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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.
zachhois's review against another edition
informative
3.0
TL;DR: Christians put up a good fight but eventually took that L in a big way.
Crazy to me that Mehmed was only 21 when he conquered it. I appreciated his respect of the other religious artefacts with a tasteful amount of razing.
Reading real history with all of these accounts from people that were alive at the time feels like a fantasy novel every time. It is so interesting. Glad so much of history is preserved.
Crazy to me that Mehmed was only 21 when he conquered it. I appreciated his respect of the other religious artefacts with a tasteful amount of razing.
Reading real history with all of these accounts from people that were alive at the time feels like a fantasy novel every time. It is so interesting. Glad so much of history is preserved.
harperuth's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Made me cry in public 👍👍