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philosopher_kj's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
ego8's review
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
ehays84's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this one up off of a friend's shelf a while ago to borrow because I have always heard about Howard Pyle, but have never read anything by him. His work was kind of the gold standard for late 19th century American children's adventure/historical novels, and it says something about his abilities both as an author and illustrator that his books, especially his version of Robin Hood, has often been in print up to the current day.
There were some beautiful illustrations and some very poetic moments, but overall, it was too overly stereotypicalized for my tastes. You wouldn't really learn much real history from this book.
The story itself was fairly interesting, but it was kind of brutal, and because of how short it was, you never really got to know or like any of the characters that much. It was too episodic.
Well, now I've read a Pyle, but I think there are better children's versions of historical stories available at this point.
There were some beautiful illustrations and some very poetic moments, but overall, it was too overly stereotypicalized for my tastes. You wouldn't really learn much real history from this book.
The story itself was fairly interesting, but it was kind of brutal, and because of how short it was, you never really got to know or like any of the characters that much. It was too episodic.
Well, now I've read a Pyle, but I think there are better children's versions of historical stories available at this point.
rebecca_bluedragonskeep_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
4.0
lara_lleverino's review against another edition
3.0
Julia and I read this while studying the Middle Ages. It was a good story to tell of the time period we were studying. The language is picturesque if a bit archaic. I'm not sure how much of the thee's and thou's hindered Julia from understanding the whole story. She said she enjoyed it and she liked looking at the pictures. She said she wouldn't want to live in the Middle Ages...too many wars.
schmidtmark56's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes anti-war sentiments get bogged down in, well, senitment, but this book far outdoes most. I love this wholesome, late-19th century medieval genre (a la Ivanhoe). There is something about this return to appreciating the premodern which is so refreshing after centuries of destroying religion, tradition, and all the good that the middle ages preserved. This book is very far from a fluff piece meant to sugar coat the middle ages, but rather it shows how in the darkness of worldly brutality, a christian flame flickered in the dark, holding the west together. The book starts off making that distinction, that there were some (mostly those in the church and in quieter areas) who preserved the teaching of Christ.
Interestingly, the story is centered upon a boy who is the son of a robber-baron, and the boy does essentially nothing physically heroic, but he is morally bold in his own way. His father is a bloodthiersty warmonger, but his mother had a conscience (however twisted, she didn't mind the spoils of war which her husband brought back). One time Otto's father returned nearly dead, and his mother went into labor at the sight, barely living long enough to give the boy his name before she died.
When Otto's father comes out of his coma, Otto is born and his wife is dead, so he takes the boy to a nearby monastery where his cousin (and maybe his brother as well?) lived. "Would that all the little children in these dark times be brought to the house of God and there learn mercy and peace instead of rapine and war" said the abbot. Right afterwards, Otto's father swears revenge on a the members of another family for a blood feud, and the abbot gives up trying to turn him away from it (doesn't use any scripture, easily could have, but meh).
There in the monastery, Otto is peacefully raised and befriends a man who is mentally handicapped (half-witted, head hurt as a child, abandoned at the monastery), and they form a bond, talking nonsense back and forth to each other. The other man, John, tells him of visions he sees. I loved this detail because it points out the longstanding anti-eugenics of the church, and it shows that even the mentally handicapped can still live fulfilling lives (John takes care of little Otto for a while, and is a good companion).
Otto also gets the privilege to learn latin (reading and writing), and has access to nice books at the monastery. At the age of 12, Otto's father returns and takes him back home, saying: "If you have made a milkmaid of the boy, I thank the dear heaven that there is still time to undo your work and to make a man of him". This turn is important because it points out that, contrary to modern atheistic propaganda, it was actually the church which held western civilization together (and propagated learning and the arts). It was straying from the church (literally and morally) that brought barbarism.
While at the family castle, he explores and finds some old worm-eaten books, and is one of only two people who can read in the castle. He also finds an old chapel which is dusty and unused except for a family burial place. This is an excellent metaphor for how tradition, specifically christian tradition, can be misused, as they don't really care about religion, they only use it as a way to deal with the dead; they only care about the dead insofar as they can give them longstanding feuds.
At one point, Otto learns that his father has killed a man, and then his father walks in, saying he's killed more than a few, stating: "Thou must get out of those foolish notions that the old monks have taught thee. Here in the world it is different from what it is in St. Michaelsburg. Here a man a must slay or be slain." Here we have a curious moral relativism, which is at odds with the objective morality that Otto was taught at the monastery. Ironically, after being chastised for the things he learned from the monks, Otto is summoned to read a declaration which is handed to his illiterate father. This is a perfect image of how modern ethics, arts, and culture are so indebted to Christianity that they can't even read.
Otto's father leaves to obey the summons of the emperor, and it's while he's away that the castle is stormed and Otto is taken captive. Otto fears he will die and begins praying as the family enemies of Otto's father drag him away. They don't kill him only (as is revealed near the end) cut off his right hand. This comes up later when Otto is freed (and unable to use a ladder, both because of exhaustion and because of his lost hand), and Otto's father reacts much the same way as Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus reacts to his daughter's dismemberment (bitter laughter).
Near the end, Otto's father sacrifices himself to let his son and the others escape, and Otto's father falls into a river with the other Baron (who has taken part in the family feud) and they both drown together in their heavy armor, never seen again. This feels like a good metaphor for how such feuds must end. There are three possibilities in these cases: either both sides kill themselves, both sides declare peace (as Otto proposes, saying he gave his hand to the daughter of the family enemy while a prisoner there, possibly referencing Romeo and Juliet), or lastly a third party (such as the government) may step in (which is also threatened at the end). The Emperor is portrayed as a modestly dressed and reasonable man, and finally all is good. Otto's wisdom wins him respect, and his missing hand is replaced with a silver, unmovable hand, one which can never raise a sword, even if it wanted to.
"A silver hand is better than an iron hand [fist]" is what the book ends on, and it ties things together well. The story could have stood to be a bit longer, but it was good for a children's novel, and I think the themes/morals of it were great. It showed a main character who is "nerdy" but who is right and who is able to teach the adults around him. He is a rebel but in the only meaningful way you can be. He doesn't dress stupidly or act disobedient; instead he rebels against the ways of the world, modeling a Christlike patience and wisdom. Wonderful :)
Interestingly, the story is centered upon a boy who is the son of a robber-baron, and the boy does essentially nothing physically heroic, but he is morally bold in his own way. His father is a bloodthiersty warmonger, but his mother had a conscience (however twisted, she didn't mind the spoils of war which her husband brought back). One time Otto's father returned nearly dead, and his mother went into labor at the sight, barely living long enough to give the boy his name before she died.
When Otto's father comes out of his coma, Otto is born and his wife is dead, so he takes the boy to a nearby monastery where his cousin (and maybe his brother as well?) lived. "Would that all the little children in these dark times be brought to the house of God and there learn mercy and peace instead of rapine and war" said the abbot. Right afterwards, Otto's father swears revenge on a the members of another family for a blood feud, and the abbot gives up trying to turn him away from it (doesn't use any scripture, easily could have, but meh).
There in the monastery, Otto is peacefully raised and befriends a man who is mentally handicapped (half-witted, head hurt as a child, abandoned at the monastery), and they form a bond, talking nonsense back and forth to each other. The other man, John, tells him of visions he sees. I loved this detail because it points out the longstanding anti-eugenics of the church, and it shows that even the mentally handicapped can still live fulfilling lives (John takes care of little Otto for a while, and is a good companion).
Otto also gets the privilege to learn latin (reading and writing), and has access to nice books at the monastery. At the age of 12, Otto's father returns and takes him back home, saying: "If you have made a milkmaid of the boy, I thank the dear heaven that there is still time to undo your work and to make a man of him". This turn is important because it points out that, contrary to modern atheistic propaganda, it was actually the church which held western civilization together (and propagated learning and the arts). It was straying from the church (literally and morally) that brought barbarism.
While at the family castle, he explores and finds some old worm-eaten books, and is one of only two people who can read in the castle. He also finds an old chapel which is dusty and unused except for a family burial place. This is an excellent metaphor for how tradition, specifically christian tradition, can be misused, as they don't really care about religion, they only use it as a way to deal with the dead; they only care about the dead insofar as they can give them longstanding feuds.
At one point, Otto learns that his father has killed a man, and then his father walks in, saying he's killed more than a few, stating: "Thou must get out of those foolish notions that the old monks have taught thee. Here in the world it is different from what it is in St. Michaelsburg. Here a man a must slay or be slain." Here we have a curious moral relativism, which is at odds with the objective morality that Otto was taught at the monastery. Ironically, after being chastised for the things he learned from the monks, Otto is summoned to read a declaration which is handed to his illiterate father. This is a perfect image of how modern ethics, arts, and culture are so indebted to Christianity that they can't even read.
Otto's father leaves to obey the summons of the emperor, and it's while he's away that the castle is stormed and Otto is taken captive. Otto fears he will die and begins praying as the family enemies of Otto's father drag him away. They don't kill him only (as is revealed near the end) cut off his right hand. This comes up later when Otto is freed (and unable to use a ladder, both because of exhaustion and because of his lost hand), and Otto's father reacts much the same way as Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus reacts to his daughter's dismemberment (bitter laughter).
Near the end, Otto's father sacrifices himself to let his son and the others escape, and Otto's father falls into a river with the other Baron (who has taken part in the family feud) and they both drown together in their heavy armor, never seen again. This feels like a good metaphor for how such feuds must end. There are three possibilities in these cases: either both sides kill themselves, both sides declare peace (as Otto proposes, saying he gave his hand to the daughter of the family enemy while a prisoner there, possibly referencing Romeo and Juliet), or lastly a third party (such as the government) may step in (which is also threatened at the end). The Emperor is portrayed as a modestly dressed and reasonable man, and finally all is good. Otto's wisdom wins him respect, and his missing hand is replaced with a silver, unmovable hand, one which can never raise a sword, even if it wanted to.
"A silver hand is better than an iron hand [fist]" is what the book ends on, and it ties things together well. The story could have stood to be a bit longer, but it was good for a children's novel, and I think the themes/morals of it were great. It showed a main character who is "nerdy" but who is right and who is able to teach the adults around him. He is a rebel but in the only meaningful way you can be. He doesn't dress stupidly or act disobedient; instead he rebels against the ways of the world, modeling a Christlike patience and wisdom. Wonderful :)
lanternhillbooks's review
adventurous
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
katyabooksandart's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Not shying away from some dark subject matter, the focus on different kinds of power and love fascinated me. Though the illustrations are worth seeing (it is Howard Pyle after all), you should pick this fairietale of a book for the world that it draws you into.
sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This was interesting, but it wasn't quite what I expected. It ended where I felt like it should have been just beginning.