Rating: 
Summary: How far would you go in pursuit of knowledge?
Review: For a novel entitled 'The Physician', I thought there would be a great deal more interaction with patients, discussion of diseases, treatments for injuries and generally dealing with being a healer. That is not to say that the book doesn't contain these elements, but I did expect and would have enjoyed more. However, Rob's goal to be a physician serves as a mechanism to walk the reader through different facets of the fascinating world of the early 1000's. The novel covers approximately 20 years of Rob's life from the age of 9 until he is about 30. The story opens in London, when Rob is a child. He is quickly orphaned and fortunately becomes the apprentice of a barber surgeon and travels around England entertaining crowds, treating minor ailments, selling a physick that is mostly alcohol and realizing that there is a great deal more to be learned about healing. After about 10 years, Rob decides that even though he makes a good living as a traveling barber surgeon, he doesn't want to continue with his occupation until he knows as much as he possibly can to help those that seek his healing talents. Rob chooses to embark on an ambitious trek to Persia to study at the greatest medical school of the time. He spends many months getting there and once he arrives, Persia serves as the setting for most of the remainder of the book. He cannot study at the medical school as a Christian, so he masquerades as a Jew and there is a bit of introduction to the 3 major religions, but more in terms of geography and how it affects a persons place in society rather than focusing on the actual beliefs. I found the book slow at some points, but it was so full of history brought to life that I was happy to continue reading. The book is long, but I didn't want it to end because I hoped there would be more of Rob's life back in England and Scotland and more about the application of the skills and knowledge he spent years obtaining. But there is very little of this in the last chapters of the novel. Still, this book brought me to such a different time and place with Rob Cole and I will definitely pick up 'The Shaman'.
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