Rating: 
Summary: Another Masterpiece
Review: Again, I was floored by the sheer magnitude of research and imagination that it took for Steve Barnes to write this sequel to LION'S BLOOD. The intricately woven story of an alternate universe where Africans were the slaveowners of European Americans is mindboggling in its presentation. Through the stories of the young Kai and his slave/friend, Aidan, the reader is emersed into a saga that is both enlightening and unforgettable in its portrayal of the "what if" factor.Barnes attempts the impossible and more than surpasses all expectations I had for the epic. LION'S BLOOD and ZULA HEART are two must haves for any Barnes/Sci-Fi fans.
Rating:
Summary: 1859 Revisited
Review: As a long time SF and alternative history fan, the variations on themes never cease to amaze me. Before reading this one, read "Lion's Blood," which sets the stage... an "America" of Black colonies from the empires of Africa and the near east in charge and white/other slaves. In "Zulu Heart" we get to the crux of the matter... the plots and stage setting of "Lion's Blood" fullfilled. There are wheels within wheels as empires and colonists work "through" war or peace: Kai, the slaveholder apparently wanting peace and perhaps freed slaves; his wives with possibly different views and agendas; Aidan, his close friend, ex-Irish slave, now reenslaved as part of a plot to prepare for (or stop) war, and intrigue piled on intrigue. Yet, the words are familiar too, the words of the 1850's US Congress and Steven Douglas, among others as the pro-slavery/abolitionist's words ring out in a haunting manner. We even have industrialized northern colonies (NE/SE US to us), against the slave south...(in our central south). Even a naval battle with a "Monitor" (perhaps Hampton Roads or Mobile Bay revisited in an alternate era's forms). Fascinating play on US history (in both books). Well worth reading -- and test your knowledge of zen, American/Central American Indian, Zulu and Egyptian battle tactics, among others, along the way. Enjoy !!!
Rating:
Summary: 1859 Revisited
Review: As a long time SF and alternative history fan, the variations on themes never cease to amaze me. Before reading this one, read "Lion's Blood," which sets the stage... an "America" of Black colonies from the empires of Africa and the near east in charge and white/other slaves. In "Zulu Heart" we get to the crux of the matter... the plots and stage setting of "Lion's Blood" fullfilled. There are wheels within wheels as empires and colonists work "through" war or peace: Kai, the slaveholder apparently wanting peace and perhaps freed slaves; his wives with possibly different views and agendas; Aidan, his close friend, ex-Irish slave, now reenslaved as part of a plot to prepare for (or stop) war, and intrigue piled on intrigue. Yet, the words are familiar too, the words of the 1850's US Congress and Steven Douglas, among others as the pro-slavery/abolitionist's words ring out in a haunting manner. We even have industrialized northern colonies (NE/SE US to us), against the slave south...(in our central south). Even a naval battle with a "Monitor" (perhaps Hampton Roads or Mobile Bay revisited in an alternate era's forms). Fascinating play on US history (in both books). Well worth reading -- and test your knowledge of zen, American/Central American Indian, Zulu and Egyptian battle tactics, among others, along the way. Enjoy !!!
Rating:
Summary: Even more absorbing and thought provoking!
Review: I heartily recommend Steven Barnes' Lion's Blood and Zulu Heart. These books are an incredibly engaging alternate history where Africa rules the world and a black Islamic sect is the dominant culture in the Americas. I found the characters well-developed, and was able to empathize with them regardless of race, nationality, or gender. I found myself continually challenged to think about how I might choose to act if I found myself in a similar situation. I particularly like to read about characters that grow and change over time, and Barnes did a great job of showing his character's growth in multiple dimensions. It's obvious that Barnes did his homework, using history, customs, economics, music, martial arts, cooking, agriculture, science, religion, and so on, from around the world to inform the plot and the myriad details in it. In my opinion, he did a particularly wonderful job of making barely describable spiritual experiences accessible to the reader and inviting and including the reader into the spiritual experience, regardless of their beliefs. These books go well beyond being "just another alternate history" and weave a tapestry that helps us appreciate the diversity and unity of being human.
One warning, I found myself still reading at 3:00 AM; this book can be dangerous to your sleep. I'm eagerly waiting for the third volume!
Rating:
Summary: strong alternate history
Review: In A.H 1294 (equivalent to A.D. 1877), Ethiopian nobleman Kai is married and raising a family on his Bilalistan (equivalent to Southern USA) plantation. He liberated his loyal slave, white Irishman Aidan with the freedman residing in a community of former slaves. However, though an ocean away, the events in the African motherland impact those settled in the colonies as Ethiopia and Egypt seem on the brink of civil war. Kai shouts for peace, but only places himself and his extended family in danger from those who want him silent so that war can occur. He enlists Aidan to learn what really is happening in Africa. Aidan returns to slavery in order to serve as a mole at the Egyptian court. The plan is to provide information to Kai so he can act on what he learns. However, both walk precariously as the world they know seems destined to explode into a deadly civil war. This sequel to the terrific alternate history tale, LION'S BLOOD continues the stories of Kai and Aidan. Once again Steven Barnes provides a deep rich tale that will leave the audience in awe of his talent that makes the African colonization of the New World seem so real. Kai and Aidan are delightful characters willing to risk all they cherish to do the right thing though what that is remains difficult to fathom. ZULU HEART proves that Mr. Barnes is the equivalent to an alternate dimension history professor as he makes his realm seem so excitingly delightfully real. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: strong alternate history
Review: In A.H 1294 (equivalent to A.D. 1877), Ethiopian nobleman Kai is married and raising a family on his Bilalistan (equivalent to Southern USA) plantation. He liberated his loyal slave, white Irishman Aidan with the freedman residing in a community of former slaves. However, though an ocean away, the events in the African motherland impact those settled in the colonies as Ethiopia and Egypt seem on the brink of civil war. Kai shouts for peace, but only places himself and his extended family in danger from those who want him silent so that war can occur. He enlists Aidan to learn what really is happening in Africa. Aidan returns to slavery in order to serve as a mole at the Egyptian court. The plan is to provide information to Kai so he can act on what he learns. However, both walk precariously as the world they know seems destined to explode into a deadly civil war. This sequel to the terrific alternate history tale, LION'S BLOOD continues the stories of Kai and Aidan. Once again Steven Barnes provides a deep rich tale that will leave the audience in awe of his talent that makes the African colonization of the New World seem so real. Kai and Aidan are delightful characters willing to risk all they cherish to do the right thing though what that is remains difficult to fathom. ZULU HEART proves that Mr. Barnes is the equivalent to an alternate dimension history professor as he makes his realm seem so excitingly delightfully real. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: The Bonds of Friendship
Review: In Steven Barnes' LIONS BLOOD readers meet Wakil, Kai of Dar Kush, and his friend and former white slave Aidan O'Dere. Their relationship was very different, instead of master and slave, they were more like brothers. It was a relationship of respect, even though Kai had the upper hand since Blacks were still the ruling class. Author Steven Barnes does not disappoint with ZULU HEART, the smashing follow-up to LIONS BLOOD. Aidan is now living the life of a struggling free man in a society controlled and dominated by Blacks. Aidan is a born leader, and as a result, the people of the villagelook to him for guidance. His life is not perfect, but for the most part he is happy becuase he is living amongst the people he loves. However, there is still a gaping hole in his heart for his twin sister Nessa who was sold to another master when they were children. Aidan's mother's dying wish was that he and Nessa someday be reunited, and he longs to fulfill a promise he mad to himself and his mother to find her. Kai, who is just getting used to his position as Wakil, is tired of comparisons to his father, the previous Wakil. A Wakil is the leader of Bilalian, the world in which they live. And though Kai is constantly haunted by the ghosts of his father and his ruthless uncle, he is determined to set his own standards to rule. He is a wealthy man with a beautiful family and home, and he also still owns quite a few slaves. The threat of war looms on the horizon, as the Pharoah of Egypt is determined to battle the Ethiopian Empress. Kai will be caught in the middle of Ethiopia and Egypt. Kai decides it is time to involve his oldest and dearest friend Aidan. Kai proposes a dangerous and rewarding proposition to Aidan that could give him everything he has always wanted. Once again Steven Barnes has written a unique and enchanting story that captures readers from the first sentence to the last. The reversal of roles of Blacks and Whites in slavery is fascinating. This theory forces readers to look at an alternative slant to what they had been taught as children. Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating: 
Summary: If you liked Years of Rice and Salt, you'll like this...
Review: The book _Zulu Heart_ most reminded me of was Kim Stanley Robinson's _Years of Rice and Salt_. By comparison, I found Barnes' _Zulu Heart_ eminently more readable. Barnes' easygoing style makes for a luxuriant but fast-paced read. Despite the epic effort undoubtedly expended in turning History on its heel, at no time does Barnes' alternate history, one in which the territory around New Orleans (now New Djibouti) is held by an uneasy alliance of Zulus, ruler-class Abyssinian Muslims, and a small band of rebellious white slaves trying to eke out freedom from Southern agricultural concerns, seem forced. Without giving wind of a conscious attempt at it, Barnes spins a believable yarn in which the outcome of a handful of significant historical events lead to a very different world.
The story takes place during approximately the same historical time frame as the Civil War. The main characters of Kai (the Wakil of Dar Kush), his politically-connected wives Lamiya and Nandi, his dear friend and advisor Babatunde, and the now free / now slave / now free again Irishman Aidan are drawn crisply, are believable, and carry their own weight in the complex plot to prevent an all-out civil war that can't really be won. Here and there the astute reader may be amused to note references to the Ironclad ship _Monitor_ (literarily resurrected as "The Turtle"), the assassination of Abraham Lincoln while he attended a theater performance (attempted on Kai by hashishim during a Zulu chorale), and the double-edged sword of emancipation offered by the North, and the ambivalence of the national government over the question of war or capitulation.
Though the author acknowledges the support and influence of Historical SF master Harry Turtledove, Barnes' book is anything but derivative. If you like Harry Turtledove, you'll like Barnes' _Zulu Heart_. If you liked Robinson's _Years of Rice and Salt_, you'll love _Zulu Heart_. And if you like a novel that forces you to think "what if", you'll buy not just _Zulu Heart_ but the 'prequel', _Lion's Blood_.
Don Muchow, Editor
Would That It Were
Magazine of Historical SF
Rating:
Summary: If you liked Years of Rice and Salt, you'll like this...
Review: The book _Zulu Heart_ most reminded me of was Kim Stanley Robinson's _Years of Rice and Salt_. By comparison, I found Barnes' _Zulu Heart_ eminently more readable. Barnes' easygoing style makes for a luxuriant but fast-paced read. Despite the epic effort undoubtedly expended in turning History on its heel, at no time does Barnes' alternate history, one in which the territory around New Orleans (now New Djibouti) is held by an uneasy alliance of Zulus, ruler-class Abyssinian Muslims, and a small band of rebellious white slaves trying to eke out freedom from Southern agricultural concerns, seem forced. Without giving wind of a conscious attempt at it, Barnes spins a believable yarn in which the outcome of a handful of significant historical events lead to a very different world.
The story takes place during approximately the same historical time frame as the Civil War. The main characters of Kai (the Wakil of Dar Kush), his politically-connected wives Lamiya and Nandi, his dear friend and advisor Babatunde, and the now free / now slave / now free again Irishman Aidan are drawn crisply, are believable, and carry their own weight in the complex plot to prevent an all-out civil war that can't really be won. Here and there the astute reader may be amused to note references to the Ironclad ship _Monitor_ (literarily resurrected as "The Turtle"), the assassination of Abraham Lincoln while he attended a theater performance (attempted on Kai by hashishim during a Zulu chorale), and the double-edged sword of emancipation offered by the North, and the ambivalence of the national government over the question of war or capitulation.
Though the author acknowledges the support and influence of Historical SF master Harry Turtledove, Barnes' book is anything but derivative. If you like Harry Turtledove, you'll like Barnes' _Zulu Heart_. If you liked Robinson's _Years of Rice and Salt_, you'll love _Zulu Heart_. And if you like a novel that forces you to think "what if", you'll buy not just _Zulu Heart_ but the 'prequel', _Lion's Blood_.
Don Muchow, Editor
Would That It Were
Magazine of Historical SF
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Excellent Adventure with Kai & Aidan
Review: ZULU HEART continues the saga begun in Steven Barnes's LION'S BLOOD. Now Kai is Wakil and married to his late brother's fiancée, Lamiya and engaged to marry the Zulu princess, Nandi. But knowing that he killed Nandi's uncle, the great warrior, Shaka, can he trust the Zulu woman with his life? Aidan O'Dere is now free and living in a free village with Sophia and his child. But these two childhood friends, the slave owner and the slave must come together again to combat danger and intrigue. There is a war brewing between Egypt and Ethiopia and the New World colonies will be set against each other: North and South. There is a lot of intrigue, plots and danger in this novel. Enough to make the reader read the whole book in one sitting. Some things are still left open, perhaps for the next novel? This was a wonderful book with well-rounded believable characters in a fully realized alternate world. I look forward to the next novel in this series. It doesn't get better than this.
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