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Rating: 
Summary: Closest thing to time travel
Review: The author portrays the life of a medieval French monk, Gerbert d'Aurillac, as he struggles to obtain the highest office in Christianity. Characters and events in Europe at the turn of the millenium come alive to reveal a brilliant snapshot of this critical time in history. It is the closest thing to time travel.The book is reminiscient of Tuchmann's "A Distant Mirror" yet seems to paint even a warmer portrait of individuals and their complex relationships. The pace of the writing is surprisingly lively for an historical work. At the end, I found myself wanting to go back to the back of the line for another ride. Gerbert is born of unknown parents and given to the monastary in Aurillac. From there, he leads an intense and passionate search for knowledge taking him to Catalonia in medieval Spain. Returning to France, he soon gains a reputation as the most brillant teacher in Europe. The emporer Otto I invites him to Germany where he becomes a major player in early European politics. After unsuccessfully holding several positions, he is finally appointed to the Papacy by Otto III. However, the rumors of having consorted with the Moslems in Cordoba haunt him and make his short five year tenure difficult. He dies amid stories of being the antichrist. A brilliant man unable to overcome the petty politics of his time, it is only later in Erdoes book that his true potential is revealed
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