Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering, and the indomitable will of the human spirit.

“A tour de force.”—The New York Times Book Review
For Kivrin, preparing to travel back in time to study one of the deadliest eras in humanity’s history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the...

"Warrior, lover, and scholar, Kerbouchard boldly sweeps through the castles, villages, and galleys of twelfth-century Europe, in an adventure that takes him from the shores of Brittany to the steppes of Russia."--Provided by publisher.

"Describes the life and times of the era known as the Middle Ages. The reader's choices reveal the historical details of life as a knight in the 1100s, life in a royal castle in the 1200s, and life during the Black Plague in the 1300s"--Provided by publisher.

In 1120 A.D., the heir to the English throne dies when the royal ship burns at sea. The King calls on his subjects to accept his daughter Maud as ruler until her son comes of age, but the church backs his nephew Stephen. Squire Bartholomew pledges his loyalty to Maud and is thrown in jail, leaving his daughter Aliena and son Richard alone. Maud goes raises an army in France and attacks Stephen. Meanwhile, Tom Builder is destined to construct a cathedral...

How did descendants of Viking marauders came to dominate Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East? It is a tale of ambitious adventures and fierce freebooters, of fortunes made and fortunes lost. The Normans made their influence felt across all of western Europe and the Mediterranean, from the British Isles to North Africa, and Lisbon to the Holy Land. In Empires of the Normans we discover how they combined military might and political savvy...

It is the year 871, when England was Angle-Land, and largely fallen to the invading Vikings. Ceridwen, lost in the frozen woods, is discovered by warriors accompanying young Aelfwyn, daughter of a Saxon lord, sold into marriage to a Viking war chief as part of a peace treaty. Becoming fast friends with Aelfwyn, Ceridwen joins the group to their destination- the captured fortress of Four Stones. There, Ceridwen finds living with the enemy affords her...

A radical and powerful reappraisal of the impact of Constantine's adoption of Christianity on the later Roman world, and on the subsequent development both of Christianity and of Western civilization. When the Emperor Contstantine converted to Christianity in 368 AD, he changed the course of European history in ways that continue to have repercussions to the present day. Adopting those aspects of the religion that suited his purposes, he turned Rome...

In this panoramic history of Islamic culture in early Europe, a Pulitzer Prize winning historian re-examines what we thought we knew. Lewis reveals how cosmopolitan, Muslim al-Andalus flourished--a beacon of cooperation and tolerance between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity--while proto-Europe made virtues out of hereditary aristocracy, religious intolerance, perpetual war, and slavery.--From publisher description.

This richly illustrated book tells the story of Europe and the Mediterranean over a thousand years which saw the creation of western civilization. Written by expert scholars and based on the latest research, it gives the general reader the most authoritative account of life in medieval Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of the Renaissance. The story is one of profound diversity and change: the political empires of Charlemagne...

Profusely illustrated text discusses the history, customs, life style, and discoveries of the Vikings.