Rating: 
Summary: Should have been a pizza, it sure was cheesy.
Review: Jakober puts an actual saint in a fictional world, twists his personality and beliefs to make him quite despicable, and then goes on to attack Christianity. This book was apparently written by Jakober to give credence to her obvious bias against Christians. Even without the blatant and constant attacks and warping of history (if you can call a fictional book historical) it would not have been a good book, but it does show promise for Jakober in the future if she can leave behind her own prejudices.I think Jakober did a good job of capturing the mindset of the time. It was a dark time and nearly everyone who lived during that time was grasping and self absorbed (Christian, Muslim, Jew, pagan). Her book however is a blatant attack on Christianity and if it had attacked any other religion in a like manner would never have hit the bookshelves. If she really wants to attack Christianity she should do so in a forum other than a fictional book so her ideas can be rebutted. It is easy to be right in a fictional book where you control the actions of all the characters. She takes the lowest road possible for her attack and makes all the Christian characters horrific people - the "good" Christian is a homosexual, non-believer, and multi-traitor. Of course she gives the pagan heroes a 21st century viewpoint. Naturally, all of the miracles of the Bible were done by magicians using an artifact of another "air" god (not sure why she decided God was an air god considering His healing, resurrections, water walking, fire walking, etc. Air seems to be one of His lesser elements). Even her lesser pagan gods have more power than God in this book. Talk about pure charlantry on Jakober's part. No one during this time had our 21st century viewpoint. All had blood on their hands, which is conveniently ignored in the book. The difference is that the Christians acknowledge their errors and have tried for a thousand years to understand how Christians could perform the unChristian actions of the Crusades, etc. All other groups and religions of the time have ignored or justified their atrocities, which are very similar to those committed by Christians, and for the most part they have been forgotten. What is even worse, the author took an actual saint, put him in her fictional world and made him a homosexual, non-believer, and a traitor on numerous occasions. I'm not much on the saints, but it really stinks to take an actual person and have them perform atrocities against their stated beliefs for your own amusement. That's even lower than what I would think Jakober would be capable of, but obviously not. The whole book is one constant attack against Christianity. Here is one of her many attacks and relates the musing of her "hero" talking to an elf who showed him the light of not believing in Christianity (the elf used to be human btw, don't ask me why/how, it's Jakober's silly book). "'There is no original sin, then,' he murmured. 'No one damned the world, and no one saved it. And Christ wasn't chosen - not for death nor for anything else. All of it could have been different.'"
Rating:
Summary: Should have been a pizza, it sure was cheesy.
Review: Jakober puts an actual saint in a fictional world, twists his personality and beliefs to make him quite despicable, and then goes on to attack Christianity. This book was apparently written by Jakober to give credence to her obvious bias against Christians. Even without the blatant and constant attacks and warping of history (if you can call a fictional book historical) it would not have been a good book, but it does show promise for Jakober in the future if she can leave behind her own prejudices. I think Jakober did a good job of capturing the mindset of the time. It was a dark time and nearly everyone who lived during that time was grasping and self absorbed (Christian, Muslim, Jew, pagan). Her book however is a blatant attack on Christianity and if it had attacked any other religion in a like manner would never have hit the bookshelves. If she really wants to attack Christianity she should do so in a forum other than a fictional book so her ideas can be rebutted. It is easy to be right in a fictional book where you control the actions of all the characters. She takes the lowest road possible for her attack and makes all the Christian characters horrific people - the "good" Christian is a homosexual, non-believer, and multi-traitor. Of course she gives the pagan heroes a 21st century viewpoint. Naturally, all of the miracles of the Bible were done by magicians using an artifact of another "air" god (not sure why she decided God was an air god considering His healing, resurrections, water walking, fire walking, etc. Air seems to be one of His lesser elements). Even her lesser pagan gods have more power than God in this book. Talk about pure charlantry on Jakober's part. No one during this time had our 21st century viewpoint. All had blood on their hands, which is conveniently ignored in the book. The difference is that the Christians acknowledge their errors and have tried for a thousand years to understand how Christians could perform the unChristian actions of the Crusades, etc. All other groups and religions of the time have ignored or justified their atrocities, which are very similar to those committed by Christians, and for the most part they have been forgotten. What is even worse, the author took an actual saint, put him in her fictional world and made him a homosexual, non-believer, and a traitor on numerous occasions. I'm not much on the saints, but it really stinks to take an actual person and have them perform atrocities against their stated beliefs for your own amusement. That's even lower than what I would think Jakober would be capable of, but obviously not. The whole book is one constant attack against Christianity. Here is one of her many attacks and relates the musing of her "hero" talking to an elf who showed him the light of not believing in Christianity (the elf used to be human btw, don't ask me why/how, it's Jakober's silly book). "'There is no original sin, then,' he murmured. 'No one damned the world, and no one saved it. And Christ wasn't chosen - not for death nor for anything else. All of it could have been different.'"
Rating: 
Summary: good book
Review: Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) July 21, 2003 Every now and then you come across a writer whose sytle is so refreshing, that you feel it is like finding a diamond in the sand. Marie Jakober is such a writer. Her writing style is so beautiful that I would pause to read some of the lines a couple times. "[He] abandoned his honor for love and I my love for honor. Which one of us, in the end, will prove to be the greater fool?" One week after I finished reading the novel, I re-read the first sixty pages again, and the second time of reading only made me appreciate the book even more. This is a historical fantasy: a historical fiction mixed with fantasy. The setting is around the year 1100 in Germany with the Crusade in the background. It was a time when the beliefs of the people were half-christian and half-pagan. It is the story of a knight Karelian, who lost his faith in Jarusalem after returning from the Crusade. The one thing that still holds him together is his loyalty to the duke that he serves. But he must choose between love and loyalty, and what is at stake will turn out to be far greater than he could possibly imagine. This is a tale of love and betrayal, of deception and loyalty. As I was reading, I kept wondering who was going to betray whom. There are vivid scenes of romance, religious conflicts, political scheming, and magic. Many of the events are told through the narration of Paul, the squire of the knight. Paul is a deeply religious man but underneath that piety, there is a darker side that he is not willing to admit to himself. I will comment only on two things that make the writing style of this book so outstanding.
(1) The writer is really able to capture the christian-pagan world, where the tradition of the church coexisted with pagan beliefs among the people. Religious conflicts naturally arose from the clash between the church and the pagan beliefs. (2) The complex psychology of the characters is handled very skillfully. Paul is a deeply religious man who also struggles with his darker side. Everything that Paul sees is biaseded by his religious views, while the reader can see the events more objectively. His stubborn refusal to accept the world around him almost reaches the point where he is deluding himself. Thus there are double meanings to many of the events narrated. With only one main thread for the plot, this is a long novel but the great storytelling easily captures your imagination throughout the book. The writing style is delicious enough to make it worthwhile to read the book even for a second time.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) July 21, 2003 Every now and then you come across a writer whose sytle is so refreshing, that you feel it is like finding a diamond in the sand. Marie Jakober is such a writer. Her writing style is so beautiful that I would pause to read some of the lines a couple times. "[He] abandoned his honor for love and I my love for honor. Which one of us, in the end, will prove to be the greater fool?" One week after I finished reading the novel, I re-read the first sixty pages again, and the second time of reading only made me appreciate the book even more. This is a historical fantasy: a historical fiction mixed with fantasy. The setting is around the year 1100 in Germany with the Crusade in the background. It was a time when the beliefs of the people were half-christian and half-pagan. It is the story of a knight Karelian, who lost his faith in Jarusalem after returning from the Crusade. The one thing that still holds him together is his loyalty to the duke that he serves. But he must choose between love and loyalty, and what is at stake will turn out to be far greater than he could possibly imagine. This is a tale of love and betrayal, of deception and loyalty. As I was reading, I kept wondering who was going to betray whom. There are vivid scenes of romance, religious conflicts, political scheming, and magic. Many of the events are told through the narration of Paul, the squire of the knight. Paul is a deeply religious man but underneath that piety, there is a darker side that he is not willing to admit to himself. I will comment only on two things that make the writing style of this book so outstanding.
(1) The writer is really able to capture the christian-pagan world, where the tradition of the church coexisted with pagan beliefs among the people. Religious conflicts naturally arose from the clash between the church and the pagan beliefs. (2) The complex psychology of the characters is handled very skillfully. Paul is a deeply religious man who also struggles with his darker side. Everything that Paul sees is biaseded by his religious views, while the reader can see the events more objectively. His stubborn refusal to accept the world around him almost reaches the point where he is deluding himself. Thus there are double meanings to many of the events narrated. With only one main thread for the plot, this is a long novel but the great storytelling easily captures your imagination throughout the book. The writing style is delicious enough to make it worthwhile to read the book even for a second time.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)July 21, 2003 Every now and then you come across a writer whose sytle is so refreshing, that you feel it is like finding a diamond in the sand. Marie Jakober is such a writer. Her writing style is so beautiful that I would pause to read some of the lines a couple times. "[He] abandoned his honor for love and I my love for honor. Which one of us, in the end, will prove to be the greater fool?" One week after I finished reading the novel, I re-read the first sixty pages again, and the second time of reading only made me appreciate the book even more. This is a historical fantasy: a historical fiction mixed with fantasy. The setting is around the year 1100 in Germany with the Crusade in the background. It was a time when the beliefs of the people were half-christian and half-pagan. It is the story of a knight Karelian, who lost his faith in Jarusalem after returning from the Crusade. The one thing that still holds him together is his loyalty to the duke that he serves. But he must choose between love and loyalty, and what is at stake will turn out to be far greater than he could possibly imagine. This is a tale of love and betrayal, of deception and loyalty. As I was reading, I kept wondering who was going to betray whom. There are vivid scenes of romance, religious conflicts, political scheming, and magic. Many of the events are told through the narration of Paul, the squire of the knight. Paul is a deeply religious man but underneath that piety, there is a darker side that he is not willing to admit to himself. I will comment only on two things that make the writing style of this book so outstanding.
(1) The writer is really able to capture the christian-pagan world, where the tradition of the church coexisted with pagan beliefs among the people. Religious conflicts naturally arose from the clash between the church and the pagan beliefs. (2) The complex psychology of the characters is handled very skillfully. Paul is a deeply religious man who also struggles with his darker side. Everything that Paul sees is biaseded by his religious views, while the reader can see the events more objectively. His stubborn refusal to accept the world around him almost reaches the point where he is deluding himself. Thus there are double meanings to many of the events narrated. With only one main thread for the plot, this is a long novel but the great storytelling easily captures your imagination throughout the book. The writing style is delicious enough to make it worthwhile to read the book even for a second time.
Rating:
Summary: A Pagan Take on Good Vs. Evil
Review: Repression and megalomania are the bad guys in this well researched, alternate history of the crusading era. Marie Jakober brings the same societal intelligence to Black Chalice she did to her award winning novels about the Sandinista experience. Her villains and minor characters are as thoroughly drawn as her protagonists. There is profound love, hot sex, great battles, court intrigue and old but potent sorcery, all portrayed without sentimentality. Not recommended for Christians who can't stomach criticism of church institutions and messianc excess. In fact, if I have a criticism it is the unrelenting nature of novel's anger against righteous bullies. I could have stood a bit more comic relief. A great book that induces strong feeling.
Rating:
Summary: A skillfully written, powerful, richly detailed novel.
Review: The Black Chalice is a superbly written fantasy novel that explores the intertwined physical, spiritual and political relationships between a knight, a sorceress, and a monk during the tumultuous times that followed the first Crusade. Marie Jakober has successfully created a powerful tale of ambition, delusion, obsession and betrayal that will keep the reader riveted from first page to last. Jakober has carefully blended historical fact with imaginative fiction in creating a conquered pagan world replete with brooding legends, dark magic, and sexual power. Combine all this with an compelling plot, challenging themes, all played out against a backdrop of richly detailed settings, and you have Marie Jakober's The Black Chalice.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: This book ended much, much differently than I thought it would when I started it. It is utterly captivating, in the true sense of the word. Jakober draws you in to her characters; they become real. The stories themselves are complex - the way only stories with a ring of truth can be. The plots are intricate, subtle, and maddeningly intoxicating. Once you get started, you don't want to stop. Jakober is a gifted storyteller, and Edge Science Fiction Fantasy Publishing has produced a stunning book. I saw this book from across the room and knew I had to have it. If you get the chance, get the hardcover copy. This is one of the best-written stories I have read in many, many years.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This book twists fiction, fantasy and historical fiction together. It takes place in Germany, with a group of men that have just returned from the holy wars to push out the infindels. It takes an honest approach to the destruction the catholic church wrecked on the world and on the lives of men (so I wouldn't recommend it to a person of this faith unless they can accept some critisism of the decisions of some popes). It talks about what means the pope used to put kings in power. The primary focus of this book is good versus evil. The man who falls into paganism versus the man who thinks he is doing God's work, only to find that it is doubtful. This book addresses the lineage of Jesus' brothers and sisters, politics in midevil Germany, and has a truly passionate love story between a man who loves his duke and loves a woman who insists on 100% of his allegence. I don't usually read anything but historical fiction, and I am very glad that I made the exception. It is also a beautifully bound book, that looks great on your shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but read it as fantasy
Review: This historical fantasy is set in Germany during the Crusades and is primarily about the struggle between paganism and Christianity. If you read this expecting accurate historical fiction you will be disappointed, as it has many elements of magic and does not really capture the "feel" of the time in a believable way. If the author was trying to create an accurate reproduction, she failed. However, this book is still worth reading. Many of its themes are taken from medieval fiction such as the writings of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and this gives it a fresh, creative feel. Most of all, it is interesting in that much of it is narrated by a monk who utterly despises the actions and morals of the characters with whom the reader sympathizes. Jakober portrays this bitter, repressed man's mentality in a subtle, intelligent way which may leave some readers wondering who the good guys are. The supernatural elements in the book are generally well done and have an interesting folkloric feel, although Jakober's interpretation of the god Odin leaves something to be desired. Overall, not a great work of literature, but an interesting read.
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