Rating: 
Summary: Pity about the facts
Review: The final volume of Norwich's Byzantine history is a literary trimph, despite the disintegrating nature of the civilization being written about. In this volume Norwich begins in the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert in 1071 and finishes with the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453. Norwich uses his elegant prose style to present this tragic story in a highly moving way. All three volumes read like a eulogy at the funeral of beloved relative. In this period of dehumanizing social sciences Norwich brings the people of the past alive, and treats them with respect and dignity even when their behavior does not necessarily inspire kind treatment. The role and majesty of Byzantium has been overlooked in the West for centuries; in doing his best to rectify that Norwich has created one of the masterpieces of historical writing.
Rating: 
Summary: The not-so-triumphant triumphant conclusion
Review: The final volume of Norwich's Byzantine history is a literary trimph, despite the disintegrating nature of the civilization being written about. In this volume Norwich begins in the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert in 1071 and finishes with the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453. Norwich uses his elegant prose style to present this tragic story in a highly moving way. All three volumes read like a eulogy at the funeral of beloved relative. In this period of dehumanizing social sciences Norwich brings the people of the past alive, and treats them with respect and dignity even when their behavior does not necessarily inspire kind treatment. The role and majesty of Byzantium has been overlooked in the West for centuries; in doing his best to rectify that Norwich has created one of the masterpieces of historical writing.
Rating:
Summary: Decline and Fall
Review: The last book of the trilogy, this book is both exciting and provocative. It begins with Alexius Comnenus and ends with the fall of Constantinople to Mehmet II. The final battle is a thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Gotterdamerung in Constantinople
Review: This book, the last of a trilogy covering the entirety of the Byzantine era, chronicles two of the most shameful episodes in Western history: the Fourth Crusade of 1204 (in which Christian crusaders turned on their co-religionists, conquering and devastating the city of Constantinople) and the Turkish capture of Constantinople itself in 1453 (the death-knell of the Eastern Roman Empire). Guilt over these two disasters resonates through Western literature and culture, and persists even to this day. The guilt is well-deserved: here was Christian culture's most artistic, most literate, best-educated society, with direct trade links to Asia and an equally direct ancestry to ancient rome, and the Western nations, through a combination of deliberate destruction and ill-considered neglect, managed to turn it into a sitting-duck target for the Ottoman Empire. The absorption of Constantinople/Byzantium into the Muslim world is reflected both the fact that the same city, now known as Istanbul, remains Turkey's capital; it is more directly reflected in the immediate conversion in 1453 of Sancta Sophia Cathedral into a mosque. A tragic demise of a great nation; a wonderful chronicle. Particularly interesting are the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, years of Latin or Western domination, followed by several gallant but unsuccessful attempts at achieving a Byzantine renaissance.
Rating:
Summary: Gotterdamerung in Constantinople
Review: This book, the last of a trilogy covering the entirety of the Byzantine era, chronicles two of the most shameful episodes in Western history: the Fourth Crusade of 1204 (in which Christian crusaders turned on their co-religionists, conquering and devastating the city of Constantinople) and the Turkish capture of Constantinople itself in 1453 (the death-knell of the Eastern Roman Empire). Guilt over these two disasters resonates through Western literature and culture, and persists even to this day. The guilt is well-deserved: here was Christian culture's most artistic, most literate, best-educated society, with direct trade links to Asia and an equally direct ancestry to ancient rome, and the Western nations, through a combination of deliberate destruction and ill-considered neglect, managed to turn it into a sitting-duck target for the Ottoman Empire. The absorption of Constantinople/Byzantium into the Muslim world is reflected both the fact that the same city, now known as Istanbul, remains Turkey's capital; it is more directly reflected in the immediate conversion in 1453 of Sancta Sophia Cathedral into a mosque. A tragic demise of a great nation; a wonderful chronicle. Particularly interesting are the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, years of Latin or Western domination, followed by several gallant but unsuccessful attempts at achieving a Byzantine renaissance.
Rating:
Summary: History made delicously fun.
Review: This is how you write ancient history. Sure many historical details are not known, but many ancient historians wrote about the leaders, and Norwich uses this to his advantage. Byzantium comes alive as the Grecian version of the Roman Empire. All 3 volumes keep you glued to the pages. I almost felt guilty having so much fun reading history -- and that's from the perspective of an advid history enthusiast. Norwich makes you care about his characters, warts and all. And by the end, you find yourself rooting for the survival of Byzantium. Well done sir!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent account of the Byzantium Empire
Review: This, the final volume of a 3 book series, brings to end a rivetting and excellent histoty of the Byzantium Empire. I cannot add anything to the other reviews and comments on this series other than to say if your enjoy reading about history you should love these accounts of this Empire and its times. I found my first volume in a 2nd hand shop without knowing anything about its author or the subject matter. It was a great read and I could not wait to buy the following two volumes. I only wish I had read these books before I visited Istanbul in 1990. I loved them, they are excellent histories, the author does a great job in bringing the characters and times to live. Read the series and lose yourself in the history. Great books!
Rating:
Summary: Strong writing from a master of the craft
Review: Too often history books are written solely for academics, leaving the layperson struggling in a morass of uninteresting facts, punctuated by poor writing. Norwich is an exception to this. Academically, his books are sound. He is one of the pre-eminent Byzantine scholars of today. Yet, his work is also readable, interesting and dare I say enjoyable. If you're a fan of history, or are simply looking for something different to read, any one of these three books (Early Centuries, Apogee or Decline & Fall) are well worth the effort.
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