- Mass Market Paperback: 624 pages
- Publisher: Aspect (Feb 1 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0446612219
- ISBN-13: 978-0446612210
- Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 10.8 x 2.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 286 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,158,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In the year 1863, a primitive village is raided, the men killed, and the women and children captured. The survivors find themselves chained in the dark, filthy hold of a ship crossing the ocean to the New World, where they are sold into slavery. The powerful master of a vast Southern plantation purchases the 11-year-old Irish lad Aidan O'Dere. Yes, you read that right--in this alternate America, the South was colonized by black Africans, and the North by Vikings, who sell abducted Celts and Franks to the Southerners. Through his brilliant inversion of our history, author Steven Barnes examines the complex evils of slavery in a new light with Lion's Blood, an intelligent and exciting novel of freedom and bondage, battle and intrigue, sex and love, set in an America threatened by total war as Aztecs, Zulus, Moors, and whites clash.
A Hugo Award and Cable Ace Award nominee, Steven Barnes has written 15 novels and 15 teleplays. --Cynthia Ward --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
"If you would not fear the lion, you must be a lion yourself," notes an old Swahili proverb, and it's that fearlessness that gives Barnes's moving epic its strength and power. What if the captives on those long ago slave ships had been predominantly white and the slave owners predominantly black and brown? This alternative historical novel dares to dissect the differences and similarities between Muslim and Christian ethics, no easy task in these troubling times. By focusing on two engaging main characters, Irish Christian Aidan O'Dere, unwilling slave, and African Muslim, Kai ibn Jallaleddin ibn Rashid, uneasy master, Barnes manages to achieve extraordinary balance and insight into both worlds with unflinching honesty as these two become friends against the odds. Greedy white Northmen catch and sell into slavery the young O'Dere and his family, who arrive in the New World in 1863 (or 1279 Higira time). But instead of the United States, they encounter a divided Bilalstan, ruled by Zulus, Arabs, Aztecs, Vikings and Indians still unable to choose peace over war. As O'Dere strives to find his way to freedom and Rashid strives to figure out whether freedom is just a dream, their lives connect on a battlefield both metaphorical and physical. Interwoven subplots enhance the vivid characterizations, adding romance, Sufi mysticism and philosophical musings regarding martial arts, religion, family and power. This is a dazzling accomplishment, perfectly timed for Black History Month. Agent, Eleanor Wood. (Feb. 13)Forecast: Previously known for his collaborative work with Larry Niven (Saturn's Race, etc.) and his SF detective novels (Blood Brothers, etc.), Barnes may generate controversy with this ambitious alternative look at race relations, especially if critics take aspersions attributed to certain characters out of context. Either way, Barnes seems destined to be a major player in the field.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lush, Intelligent, and a damn good read!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Lion's Blood: A Novel of Slavery and Freedom in an Alternate America (Mass Market Paperback)
When I picked this book up for the first time and read the overlying concept - an alternative history of 19th century America where the racial aspects of slavery are reversed - I confess I thought it sounded gimmicky. Curious, however, I turned to the first page and started reading. I found the writing terrible; trying too hard, streams of unfamiliar celtic terms dumped out in a "look how hard I researched!" fashion, and an over-idyllic setting. Bleh. I put it back on the library shelf.Oh, if only I had given it a few pages more! Fortunately, I heard enough recommendations over the next couple of years that I checked it out and gave it another try. The clearing-of-the-throat narrative voice smoothes out after a couple of chapters, and with the capture of Aiden and his family by the Northmen, I was hooked. This is a brutal story, full of death and a message that all races have the human flaws that enable them to be cruel. But it is intelligent, too. Barnes's alternative history is not just a black-white switch, it is a layered, complicated and fascinating creation - one that lives and breathes on its own. I was especially impressed with the insights on the Islamic religion from a unique perspective. But there are also explorations into the cultures of the Aztecs, Zulus, Egyptians and the Greeks - and how they would have developed over the centuries if Rome and Europe had become a backwater. And lastly - it's simply a good read. Perhaps a little melodramatic at times, but I ate it up. It was good entertainment. Give it a try; I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting New Series,
By
This review is from: Lion's Blood: A Novel of Slavery and Freedom in an Alternate America (Mass Market Paperback)
Lion's blood is the story of Aiden and Kai, two very different young men. Aiden is a white slave from Ireland and Kai is a black landowner. When Aiden and his mother are sold to Kai's family Aiden must struggle to learn the ways of his new master to help himself- and his family. Lion's blood is set in an alternate 'reality' where white Europeans, ravaged by plague remain technologically unadvanced and Africans dominate.I really enjoyed reading about Lion's blood. In particular I enjoyed the segments about Aiden and his family. While I liked Kai, I found it difficult to relate to his religious beliefs and the manner in which women are treated in the colonies, also at times Kai is a bit shallow. Dislikes? I found some elements unbelievable. I found the 'slave rebellion' and its consequences a little fantastic. Also, I never really cared that much for Sophia, although I liked the character concept her character is undefined, and she seemed to go from tough to co-dependant too quickly and her relationship with Aiden lacked spark. Finally, the Aztec campaign was a bit rushed and I didn't feel that segment was as well written as the rest of the book. Still, all criticism aside, this is an excellent series, sure to delight any fan of alternate reality fiction. A+++ work
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awe inspiring Novel,
By
This review is from: Lion's Blood: A Novel of Slavery and Freedom in an Alternate America (Mass Market Paperback)
I could not believe the back pages when I read the description of this book. Some daring writer had actually tackled the impossible--posing a "what if" question and fully embellishing it into a novel that transcends "so-called" true history. There was never a moment when the story felt implausible. It smacked of realism to a point where the reader almost felt as if she had been transported into an alternate universe.Barnes illustrated more effectively then any college survey course could have hoped to that the thing that causes history to move in one direction or another is miniscule. Barnes did more than just flip the script. He looked at the psyche of Africans and wrote a work of fiction that challenged and entertained the reader. THis book should be a required reading in history courses. It would make for quite an interesting discourse.
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