The Tale of Krispos: Krispos Rising/Krispos of Videssos/Krispos the Emperor

The entire Videssos/Makuran series of books are very entertaining. i just wish Mr. Turtledove would write more!

A couple days ago, I finished "The Tale of Krispos" by Harry Turtledove. It consists of a trilogy of books (Krispos Rising, Krispos of Videssos, Krispos the Emperor) published as one book. Basically, it is a fictional account of the rise and reign of the Byzantine Emperor, Basil the Macedonian. It's set in an "alternative universe" in which the map is flipped and some magic is possible, which can be annoying. Nevertheless, it's a fun piece of historical fiction which tries to show what it might have been like to live in the Byzantine Empire. If you like historical fiction or alternative history, you will probably enjoy this book.

In reading this entertaining book I kept having a feeling of deja vu. While enjoyable, the book's story seemed really familiar. Well, Byzantine history fans, guess what. The book is a thinly disguised novelization of the rise and, I admit to a lesser extent, the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Basil I "The Macedonian". The story of Krispos' (Basil I) early life, both in his village and as a captive beyond the Empire's frontiers, along with his early adventures in Videssos (Constantinople), is essentially true history. This even extends to very specific details -- the abbot discovering his possibilities, the wrestling match, his job a groom to the Avtokrator's (Autokrator is a Byzantine title) uncle Petronas (Bardas) and attendant to Anthimos III (Michael III). Of course, the Byzantine Empire did not have magic, but that just makes this series of books fun. Enjoy!