The Light Bearer

by Donna Gillespie

Book Overview

Revised Edition with an Afterword by the author The International Bestseller A novel of ancient Rome "For anyone interested in this tumultuous period of Roman despotism and Germanic tribes,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425143686
• ISBN13: 9780425143681
• Release Date: November 2006
• Publisher: Berkley Trade
• Length: 800 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.9" x 1.7" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Ancient Rome and the German frontiers come to life!

I discovered this book by accident. Having read Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel and been a member of her website I found this absolute gem listed in her alternate reading suggestions. I love all books set in the ancient past (Egypt, Greece, Rome etc) and beyond and have read enough to fill large bookshelves. Nothing however compares to this. The book is an absolute page turner. It action, adventure, romance all rolled into one. If you get to page 50 (of 788 pages) and are not hooked on this book in a mesmerised way then you are clearly not a fan of the genre. Donna has created a tale so alive it is like the prose comes to life in photographic detail. Her imagery of Ancient Rome, its people, politics, entertainment, philosophers, and life are breathtaking. The less well known life of the German frontiers from a Roman and barbarian perspective with intra tribal infighting, and inter tribe rivalry, traditions, pagan rituals, survival and clashes with their Roman masters is fascinating. Into this clear and crisp research is wound a story of Auriane. The daugher of a tribal chieftan waging war on the Romans. Born with a seeresses prophecy to match her noble status she tries to shrug this off and live the simple life of a regular tribeswoman - marriage and family. However unspeakable horrors follow her and her peoples lives and the prophecy can not be ignored. Its two stories becoming one as Aurianes exploits become the embellishment of myth and legend finding their way back to Rome in the writings of the former Governor of this far flung province. When a chance reading of his fathers documented accounts of frontier life take place, the son, reknowned and respected Roman statesman Marcus Julianus is besotted with the galant image of Auriane the warrioress. Surrounded by the demanding and over pampered women of high nobility circles he yearns to see her for himself before the Roman legions close in and she is no more. The blending of historical fact and fiction are seemless. This book is a pager turner and so rich and complex, with intricate plots and twists that you can read it again and again and still feel inspired.

Read the book, see the light

The old Roman Empire was a kind of nasty place to be if you weren't Roman. But for Auriane, a daughter of the Germanic tribes, it's become a hell on earth. All Auriane really wanted in life was to be like her lovely mother and have a good home. But being born to the warlike Chatti tribe as the daughter of the tribes' leader insures her life will different than she planned. From her first day on earth when a powerful seer/witch woman predicts she will cause the death of her father-the greatest sin a person can commit, Auriane is different. Over her short teenage years she becomes a daughter of the earth, a warrior women sworn to protect her people, and never know the touch of a man. Yet all along a young man in Rome, Marcus Julianus, gutter rat who turned out to be the lost son of a Senator has been wearing a bag of dirt around his neck, a bag given to his father by a wise woman of the Chatti tribes, a bag that there is only one other like...around Auriane's neck. Destiny collides in the fierce arena of the Roman imperial court and the terrile but lovely woods and bogs of Auriane's home. Auriane must fight for her life against the might of Rome and Marcus Julianus must fight for his own in the corrupt Emperors court...can these two people prevail? This is a wonderful book. It's full of life, and the descriptions are so vivid I found myself wondering that I was reading a book, not falling back in time. The characters are all very real people (even the larger than life Auriane is insecure about her body) and the plot line is so vivid and realistic it's hard to stay still while reading. You will be running around, book in hand, screaming for the good guys and cursing the bad. This is probably the best book I ever read, bar none. And there is not one boring sentence in the whole book. Its chopped full of action, romance and adventure, and it's impossible to believe this is a first novel. I plan on buying another copy soon so I'll have one for mine falls apart. I'm sure I will read this book every year of my life. I recommend this book to any one who loves history, drama, romance, or action. It has something for everyone, and I just received an email from the author saying the sequel is done (!!!) and it will be published in November of this year. Lady of the Light here we come...I'm preordering. Five stars

Aurinia Regina!

"Better a spirit that does not quite fit in this world than one that is broken."Such is said by Baldemar, chieftain of the Chattian tribe on the border between the wild lands of Germanis and the ever-encroaching Roman empire. His daughter Auriane is our heroine for this rousing adventure tale, and she proves her father's words in spades.As a young girl, Auriane wants nothing more than to be a happy wife and mother, like her own mother, comfortable and beloved by the hearthfire. But her first taste of battle leaves her unsatisfied with such a life; fighting awakens a dark passion in her that she does not quite understand. Adding to her confusion, the high priestess Ramis predicts that Auriane is also gifted with the powers of magic. Then Auriane is thrown into the middle of the Roman-Chattian war. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but let me just say that violence, treachery, danger, and true love abound. Gillespie is talented at depicting her world. She is equally at home in the forests of Germania and the crowded streets of Rome, and she takes us along with her. She has the gift of a Margaret George or Kathleen Winsor for showing us historical detail we never could have imagined. She's obviously done her research on everything from Roman politics to pagan customs to battle tactics. But don't be deceived--this is no dry historical text! I was so caught up in the story I was yelling cheers at the good guys and obscenities at the bad guys, not to mention begging for more as I realized I was on the last page. My only gripe is that Auriane seems too good to be true at times--but maybe I wouldn't have liked the book so much had she not been "larger than life". It's hard to say.

Great portrayal of the paradigms of the times

One of the finest examples of HISTORICAL fiction I have read. There is a romance component to this novel, but it is very much in the sub-plot category. The characters are complex and developing throughout the book, the setting - including the warring psychology and belief systems of Rome and the 'barbarians' - are wonderfully described. I am still 'haunted' by some of the imagery and marvelous juxtapositions in this book (after a couple of weeks). On the other hand, the historical detail does not prevent this from being a page-turner - and a pretty easy read. After reading this book, Donna Gillespie has made it high on my list of favorite historical fiction (loosely defined) authors, which includes Margaret George, India Edghill, Edward Rutherfurd, Steven Pressfield, Diana Gabaldon, Ken Follett, Irving Stone, and Sharon Kay Penman. All of these authors have varying styles, but what unites them is portrayal of the paradigms of the times about which they write through well-researched detail. The Light Bearer is a perfect example of this amazing talent. If you enjoy HISTORICAL historical fiction, and some of the authors above, this is a book for you.

Beautiful Classic you can't put down

As a man somewhat wary of historical novels about female warriors, I have to proclaim my love for this deep rich luscious book. I want to propose to Auriane. Not since Patrick O'Brien has a historical novel so utterly convinced me that it was written in the time it portrays. I can't even imagine how one human being accumulates the collosal amount of research evidenced in every detail and layer of this book. Gillespie is able to imagine everything, at any scale: ancient poverty, grotesque depravity,; gossamer flutterings of interior motivatons to sweeping herd dynamics; the tiny details of mundane to the great issues of politics and religion. You sink your teeth into the carnality; your heart soars with the spirituality. The paganism, the vividly drawn and wide array of characters, the dialogue, the mysticism-- The Light Bearer easily has the sweep and depth and profundity of War and Peace. There. I said it. Cast stones at me if you will. If the Light Bearer does not become a timeless classic, there is no justice in this world. Read it.