Rating: 
Summary: History made fascinating, fun, and incredibly interesting.
Review: Easily one of the most readable and enjoyable books I have ever read. As an English major graduated from a top liberal arts school and a senior financial executive with a large engineering and construction company, I have come to prize works that seek to convey as much information as possible, in the most interesting way and, of equal importance, with economy of style. This work is a joy. The author, well known for his works on Churchill, obviously relishes the diversion and complexity of his subject. Chock full of facts, stories, history, personalities, philosophy, "science," science, religion, culture, etc., etc., this non fiction book is a "page turner."
Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give this book is this-I have loaned this book to at least ten people. Every one of them (yes, EVERY one of them) has told me this is the most amazing book they have ever read. I hope, someday, Mr Manchester comes to my part of the country so I can discuss this book with him, especially the fun he must have had writing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Two out of ten - you could do better
Review: Professor Manchester makes two important admissions in his preface: firstly that he was recovering from illness when he wrote this book (for which I am sorry) and, secondly, that he is in no way an expert on the period about which he is writing (which becomes painfully obvious).
I wish I had known these things when I picked the book up as this is a very poor attempt to give the layman a picture of european civilisation at the time of the renaissance, reformation and age of the discovers.
The book is divided into three parts, the first (the renaissance) is packed full of salacious nonsense; what I suspect are some rather unsavoury prejudices; and a lot of "facts" which are doubtful (so insecure did I become about the author's grasp in places that at one point I wondered (unfairly no doubt) whether he thought there was a man wandering about England at the time whose name was Thomas Cardinal Wolsey - this turned out to be a consistent piece of "style").
The second part (dealing with the Reformation) seemed largely concerned with Martin Luther's anal fixation and toilet humour (which although not particularly enlightening was marginally entertaining).
The third part (the age of discovery) is incredibly superficial (I suspect the chapter was an extended version of a preface for a biography of Magellan).
All in all, a great disappointment which (perhaps unfairly) does not make me want to rush out and try any of Professor Manchester's other efforts.
If you want to gain an appreciate the Middle Ages, forget this and turn to Norman Cantor's recently revised book "The Civilisation of the Middle Ages" - now that's scholarship and it is un-put-down-able (the greatest introduction to the Middle Ages presently available?).
Rating:
Summary: Highly readable overview of life in the Middle Ages
Review: This book will probably whet your appetite to learn more about life in the Middle Ages. It provides an account of what life was like for most people and then examines the impact of the Renaissance and Magellen's circumnavigation of the globe. It made me want to know more about these subjects and I have been moved to purchase other books which delve more deeply into these topics. It is the perfect starting point for learning about the Middle Ages and I have given this book as a gift to a number of friends, all of whom have been as enthusiastic as I am
Rating:
Summary: Probably the Best Historical text I have ever read!
Review: This is quite a work of art. Bringing a fascinating and fundemental period in Western Civilization to "light". Many people are fascinated by History and its causes, yet those same eager minds are clueless to the motivations and events that shaped our World during the 1000 years, after the fall of Rome to the why the Renaissance even happened. This book answers questions I never really knew...Protestantism, Inquisition, Bad Popes, Humanism, Visogoth, Henry VIII, Erasmus, Huns...its all here. The desire for knowlege on the subject is there, the problem is the dirth of vibrant materials and that exist seem to be an esoteric and mundane examination of specific events or Characters...the type of writing that is better left to the researcher or the student who is forced to read. Manchester is an awesome storyteller who combines a tremendous knowledge of his subject with a wit and insight that makes for a fantastic read. It is very hard if not impossible to put this book down. To know that the facts are right on, the characters were very real, and the events are the foundation of who and what we are as nations, families, congregations and people is just the biggest buzz you can get from reading. It opens your mind up and creates a desire to know more and a sense of satisfaction that you now have a grasp of knowlege that before you read this was just a cloudy picture. I have urged everyone I know to read this book, it is like having a brillant friend telling you a tale by the campfire. Just a WOW read. The negative reviews in here have been emotionally motivated. The facts in this book are well researched. The critics I have read here are mostly abolisionistic, book burners, and religious zealots who do not like anything that does not support there causes without question. Luther was not "God Like", John Calvin was an egomanical Theofacist, The Popes were not "All Saintly" and Christian motivation for slaughter and torture of there fellow man in the name of Jesus was not a fiction made up by the devil to discredit God. Allow yourself to enjoy and learn.
Rating:
Summary: A Refreshing Way to Learn
Review: I have been reading a variety of books in the last year in a personal pursuit to learn more about the middle ages. My neighbor lent me this book and I am now buying it for my own collection to read again later. I found the book to be extremely well-written and challenging -- in more ways than one. The reviewers here have done a good job of summarizing some of the finer points of the text, and yes, I found discrepancies with some historical facts. But, those discrepancies were minor in light of the overall message of the book. Mr. Manchester was clear about his purpose at the beginning -- demonstrating how all things are intertwined and related. One little-known piece of information in this book that illustrates this philosophy that I found rather intriguing: the mother of Prince Henry the Navigator was influenced greatly by Chaucer who had a deep interest in maps and star-charting. She, in turn, infused this interest in her son. How different would European navigation and discovery have been without that influence? Just an interesting what-if to ponder... The negative reviews I have read on the book did not provide any good reason to avoid it. In fact, most stated that they they did not agree with what Mr. Manchester has written, but there is nothing wrong with disagreeing with a book. It is certainly does not make it a bad book. I have read many "bad" books, meaning poorly written, no purpose, no direction, lacking any real depth, and so on. In my opinion, this book does not match any of this criteria. As one reviewer wrote, you really have to read many books on a given subject to get a more-rounded understanding. I would highly recommend using this book as a piece in the puzzle of understanding medieval life, and learning a bit more about the characters that we all have been exposed to in some form of education. It was refreshing to read some history in an entertaining format -- in story form and where the characters were more humanized.
Rating:
Summary: The Shattering: Finally a History is really Interesting
Review: This book is really a good way to make history fun. It is not way intended to be an academic tome. Think of a good historical film like "The Messenger", "Luther", or "Saving Private Ryan": these movies were all great to watch and yes you probably learned something by watching them, but they weren't the most accurate films either. This is how I see "The World Lit Only By Fire". The bottom line is this book is a fun introduction into the middle ages - renaissance, which up to the point that it was written, had rarely been written in such a brilliant and accessible manner.
The accessibility to this book is its greatest feature. From page one on the reader is delighted with interesting writing great anecdotes and a modest portion of what keeps prime-time television going (sex and violence). It is also a quick read with just over 200 pages in small paperback format, it does not require a huge investment of time and energy by the reader.
I highly recommend this book to interested people of all ages. I especially would like the younger readers to pick this one up. It isn't difficult and you will history can be fun and exciting to read. Though an introductory work, you will feel better informed about life in the middle ages and the enlightenment. Give it a shot!
-- Ted Murena
Rating: 
Summary: Review of yesterday or thesis about today?
Review: This book stirs up a great deal of controversy, especially its analysis of the Papacy and Lutheranism. Some facts in this text are uncontroversial while others can and often are interpreted differently. However, this book presents a light scholarly approach that is easy to read and certainly provides the reader with a picture of the territory discussed. The most fascinating aspect discussed is the ferocity that many groups defended the ignorance that guarded their power. Heretics were burnt at the stake not because they were considered wrong but because they were a danger to the powers that were (be).
This book will open your mind if it is read as a hypothesis of the impact of the control of information and the impact that has on the powerful and the powerless. Also, it is indisputable that written language, dissemination of knowledge, and the rising merchant class (and thus non-state controlled wealth) were the downfall of the dark ages. If Leonardo had been born 2 centuries earlier, his ideas and thoughts would have been lost among the illiteracy of the age. Gutenberg's invention freed humanity from the oppressing darkness of ignorance and now, as the world becomes more complicated, so many are reaching for the easy solution of ignorance and fundamentalism. Seeing the world as it is can be frightening, but to blindly follow those who wield power only results in the tyranny of the majority. So truly, did Mr. Manchester write this text as a true historical work of medieval history and the birth of intelligence or as an allegory for today's world?
Rating:
Summary: Religion, politics, and sex in the middle ages...
Review: William Manchester's book about life in medieval and renaissance Europe is an excellent study of the forces at work in Europe, where the power of the Roman Catholic Church was fading and more secular leaders were coming to power. Some readers will object to the heavy doses of sex (Manchester seems to revel in the lascivious details of the lives of those in power) and pretty rough treatment recieved by Catholic Church, but all in all, this is a very interesting book about the political forces at work in Europe at that time.
Manchester spends most of the book describing life in Europe, where common people were unfamiliar with the world beyond the horizon, and the divine right of kings was immutable law. As the book progresses, he goes on to describe the desire for increased secular power and corrosion of morality in the Church, particularly under the Borgia and Medici popes, and the eventual backlash against the Church, both from the spiritual and scientific worlds.
The last part of the book is devoted to Ferdinand Magellan, who is Manchester's man of the times; a relentless and resourceful explorer who managed to circumnavigate the world in spite of terrible difficulties and changing priorities. This section, while seemingly a deviation from most of the rest of the book, in fact provides a look into the progression of Europe from a bunch of backwards fiefdoms into a continent of empires.
It's unfortunate that the parts of this book that most will remember are the tawdry sections, because there really is some very good history inside. It provides a good introspective into the forces that would come to shape the political landscape of Europe into a face the world would see until the turn of the twentieth century.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT MANCHESTER'S BEST....BUT HEY, NO ONE BATS A 1000
Review: First, you have to agree with the author...no, he is not an authority on this period of history. Second, you have to admit there was a bit of faulty, slip-shod research going on here. And yes, I will admit that the book can be a bit confusing if you are not already somewhat familiar with the subject addressed here. That being said, this is really not all that bad a book. It does give a good overview of things. I did find it interesting, and afterall, the author did not try to pawn it off as a scholarly work. Read the book and pick out the good stuff, ignor the bad, let it lead you to further study..read it and enjoy it - I certainly did. If I were grading it, using other than stars, I would give my student a B-, maby a C+ if I graded it before coffee, and probably would recommend he spend a bit more time in research the next time around. Always give a guy a benefit of a doubt, I always say. Also, I would probably recommend you check this out from your library, or "borrow" if from a friend, If you want to keep in in your collection, rather than plunking down hard cash.
Rating:
Summary: But it's wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong!
Review: Manchester's style may be entertaining (though not all readers seem to agree even on that), but what he says is flat-out wrong. He admits in the introduction that he doesn't know anything about the Middle Ages and didn't bother to find out; it goes downhill from there.
Some previous reviews allege that Manchester didn't mean to write a "scholarly" (by which they seem to mean "boring") book. That may be so; but even popular history has to get the basic facts right. If you're off by a hundred years in important dates (like the writing of "The Canterbury Tales"), if you fail to read any of the past century of scholarship on your subject, if you misrepresent reality, that is not "fun" history; it's simply a crock.
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