in some places had the book been written after the wars in the former Yugoslavia). Some of these references might be a bit dated, but the fact that most aren't is a sign that much of the brutality of history is still with us.

There is also a Postscript, written in connection with the 2006 paperback edition, that mentions a few modern archeological discoveries that basically just support the stories in the original edition.

And those stories are fascinating! Each chapter is necessarily short (and could each be a book in itself). But we are taken on an enthralling journey from the Celtic resistance to the Romans through the Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions, to the arrival of the Normans. It should be an encouragement to read more.

But it desperately needs maps!

What we have here is a wonderfully written primer on the particular era in history, English history for the most part, of what has become known as The Dark Ages. This work is absolutely perfect for someone like me who has had quite enough of text books in his life, yet at the same time, still has a curiosity about many things. I have no desire to become a scholar specializing in this area of history, yet like many others is fascinated with it. Lets face it...what we are today as a people, has its roots firmly implanted during the time period covered by this work which is roughly from the time the Roman Legions left going thorough the time of the Norman Conquest. I will state right now that I do not know enough of the subject to make the often times comment we see in these review that "This book is well researched." Hey, I don't know if it is well researched or not...I simply am not that familiar with the subject, ergo I am taking the author at his word. If there are errors in his text, findings and speculations, then I am sure they were honest errors and I will leave pointing those errors to others more qualified.

Wood's easy writing style allows the reader to actually learn and enjoy the learning process, without feeling they have swallowed a sleeping potion after the first couple of pages. The writing of this particular work must have been quite a task as there is a dearth of primary sources and much education guess work must be put into play. Wood's is a master at that and is the first to let you know when he enters into speculation. The nice thing about his work is that his speculations are well founded and logical. Yes, there are probably other answers to questions, other theories about this and that, but to be honest, until we can find hard evidence; a written word, then his theories are just as valid as any others I have encountered...in my limited and probably inadequate opinion.

These were difficult times; hard times and bloody times. This was a very unforgiving era in our history and this fact shines through in the author's writing. Now don't take me wrong...there is very little sensationalism in this book. Facts are given, known facts, and the author treats his subject is a lively yet dispassionate way that makes his work exciting and real, but at the same time believable, readable and informative. If you want sensationalism...go check out a Hollywood film covering this subject.

This book is extremely well illustrated with photographs, maps (although it could have used more...I love maps), genealogical charts, art objects and artifacts. These illustrations add greatly to the content of the text.

The author has the ability to put life into a rather dead and gone subject and via reading this work I was able to place many things and events into their proper context. Again, I have no desire to become an expert in this area but certainly must admit to have received much more knowledge from reading this work than many others of its ilk.

I do recommend this one highly. This, like so many others, will be received a reread in the near future...I enjoyed it that much!

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

The Oxford scholar & historian has now produced and directed over ten magnificent BBc series and alongside his magnificent "Domesday Insearch of the Roots of England" this incredible book on the most mysterious part of Britains history are amongst his earliest productions.

Those familiar with his work will no doubt realise what in depth analysis he provides on his chosen area.

The reason for this review is not to highlite this superb book because those who are thinking of buying it will already realise any historians bookshelf would be empty without a copy, but to highlite the traversty of neither his Domesday or this incredible Dark Ages series being available on DVD.

I own three copies of this book, one being a first edition and another an American publication which has different photographs to the Uk version.

Even though both series are now well over twenty years old i can still remember them, Domesday especially.

They are in a similar vein to the David Dimbleby's BBC series on Britains history but with Woods meticulous eye for detail and infectious charm of somebody who knows his subject inside out.

Those series are still some of the finest historical programmes on Britains past ever produced by the BBc and to my knowledge have not been repeated on television since their original broadcast so many years ago.

Two years ago i actually wrote to the BBc to ask them were there any plans on releasing these magnificent series onto DVd and their replie was

" We may get around to it some day but there are no plans just as yet to release them"

I'm sure there are many people who have bought this book or several of his books and have never seen either of these great series.

For some reason his more recent equally brilliant series on the life of Shakespeare and others have been released onto disc but as the title of his earliest book "In Search of the Dark Ages" implies that fabulous series is still shrouded in mystery.

If any one out there reading this review works within the BBc department responsible for Dvd transfer

PLEASE OH PLEASE PUT BOTH DOMESDAY AND INSEARCH OF THE DARK AGES ONTO DVD WHERE THEY BELONG.

An excellent book, exploring a thousand years of history through the lives and legacies of key figures. Boudicea, Alfred the Great, Offa, William the Conqueror and others.
Wood charts the development of Anglo-Saxon England, from a series of fractitious, warring kingdoms on the boundaries of the civilised world, to the wealthiest kningdom in Europe, with the oldest monarchy.

Throughout Micheal Wood bases his information on the latest archeological and historical evidence and analyses these to give a clear and accurate picture of events.

I gave it four stars only because the book can be rather hard-going at times, and a little too technical, but the reader can get past that, to appreciate this fascinating book.