Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom: Amazon.co.uk: Tom Holland: Books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

by Niall Ferguson

4.4 out of 5 stars (30) �5.99

Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic

by Tom Holland

4.7 out of 5 stars (60) �6.99

Persian Fire: The First World Empire, Battle for the West

by Tom Holland

4.3 out of 5 stars (35) �6.99

D-Day: The Battle for Normandy

by Antony Beevor

4.2 out of 5 stars (72) �12.49

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science

by Richard Holmes

4.9 out of 5 stars (9) �15.00

› Explore similar items

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

(What is this?)

2008: God's Last Warning

www.the-end.com The downfall of the US has begun with economic collapse being first

End Of The World

ChappellOfBondStreet.co.uk/Est1811 Available now to buy online. Huge catalogue. Fast delivery.

Product Description

Review
Praise for PERSIAN FIRE: ** 'It is a testament to Holland's superlative powers as a narrative historian that he brings this tumultuous, epoch-making period dazzlingly to life' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY ** 'Holland has a rare eye for the detail, drama and the telling anecdote ... A vibrant, bloodthirsty popular history, told with a rich sense of irony and irresistible narrative timing' DAILY TELEGRAPH

Review
'MILLENNIUM ranges far in both time and space yet always returns to its central theme: the right ordering of Christendom. It is narrative history in the grand manner, written with the panache and confidence we associate with the great historians of the 18th and 19th centuries. Holland's research has been prodigious . . . It is a marvellous, enthralling read, and gives a lively sense of these turbulent centuries that were so crucial in the making of western civilisation. Read it, and be thrilled, amazed and enlightened' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

athens(4)

greece(4)

roman history(4)

tom holland(4)

ancient history(3)

persia(3)

ancient greek(2)

imperialism(2)

sparta(2)

military history(3)

empires(1)

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Original Millenium Bug?, 26 Sep 2008

By	Kuma (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom (Hardcover)

Tom Holland does history and historians a great service. He brings areas of history such as the ancient world or the middle ages that have been increasingly the preserve of academics back to the general populace. He does this with wit, clever anecdote, narrative history and the confidence to nmatch his history with the trends in academia.

Millenium in this respect is a triumph of writing. First he succeeds in providing a highly cohesive narrative for a landscape that was divided amongst so many kingdoms and cultures, this is a victory in itself. secondly he ensures that his narrative is not the dull constitutional histories of the past that are a collection of dates but instead tries to really understand the motivations of the history.

Significantly he addresses the importance of religion and especially the Christian pre-occupation with the second coming. In an age that increasingly doesn't understand faith or wishes to downplay it's involvement in history, Holland masterfully draws in a clear and fair image of religion in keeping with current trends in middle ages history. He is very good at discuss the abbey at Cluny and using the abbey to draw a detailed image of the periods religious landscape. Skillfully he also looks at Muslim and Jewish attitudes and beliefs in the period and amazingly manages to fit into his narrative some well thought insights into the intellectual relationships between these faiths. It is often the downfall of historians of this period to take too Christian a view of events, but Holland succeeds in rising above this, it is to say the least refreshing.

The quality of his language and the structure of the book are also expertly compiled and depsite the need to travel both backwards and forwards in time to describe a kingdom or development, Hollands literary ability shines through.

I have only given the book 4 stars and need to explain why. In part Holland's great success in creating a unified history by focusing on Millenial angst also hinders the development of the work. First he never really addresses the extent to which we see AD 1000 as the millenium rather than the people of the middle ages who were less certain of dates and also using a plethora of religious dates to formulate an idea of the millenium (i.e. Christ's birth, crucifixtion, the birth of Mohammed etc), and that there were other reasons for the development of the period. He is disappointly uncritical of his entry point into the period, the millenium which feels like an opportunity wasted.

All in all a terrific work for a difficult period, Holland has made an accesible, intense and engrossing piece of history.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Millenium is recreated by Tom Holland., 19 Oct 2008

By	Diana Swann (Portsmouth, Hants United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom (Hardcover)

Did you expect the Day of Judgement or the appearance of the Antichrist at the Second Millenium in 2000? If so, sympathise with the hapless inhabitants of the Christian world around 1000 AD as they struggle for survival and are caught up in the Church and State's duel for world-leadership. In Tom Holland's new book, the focus is on the decades leading to and from the first Millennium, ending in the recapture of Jerusalem from the Saracens in 1099.

Against the violence of this background, holy men, land-hungry dukes, Viking pirates, popes and emperors briefly blaze, and are as quickly extinguished in the flames of siege and the yelling carnage of relentless warfare. In the work of any other writer, covering such a broad canvas could lead to incoherence and battle-fatigue, but Holland organises his sprawling material with exemplary clarity.

Holland is a historian for today. His zestfully colloquial style underlines the relevance that this far-off time has for us now. He relieves the derring-do occasionally by throwing in memorable descriptions of the splendour of Constantinople or the tranquil piety of the Abbey of Cluny. There has been less written about this murky period than almost any time in history. Its chief characters could only be brought to life by someone of Holland's wide-ranging scholarship and imagination, Despite his often meagre primary sources, his description of characters and events have an almost cinematographic immediacy.

This is a Big Read about a Big Subject. If you are so swept along that you miss some of the vivid detail, it will repay reading again - and again.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Treat For Holland Fans, 11 Oct 2008

By	Uberkritik (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom (Hardcover)

I agree with A Hall that the author's previous books (Persian Fire and Rubicon) are tough acts to follow. But for me, Holland completes the hat-trick in real style. What he does so well is combine genuine scholarship with an eye for a great story, and he keeps on picking out neglected areas of history and bringing them to life. The 11th Century may not sound that mouthwatering to begin with but it does include the Battle of Hastings and the First Crusade - pretty juicy. And if, like me, you have a taste for the bloodthirsty details, Holland digs them all up and delivers them in spades. The hardback is a bit heavy to carry around, so I might wait until his next one comes out in paperback.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 10 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An epic read in every sense
Tom Holland is simply the best contemporary history writer around. With Rubicon he brought a much needed verve and wit to the overly familiar area of Roman history. Read more

Published 1 month ago by J. Duducu

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent review of little known era
This gives a comprehensive picture of the centuries leading up to 1000AD and the beginning of the 12th century, an era often dismissed as the 'Dark Ages'. Read more

Published 4 months ago by J. K. Wardle

4.0 out of 5 stars How Castles Created Serfs and the Pope Gave Us Secularism
An interesting, easy to read look at the history of Europe - or Christendom - as it approached and then went beyond the first millennium. Read more

Published 6 months ago by wolf

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
Religious history, obscure Frankish kings, wars and disasters - who'd have thought they'd make such a compelling read? Read more

Published 6 months ago by Paul M. Wright

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable
Millenium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom by Tom Holland is a very good book dealing with the turbulent years around the turn of the first millenium. Read more

Published 8 months ago by HBH

5.0 out of 5 stars A sweeping history of a fascinating age
I really enjoyed Persian Fire - a masterful and accessible re-evaluation of the wars between the Persians and the ancient Greeks - and this book is even more ambitious and... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Avid Reader

3.0 out of 5 stars buy it when it comes out on paperback
I've loved Tom Holland's other books. Rubicon was good & Persian Fire was one of the most readable books I've come across. Read more

Published 9 months ago by A. Hall

› See all 10 customer reviews...

Listmania!

the 2009 Reading List: A list by Whimsical Witch "a book loving witch"
Some top new titles - summer 2009: A list by N.S.T.
Hot books of recent times (2009): A list by Charlie Thompson

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Books > History > Europe > Vikings, Dark Ages, Medieval Europe 501-1500

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

Fun for Everyone

Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

Up to 75% off Shoes

Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

Train Hard...Play Hard

Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

	89% buy the item featured on this page: Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom 4.5 out of 5 stars (10)
	4% buy Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic 4.7 out of 5 stars (60) �6.99
	3% buy Persian Fire: The First World Empire, Battle for the West 4.3 out of 5 stars (35) �6.99
	2% buy Bad Science 4.6 out of 5 stars (143) �4.85


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon

Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom (Paperback)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Up to 75% off Shoes

Train Hard...Play Hard

Treat Someone

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History