Rating: 
Summary: Destined to be a classic!
Review: This book illustrates the horrors and inequities of slavery better than any other novel I have ever read. By reversing the situation and making the African race dominant and the Irish subordinate, points are illustrated that would otherwise be missed.Barnes' characters are three-dimensional, vibrant and most of all human, (as opposed to caricatures which they could have easily become). The slave masters are not completely unsympathetic, and some of the slaves are not completely sympathetic. You see the inner, emotional and mental struggles of the characters, as well as the outer, physical ones. His writing style draws you in and doesn't let go. It's fast-paced and engrossing. Barnes' most daring a provocative work should become a classic and mandatory reading for all students. I hope all college professors and high-school teachers use this novel as a tool to teach tolerance and equality. When I think of the novels I read in college that were for this purpose, they don't measure up to Lion's Blood. I look forward to reading the sequel, Zulu Heart.
Rating: 
Summary: It's been done before.
Review: This is a story of the injustice of slavery, in reverse. Slavery is unjust regardless of the racial identity of the slave or owner. The plot was obvious and predictable. All the men were strong but flawed. The females were strong victims. What happened to the main charters had to happen for honor to be maintained, no news there. Three times a put down this book, not intending to pick it up again but I thought it might improve. It didn't. This was the first time I read this author and it will be the last.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book of the year!
Review: This is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It delves deeply into the lives, cultures, values and struggles of all its multi-faceted characters. Not only is the premise intriguing: that African civilizations flourished while European ones never evolved, Vikings raid primitive European villages & sell the inhabitants into slavery, and Africa has colonized the New World. Steven Barnes has done justice to this ambitious undertaking by creating rich details of culture, politics, spirituality, and human drama.
I had never experienced the horrors of slavery so viscerally as I did through the lives of this Irish family who could have been my own ancestors. I was introduced to the complexities and beauty of Islam, and to a variety of characters who ranged from truly believing and striving to behave morally to those paying lip-service to their own religious commandments---rather like the variety of Christians I know and observe. Always compassionate and respectful, this fascinating novel explores both broad issues of how all the inhabitants of this alternate universe are affected by their institutions and history, as well as the dreams and conflicts of a compelling cast of characters I came to care for deeply.
I wrote my first ever fan email to an author after finishing this book. And bless Steven for responding, then later swinging by my bookstore to chat and sign books on his way through town. I went on to handsell many hardcover editions, before it came out in paperback form, to black and white customers alike. I cannot recommend this exceptional book strongly enough, nor its worthy sequel, Zulu Heart.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Profound - especially with the Insh'Allah CD!
Review: This is the first of Steven Barnes' books I've read, but it won't be the last! I found the story compelling and chilling. One who has lived free all their life can only imagine what the horrors of slavery - of any enslaved people - must be like. I felt the author did an excellent job; the way he chose to approach the subject was unique and had a profound impact on me. What really clinched it for me, though, was listening to Heather Alexander's companion CD, Insh'Allah... Heather wrote the songs the author uses in his books, and her rendition of them really brings the novel to life. It is one thing to read about slaves singing in the fields while they labor... and another altogether to hear it! I think Steven Barnes and Heather Alexander have created a great work together, and one they can be proud of.
Rating:
Summary: Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes
Review: This novel is a classic. Steven Barnes has a wonderful gift for establishing sympathy and empathy between the reader and all of his characters. His characters are rich, three dimensional and (in the case of Shaka and Brian) terrifyingly alive. The reader will love, hate, admire, detest, commiserate with and stand in awe of every one of these people in turn. The world which houses the growing nation of Bilalistan is all too familiar while at the same time stunningly different from our own. It is a place of breathtaking beauty and soul shattering pain. Lion's Blood is a MUST for any true connisseur of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Intense and Powerful!!
Review: What if America had been colonialized by people of African descent? What if the Mayan Empire would have flourished? What if Europeans were enslaved by the Africans? What if Islam was the dominant religion of the world’s superpowers? All of these possibilities are realities in Steven Barnes’ epic classic, Lion’s Blood. The author took a lot of time to build this alternate reality in which African Americans of Muslim decent rule America and the enemy are the Aztecs. This artificial world which houses the growing nation of Bilalistan is all too familiar while at the same time stunningly different from our own recent past. It is a place of lyrical beauty and heartbreaking pain. The story opens in Ireland with a young Aidan O'Dere, a child close to his clan being pulled from his village in an orchestrated slave raid. He witnesses his father's murder and undergoes (along with his mother and younger sister) a horrendous “middle passage” crossing onto the auction blocks on the shores of Bilanistan. The sister is separated from them and sold off as a maidservant while Aiden and his mother are sold to a plantation-like estate deep inside the new country. He quickly realizes his dreams of returning home are just that—dreams, but he vows to return home one day with his family in tact. We can only imagine the terror being in a place where the trees, traditions, religion, sky, earth, people, clothing, language, smell, food, architecture are all different and new. The story centers around the relationship Aidan has with the “master’s” son, Kai, as they grow into manhood. A long and very unlikely friendship begins as a result of some uncanny events. Even though Aidan is viewed by Kai as a servant, along the way their relationship develops into much more. Will Aidan find his sister? Will he escape and return to Ireland? Read to find the answer. Steven Barnes has a wonderful gift for establishing sympathy for the European slave and empathy for the African enslavers/masters. The reader is drawn to his well-developed characters and well-described universe. I loved the poetry and the manner in which Barnes kept traditions rooted in our known reality (Celtics and their tree worship, Aztecs in human sacrifice, etc). I'd say that you'd definitely have to be in a "mood" for this rather long book. There are a lot of characters and the Islamic names are very long and at first it was hard keeping track of who was whom--especially when he was laying out the family tree and the roles, traditions, and responsibilities by birth order, etc. But I quickly became familiar with everyone's role and found it to be an enjoyable read nonetheless. The "what if" scenarios do not require much imagination because Barnes does an excellent job filling in the blanks and allowing us to glimpse into a different world. The author also laces the novel with really deep issues such as karmic justice and the age/old issues of honor, love, respect, and the universal struggle of doing the right thing even at the risk of personal suffering or loss. The reader will love, hate, admire, and cry throughout this moving novel. Lion's Blood is a MUST for any true connoisseur of the science fiction/fantasy genre.
Rating:
Summary: Lush, Intelligent, and a damn good read!
Review: When I picked this book up for the first time and read the overlying concept - an alternative history of 19th century America where the racial aspects of slavery are reversed - I confess I thought it sounded gimmicky. Curious, however, I turned to the first page and started reading. I found the writing terrible; trying too hard, streams of unfamiliar celtic terms dumped out in a "look how hard I researched!" fashion, and an over-idyllic setting. Bleh. I put it back on the library shelf. Oh, if only I had given it a few pages more! Fortunately, I heard enough recommendations over the next couple of years that I checked it out and gave it another try. The clearing-of-the-throat narrative voice smoothes out after a couple of chapters, and with the capture of Aiden and his family by the Northmen, I was hooked. This is a brutal story, full of death and a message that all races have the human flaws that enable them to be cruel. But it is intelligent, too. Barnes's alternative history is not just a black-white switch, it is a layered, complicated and fascinating creation - one that lives and breathes on its own. I was especially impressed with the insights on the Islamic religion from a unique perspective. But there are also explorations into the cultures of the Aztecs, Zulus, Egyptians and the Greeks - and how they would have developed over the centuries if Rome and Europe had become a backwater. And lastly - it's simply a good read. Perhaps a little melodramatic at times, but I ate it up. It was good entertainment. Give it a try; I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Rating: 
Summary: Would Slavery Have Existed in a Black/Muslim World?
Review: While I found Lion's Blood to be a good read; I was disappointed that the central issue of slavery was not addressed. This book could have been written about the pre-Civil War South except for the colors of the participants. I had hoped that slavery as it existed in actuality would have been different if Blacks were the dominant culture. I wanted to believe that the institution of slavery, while not confined to any culture, would have somehow played out differently under Blacks/Muslims. Lion's Blood creates a world in which there is intrinsically, no difference between slavery under Blacks and slavery under whites. In this world, it is only the luck of the draw. I had hoped that Blacks/Muslims would have proved morally superior to white/Christians.
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSICAL MASTERPIECE!!!
Review: WONDERFUL! BRILLIANT! A definite breakthrough in Black writing.
I enjoyed it immensely. MORE! MORE! MORE! I was driven to read
this book because I wanted to see if it compared in any way with
Tananarive Due's, his wife's, books. "The Living Blood," and " My Soul To Keep." I am hooked! They both deal with the noble aspect of bloodline. I've been waiting for this all my reading life.
At my age, and I ain't tellin, I'm starting a new collection, a special bookcase. And just think, man AND wife, delving into uncharted territory. Hopefully there will be many sequels to these books. Then, on to the movies! Thanks, you two, and keep on keeping on. I'm anxiously awaiting the next ones...
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