Pan Michael An Historical Novel

I am not Polish or of Polish descent nor does one have to be to read and enjoy these masterpieces.I could not put down any of the books in this series. The heroes, the villians and the women were enthralling. I particularly enjoyed the Catholic Christian aspect of the books and the importance of the spiritual to the soldiers involved. I would most highly recommend Sienkiewicz to any person who loves adventure, fidelity and God.

This book can only have its strongest impact if you've read the first two books of the Trilogy first. I can't say more about the shock of the ending without giving the plot away entirely, but, having all of the strengths of the first two novels -- historical accuracy, epic story-telling style, characters who, fictional or historical, are alike human and complex, deep sense of the vagaries of religious belief, the occasional touch of humor and love-stories on the Great Romance scale -- it is really this one, where the diminutive Pan Michal finally finds love and Poland finds its long home, that truly rocks the reader's soul.

Without reciting the book cover, this book and the trilogy it came from is one of the finest pieces of literature ever created. It is easy to quickly consume and dispose of a Steven King novel or any in the popular genre, but the skillful crafting or characters and fascinating plot in Sienkiewicz trilogy deserves the respect and admiration of any one who claims to love literature.I suggest it strongly. Reading it was a life changing experience for me. Consistent with the theme, it truly "uplifts the hearts." Of the Polish nation and now with the masterful translation by Kuniczak, a young man in the United States too!

The final book of Sienkiewicz's massive masterwork 'With Fire and Sword Trilogy'. The power, action, humour and warm characters (especially Zagloba, Kmita and Michal) take over your conscious mind. Read it to know what great and passionate writing is all about.

I bought this book in softback, based on the cover and the reviews from Mitchner and Author (also, wrote Quo Vadis) sharing the 'Peace Prize' for his efforts. The Polish surnames were difficult causing me to keep a pencil and pad nearby for the first 100 pages. Once I had these memorized, though, I was free to read and enjoy. I found the story absolutely captivating. Based on the first of four or five invasions across Poland between 1630 and 1685, this is a tale on strong ethics, willingness to die for betrothed, village, country or God, this story brought up such strong emotions within me, I doubt I'll ever again tell a 'so-called' Polish joke. Without the Polish will, most of western europe would have come under flame had the these hordes from the east been stopped. However, being such an advocate of the book, as you see here, didn't translate to three friends who read, or attempted to read it. With almost 1,200 pages (paperback) of tight print, two finished it, one saying it was very good, the other average. Personally, I don't think they got by the polish surnames, though, but won't fess up to this. Each of the three are highly educated and enjoy reading. Another possibility, the size of the book might be too daunting to begin, unless on vacation. Later, I read the two following sequels, with equal enjoyment. Know what they did to their enemy's, after coming home to find town and family butchered? I won't ruin it for you, but I'll say this, there are a few people in the world who deserve this type of slow death, for example, Hitler, Stalin, .... Enjoy