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geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Charlemagne and the Paladins' is another great entry in the Osprey Myths and Legends collection. This time around a subject is tackled that seems to have fallen out of favor.
I was always more of a King Arthur and Robin Hood fan, so was much less familiar with the tales of Charlemagne. The reasons for that are explained, but it's not because the stories aren't as fantastical. Charlemagne was a historical figure, but there are many fictional stories about Charlemagne and his paladins. The most famous of these is Roland (and I have read The Song of Roland), but we do meet Guy of Burgundy and Ogier the Dane. We learn the names of their swords and horses and battle trumpets. We also see how these stories look in the Italian versions and in Robert Browning's poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, which served as a sort of inspiration for Stephen King's character of Roland Deschain in his Dark Tower series.
As well as text, there are plenty of illustrations, photographs and woodcuts to go along with the text. I continue to love this series for it's ability to be so concise in nature. There is a lot of information packed in here as well as the illustrations. The bibliography was a bit briefer this time around, but that is likely due to the briefer amount of modern work about the subject.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Osprey Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
I was always more of a King Arthur and Robin Hood fan, so was much less familiar with the tales of Charlemagne. The reasons for that are explained, but it's not because the stories aren't as fantastical. Charlemagne was a historical figure, but there are many fictional stories about Charlemagne and his paladins. The most famous of these is Roland (and I have read The Song of Roland), but we do meet Guy of Burgundy and Ogier the Dane. We learn the names of their swords and horses and battle trumpets. We also see how these stories look in the Italian versions and in Robert Browning's poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, which served as a sort of inspiration for Stephen King's character of Roland Deschain in his Dark Tower series.
As well as text, there are plenty of illustrations, photographs and woodcuts to go along with the text. I continue to love this series for it's ability to be so concise in nature. There is a lot of information packed in here as well as the illustrations. The bibliography was a bit briefer this time around, but that is likely due to the briefer amount of modern work about the subject.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Osprey Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: ARC courtesy Netgalley and Osprey publishing. Also the book is illustrated but the ARC did not include all the illustrations. What illustrations there were great, but since not all were present I won’t be mentioning the illustrations in the review below.
My favorite Charlemagne stories are, without a doubt, the Italian Romances that feature the woman paladin Bradamante. There is also an adult level of humor in these translations. This volume in Osprey’s excellent series of Myths and Legends does mention the Italian Romances, yet does not include the R rated bits, making it an excellent introduction to the legends and history of Charlemagne and his knights.
The focus of most of the book is on the French material, be it historical record or myth. Each of the major Paladins gets a brief discussion and is paired with his companion (think BBF). In the profile his family history, historical connections, and details, like the names of his sword and mount, are listed. Charlemagne gets a nice huge section both in terms of the real man and mythic figure. The stories about the ring that ensnared him are here as all the historical details of conquests and battles.
What makes the series and this book as well, worth reading are the boxes and detail. While most retellings or description of Charlemagne and Roland just mention the Saracens as enemies, Osprey’s book offer details about them. It isn’t just simple the evil Other that must be destroyed. While their background is not as detailed as Charlemagne’s, the sense of culture and context is conveyed. Furthermore, while the Saga of Roland could not be reprinted in whole for this book, enough of the saga is included to give the reader a feel of it and allow the reader to decide whether or not to read the whole thing (you should read the whole by the way). The book does what is designed to do, introduce the legend and provide background. While designed for Middle School, it would be of aid to a high school or even college student who is confronting Roland and Charlemagne for the first time.
On a more personal note, I was so happy that Holger Dankse got his own chapter. I remember seeing him at Kornberg Castle and reading various stories about him. For those that don’t know, Holger is like the Danish version of Arthur but without so much baggage. He sleeps in Kornberg (Hamlet’s Elsinore) waiting for the time when Denmark needs him again. Hans Christian Andersen is quoted as well in this section. Cresswell’s section about Dankse is more developed than most others. Quite pleasing. This is furthered by later in the book with connections made to both Robert Browning and Stephen King.
The source section of the book is well done and includes website.
If you have a child, or even a teen, who is expressing interests in heroes and legends, check out this volume and this series.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
My favorite Charlemagne stories are, without a doubt, the Italian Romances that feature the woman paladin Bradamante. There is also an adult level of humor in these translations. This volume in Osprey’s excellent series of Myths and Legends does mention the Italian Romances, yet does not include the R rated bits, making it an excellent introduction to the legends and history of Charlemagne and his knights.
The focus of most of the book is on the French material, be it historical record or myth. Each of the major Paladins gets a brief discussion and is paired with his companion (think BBF). In the profile his family history, historical connections, and details, like the names of his sword and mount, are listed. Charlemagne gets a nice huge section both in terms of the real man and mythic figure. The stories about the ring that ensnared him are here as all the historical details of conquests and battles.
What makes the series and this book as well, worth reading are the boxes and detail. While most retellings or description of Charlemagne and Roland just mention the Saracens as enemies, Osprey’s book offer details about them. It isn’t just simple the evil Other that must be destroyed. While their background is not as detailed as Charlemagne’s, the sense of culture and context is conveyed. Furthermore, while the Saga of Roland could not be reprinted in whole for this book, enough of the saga is included to give the reader a feel of it and allow the reader to decide whether or not to read the whole thing (you should read the whole by the way). The book does what is designed to do, introduce the legend and provide background. While designed for Middle School, it would be of aid to a high school or even college student who is confronting Roland and Charlemagne for the first time.
On a more personal note, I was so happy that Holger Dankse got his own chapter. I remember seeing him at Kornberg Castle and reading various stories about him. For those that don’t know, Holger is like the Danish version of Arthur but without so much baggage. He sleeps in Kornberg (Hamlet’s Elsinore) waiting for the time when Denmark needs him again. Hans Christian Andersen is quoted as well in this section. Cresswell’s section about Dankse is more developed than most others. Quite pleasing. This is furthered by later in the book with connections made to both Robert Browning and Stephen King.
The source section of the book is well done and includes website.
If you have a child, or even a teen, who is expressing interests in heroes and legends, check out this volume and this series.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
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