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kctowski's review against another edition
5.0
Probably one of the most epic, dramatic, and entertaining history book I've read. Being an avid reader about this point in history, the style of the book definitely fit the subject. As good as any fiction book I've read, but made more exciting because it actually happened. Well done!
s_fairweather's review against another edition
fast-paced
5.0
If you only read one book about the Fall of Constantinople, make it this one. Not exaggerating to say it changed my perception of a lot of things—history, culture, and Western vs near-Eastern relations. Reads like a freaking adventure novel.
aminta's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.5
A fun read with quite evocative writing. Both the author and the primary works he cite create a tremendous sense of atmosphere. Very well written
jack_w16's review against another edition
3.0
Well written history of the siege of Constantinople (truly a turning point in worldwide history, specifically religious history). Just the right amount of literary detail. Not the best history book I’ve ever read, but def does the job, especially if this is an interesting topic for the reader.
scipio_africanus's review against another edition
3.0
A mediocre summary of the siege. Hard to get past the obvious boner this guy had for Mehmet II.
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
4.0
What Crowley might lack in analysis, he more than makes up for in telling a good story, which is a big part of what being a historian is supposed to be. He tells an absolutely riveting tale, even when you know how it's going to end. In particular, the character of Mehmed the Ottoman sultan, is a stunningly strange character. One of those unique creations of a brutal upbringing, but still managed to be more magnanimous than one might think him to be. Then there is the miserable emperor Constantine, the last emperor of the Byzantines, who seemed to be a decent man fated to oversee the end of an empire that had stood for over a thousand years. But the most compelling character of the story is the city of Constantinople, that had been sacked by both Christians and Muslims, but had managed to survive through many different struggles. It's a historical moment that has been strangely forgotten in the west, probably because we don't like to memorialize our defeats. But more than that, I think that we forget about it because the people who lost, the Byzantines, have largely become a footnote in history. They're remembered, but no one is fighting to bring it back. The Greeks largely have their own national memories, and the Byzantines are almost too strange to be a part of that. So this crowning achievement of the Ottomans, the starting point of an empire that would last almost five hundred years, is mostly forgotten about.
marktkimball's review against another edition
5.0
A well-crafted tale of the fall of Constantinople. I loved the immense amount of details that Crowley gives in this book, much of it coming from primary or secondary witnesses to the battle. It was unexpected how much character was given to all the combatants (especially Constantine and Mehmet) and made the book read almost like a historical fiction. The fact of the matter that this was an actual battle and these were real people made that writing style even more enjoyable. Why isn't there a movie of this battle? It is perfect for Hollywood, so many crazy stories of the immense amount of ingenuity that both sides, but particularly the Turks, used to gain any sort of edge. The heroics of the small band of Byzantines fighting to the death in the face of certain defeat, holding out longer than anybody would have anticipated. There is so much here that would be wonderful for the silver screen. Alas, I am left to mourn over the loss of Constantinople from the pages of books and this has been the best I have read yet.