Gore Vidal

Julian the Apostate was the nephew of Emperor Constantine the Great. Julian ascended to the throne in A.D. 361, at the age of twenty-nine, and was murdered four years later after an unsuccessful attempt to rebuke Christianity and restore the worship of the old gods. Now this historical tapestry is brought to vibrant life by the dazzling talent of Gore Vidal.

A Novel

Julian

Meagan Fischer 

After finishing this book, I wanted to take some time to let it simmer. In some ways, reading this was a slog. It took me over a month of stopping and starting because at times it was really slow. 

So, why the five stars then? Well, I got really bought in early in the book. Vidal's worldbuilding worked really well for me, I think. The "ancient" Roman world (not really that ancient, in the 4th century) came to life for me. Instead of a dry history book, there were actual people with personalities, who could describe things like the lighting in a city. I found myself curious about this time and place in a way I have never been before. The premise certainly helped with that - I never knew there was a post-Constantine emperor who opposed Christianity, and that drew me in. 

As Julian aged, it got harder to maintain his characterization, I think. Vidal had to reconcile the child he had created with actual historical facts. I suppose he probably created the child based on who he would become as well, but I did find myself thinking that there must be a pretty large gap between this fictionalized version and the real man, especially in terms of his relationship with war. 

After the section of childhood, the rest of the book was up and down for me. Some sections stood out as more interesting than others, such as Julian's exposure to the corruption of the eunuchs. I loved Vidal's wit throughout, communicated primarily through the fictionalized commentators of Priscus and Libanius. At the same time, the humor did seem so modern in some ways that it reminded me that this is fiction, and the humor of the Roman Empire was probably quite different in flavor. But who knows? Some aspects of humanity are pretty universal. 

Even though this book was kind of hard to get through, the beginning had me so solidly hooked, and it overall brought the person and time period to life for me in a way that nothing else I have ever encountered has. I now intend to read works of actual Libanius, because I can picture him as a real man and relate to the world he lived in. I also want to learn more about the cult of Mithras. This book has inspired me to learn more about Julian's world, piquing my curiosity, and giving me a humanizing frame of reference for anything else I might learn of ancient Greece and Rome. That is why I will leave the 5 star rating.

Julian A Novel

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