Exile and Return

Book Description

Saved by a mage's intervention from certain death, Kaspar, the evil Duke of Olasko, is lord no more -- reduced to an exile's existence and forced to wander the harshest realms of the world he once enslaved.

Merciless deserts, forbidding mountains, and vast oceans now separate the once powerful despot from his former seat of power -- his dark dreams of vengeance overwhelmed by the daily struggle for survival. But there is a larger drama that will entangle the broken dictator. An evil devastating and deadly seeks entrance to the land -- the mystical tool of a dark empire hungry for conquest and destruction -- and Kaspar has inadvertently discovered the key. Suddenly, Midkemia's last hope is a disgraced and exiled duke whose history is written in blood, and who now must wield his sword as her champion . . . if he so chooses..

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The evil Duke of Olasko is lord no more -- vanquished by his nemesis Tal Hawkins, the Talon of the Silver Hawk. Saved by a mage's intervention from certain death, the once-feared despot has been reduced to an exile's existence, forced to wander the harshest realms of the world he once enslaved.

Conclave of Shadows: Book Three

Only days ago, Kaspar, the powerful Duke of Olasko, had great armies at his command and was feared by nations. Now, half a world away from home, he is separated from his former seat of power by merciless deserts, forbidding mountains, and vast oceans. The fall of the tyrant is complete, his dark dreams of vengeance overwhelmed by the daily struggle for his very survival. But Kaspar's prodigious skills and cunning provide him the opportunity he seeks, guarding merchant travelers returning to the other side of the world and back to his homeland.

Yet there is a larger drama that will entangle the broken dictator. An evil more devastating and deadly than any encountered in Midkemia for centuries seeks entrance to the land -- the mystical tool of a dark empire hungry for conquest and destruction -- and Kaspar has inadvertently discovered the key.

The man responsible for the slaughter of countless men, women, and children must now assume a far stranger and most unlikely role -- that of hero -- if his world is to survive. For dire peril is advancing daily, and a long-slumbering malevolence is awakening to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting and unprepared. Suddenly, Midkemia's last hope is a disgraced and exiled duke whose history is written in blood, and who now must wield his sword as her champion ... if he so chooses.

Customer Reviews:

What a disappointment..........2007-10-06

The third installment in the Conlave of Shadows series was a disappointing fizzle-out ending to a story which had been successfully wrapped up in the Second novel, King of Foxes. I'm not entirely sure why Feist went this direction with the novel, other than the overt reason of setting up his next series of novels.

For some reason, Feist abandons the character Talon of the Silver Hawk, a.k.a. Talwin Hawkins, and focuses on the vanquished Duke Kaspar of Olasko. The story starts out interestingly enough, and in many places I was truly drawn into the book. Unfortunately, It was too late when I began to realize that Feist had embarked with an entirely new set of plotlines in this novel which only vaguely relate to the prior novel of this series. The story seems forced most of the time, as if Feist was under contractual agreement to crank out three novels for this series, and he suddenly realized "Shoot, I finished the story in only two novels..."

I absolutely love most of Feist's work. I've read Faerie Tale, the riftwar novels, Prince of the Blood, King's Bucchaneer, Empire and Serpent War Series, so I can honestly inform that this novel is by far his most lackluster offering and I now hesitate to read his next Nighthawk centered series...

very good reading.......2007-08-07

A very fine finish to the Conclave of Shadows series. I look forward to the next series by Mr. Feist

He is back to being his best.......2007-07-21

I stopped reading Raymond E Feist after the incredible debut trilogy of his that started with MAGICIAN. But only in the Conclave of Shadows has he got the groove back.

The action is back. The twisting plot with surprises and shockers snaking its way through worlds is back. The true vision that Raymond had of creating myths to support a book's premise s back (Dasati's rock!). Excellent characters and dialogues and a deeper maturity with characters like Duke of Olasko is refreshing.

I recommend this book and series to everyone who thouhgt Raymond E Feist couldnt be as good as Magician again.

Middle of the Road.......2006-11-17

This one could have been titled Kaspar's redemption. Most of the book is used to show Kaspar as something other than the evil man he was in the first 2 books of the series. Thrown into exile, he must find himself and redeem himself as events force him back to his own realm. The star of the first 2 books Talon makes an appearence near the end of the story. The is well written, and will please most Feist fans. The only problem I have is that the story was basically a set up for the next trilogy. The books ends on a cliffhanger that leads right into his new series. I wouldn't have packaged it as part of trilogy with the first 2 books. Other than that minor thing, it is an enjoyable read.

About average for Feist. Not the conclusion of the story........2006-10-06

While this book is labeled as part three (ie the finale) of the Conclave of Shadows trilogy it's really just one more step in a story that continues into the Darkwar set of books. It's likely that the publisher is the reason why this is part three rather than a standalone book as it is easier to sell a trilogy than a two book series and a standalone novel. Technically, this book is a continuation of the previous two books, only from a completely different point of view.

This book focuses on the previous book's villain, Kaspar of Olasko. Transported by magic to Novindus a continent on the other side of the Midkemian world (that we first encountered in the SerpentWar series) we find that Kaspar isn't as bad a fellow as he was portrayed to be in the first two books. This change of personality is the result of Kaspar escaping the influences of the evil magician he employed as an advisor. Everything that went on during his time under the magician's influence is a bit hazy and Kaspar isn't really sure why he did some of the things he did. Unlike real politicians though Kaspar ends up taking full responsibility for his actions despite said influence and so ends up adequately filling the role of a good guy in this book.

In this book we follow Kaspar in various adventures that end up embroiling him (surprise!) in the defense of the world itself. Feist employs this world destruction gambit to once again bring Pug back into play along with Tomas and a host of other familiar characters from the Riftwar that never die. It remains to be seen how the story will play out as this book is really just the introduction of the world destroying plot.

While the book overall has good pacing and is a decent page turner it doesn't measure up as well to the first two books in the series. Kaspar isn't as interesting a character as Tal was in the first two books of the series. While Kaspar gets more fleshed out in this book his character still lacks some depth compared to Tal.

Exile's Return is about average for Feist which is why it gets a three star. It follows a formula that is eminently readable, but at this point a bit overdone.

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Exile's return
Malcolm Cowley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00005VUF8

Exile's Return (Conclave of Shadows, Book 3)

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Feist is Back
A solid page-turner
A Path to Enlightenment
Good but not quite up to his earlier work
Exiles Return

Exile's Return (Conclave of Shadows, Book 3)
Raymond E. Feist
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000EBCPGC

Customer Reviews:

Feist is Back.......2007-06-29

This is a well crafted book that gradually draws you in as it develops the seemingly despicable Kaspar to an admirable (well almost) character. I loved it, as I did the earlier Feist novels. The ending is fine, but just sets us up for more of the story. I am looking forward to the next book...

A solid page-turner.......2006-08-06

I'm a big fan of Feist, yet for most of the book I was a little thrown - not because it wasn't good (quite the contrary, I plowed through it in no time), but because I had read the first two books in this trilogy, Conclave of Shadows, and couldn't understand why it fit, thinking it should be a stand-alone novel.

If you'd read the first two books, you'd know the plot, but I'll fill in those who haven't (I strongly recommend them - they are excellent books, and help give you a better understanding of this book).

Basically, Talon of the Silver Hawk, from a mountain people called the Orisini, becomes the last known survivor of an attack staged by fighters under the orders of Kaspar, Duke of Olasko. The reasons for this genocide appear to be for convenience, yet we later learn there is darker intent behind it. Talon becomes an agent of the Conclave of Shadows, a group dedicated to fighting evil, headed by the famed magician Pug. At the end of the second book, King of Foxes, we see Talon oust Kaspar from power, yet spares his life. Instead of sending him to a dungeon, a magician transports Kaspar to Novindus, an island on the other side of the world, leaving Kaspar with nothing but his wits to survive this harsh and inhospitable place.

So this is is where Exile's Return picks up, with Kaspar literally fighting for his life from page one against a group of warriors. The tale really picks up when he encounters three men from his side of the world who show him a strange suit of armor. From the instant he touches it, Kaspar is put under a strange strange spell which takes the four men on an ominous journey. While it seems a little convoluted, it does finally pick up the thread of the Conclave of Shadows series, tying it in and giving you a wider understanding of the whole story...it just takes a while to figure out.

While the book covers mostly the travels of Kaspar in the physical sense, it's really covering the travels of his heart and soul, as it is clearly a story of redemption, turning a ruthless dictator into a more humbled, compassionate man who understands and grieves for the actions of his past.

Secret societies, grand plots, great magic, even discussions with the gods, this book has it all! I thoroughly recommend the book, and as the title of this review suggests, it's a difficult book to put down once you start.

A Path to Enlightenment.......2006-07-10

Exile's Return (2005) is the third novel in the Conclave of Shadows series, following King of Foxes. In the previous volume, Tal Hawkins and others escaped from the Fortress of Despair. They crossed the strait to the mainland and traveled overland to Karesh'kaar. Once there, Tal contacted the Conclave and started recruiting a mercenary army.

Tal and Pug convinced the Kingdom of the Isles, Kesh, and Roldem to support an assault on the Citadel of Opardum. While these forces were diverting the Olaskan guards, Tal led his mercenary army through a hidden way into the Citadel and attacked from the rear. He and his troops forced their way into Leso Varen's quarters, killed the magician and broke the wards keeping out the Conclave. Then his troops attacked the throne room and captured Duke Kaspar of Olasko. Since Leso Varen had used magic to wield the duke as his tool, Pug convinced Tal to exile Kaspar rather than execute him.

In this novel, Magnus transports the former duke to the continent of Novindus and releases him there. Soon afterward, Kaspar is confronted by six heavily-armed Bentu horsemen and fights back, taking down five of them; he is stymied, however, by the bow and arrows of the sixth. Knocked unconscious, he is carried back to the nomad camp.

After regaining consciousness, Kaspar finds that his hands are bound behind him and these rawhide bindings are connected to a tent peg at the back of the tent. If he pulls up the peg, the tent will collapse and the nomads will know that he is trying to free himself.

Pretending to still be unconscious, Kaspar listens to the conversations held at the front of the tent, decides that the language is somewhat like Quegan, and begins to recognize a few words. After dark, he works his hands to the front and chews on the lashings until they fall apart. Stealing some food and water, he escapes from the camp and climbs up the nearby ridge.

The nomads break camp and move on without searching for him, probably because of a little message he left in the chief's tent. He travels along the old road on the ridge in the same direction as the nomads. After several days without water, he is very dehydrated. He moves down to the valley floor, looking for signs of water. Finally he finds a damp spot with grass growing around it. Digging down into the soil, he finds water beneath the surface and drinks his fill.

Afterward, Kaspar traps ground birds for meat. Seeing a boy wandering the hills, he tracks him to a small farm tucked away far from the road. Although he severely frightens the boy and his mother, Kaspar uses his small knowledge of Quegan to reassure them and soon starts performing chores that the woman and boy cannot manage. He learns that the woman's husband and their only horse have disappeared on a trip to town.

After a few months, Kaspar declares that he must leave and takes the woman, boy and two steers into town to acquire horses. Since suitable horses are unavailable, they settle on a mule to work on the farm, but Kaspar has to go down the river on foot. He works as a caravan guard for a while, but in Simarah he meets three traders from the Kingdom of the Isles and is forced by a geas to accompany them with a strange armored relic from a recently exposed cache.

The relic leads Kaspar on a weird journey, first to find a priest, then to the home of the gods, and eventually to the Conclave of Shadows. On the way he once again confronts Tal and survives the meeting. He also visits his sister and is pleased with her situation.

This novel describes the mental processes of the former duke as he remembers his past actions. As he grows to better know Jojanna and Jorgen, the farm wife and her son, Kaspar begins to see how his own behavior would have affected the common folk of his dukedom. He also begins to see how Varen had manipulated him with magic and questions his own decisions. He also remembers advice from his father that he had ignored under Varen's influence. He begins to feel remorse for the people hurt by his mistaken efforts. Ironically, the wisdom he gains after his deposal would make him a better ruler.

Kaspar is initially determined to return to Opardum to have his revenge on Tal and Captain Havrevulen. His regained memories and experiences cause him to better understand the actions of his enemies, but he still wants revenge. However, the armored relic begins to loom in importance to the point of reducing his wants to insignificance. While still determined to return, he is primarily concerned with contacting the Conclave of Shadows.

This novel is the last in the Conclave trilogy. But it is followed by Flight of the Nighthawks, the first novel in the Darkwar series. The armored relic will play a prominent role in this next series.

Highly recommended for Feist fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, powerful magic and personal enlightenment.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Good but not quite up to his earlier work.......2006-03-31

I first fell in love with Feist's work in the Serpent War saga (and went back to read all previous work) and have since come to the conclusion that Feist may have peaked then. I suspect personal issues, such as his divorce, have leeched some of his focus and drive to create the depth of character that marked his earlier work.

As others have noted, there seems to be a lot of interaction that has no obvious purpose other than to fill pages. Usually these interactions weave the ambience of the world into the story but it seems somewhat artificial in this novel. Having Kaspar run through what amounts to little more than a Who's Who directory of Midkemia had too forced a feel - did every previous character from the earlier novels still alive just have to be involved? It left things feeling rushed, not the usual buildup seen over a series of books. Things also seemed too coincidental (as the main character Kaspar pointed out several times) and made the story seemed contrived, almost formulaic.

It's kind of a weird placement for the book as well. A trilogy that changes main characters? The third book in this series is really only loosely associated with the first two and serves as the introduction to a new series, its part of both series while being part of neither. The effect leaves me feeling unfulfilled on the finale of Conclave of Shadows but less than enthusiastic about the next series. The story is just kind of 'there'. I think it would have been better to simply make this the first book of the Darkwar Saga and leave Conclave of Shadows a two book series.

That being said, it is a Feist work and even some of his lesser work is better than most author's best. If you've read any of Fiest's earlier novels, you know you're going to read this one because a trip through Midkemia with Feist as your guide is too good an oportunity to pass up. Here's hoping the Darkwar series will see a complete return of Feist's storytelling.

Exiles Return.......2006-03-10

Feist is the BOMB! He is one of the greatest fantasy authors ever, and this book definately lived up to my expectations. Awesome!

Return of the Exile (Dragonlance: Linsha Trilogy, Vol. 3)

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An Amazing Read Start to Finish
Fantastic Conclusion
Buy this book; Buy this Trilogy

Return of the Exile (Dragonlance: Linsha Trilogy, Vol. 3)
Mary H. Herbert
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0786936282
Release Date: 2005-02-01

Book Description

The third title in a trilogy that explores the south of the Dragonlance world after the War of Souls.

Return of the Exile concludes a trilogy that centers on Linsha Majere, the grandchild of one of the central characters in the entire Dragonlance saga. This trilogy advances the story of post-War of Souls events in the Dragonlance world and introduces a major new villain to the setting.

Customer Reviews:

An Amazing Read Start to Finish.......2006-07-23

At the start of this trilogy I greatly disliked Linsha, I thought she was annoying, boring, and not well developed in a literary sense. By the end of the second book however, I had begun to consider this trilogy fairly good. At the end of this book I learned that this trilogy gets proggresivley better as it goes on.
The third installment of this trilogy begans with Linsha going to the Tarmack homeland, and the new life that ensues there. This part of the book is particularly intersting to me because it shows us a whole new light to Linsha during her struggles to live in an alien society. After a daring escape on the back of a sickly dragon, Linsha sets about getting back the stolen dragon eggs.

Overall I was very pleased with the plot and continuation of the story. I feel that Mary Herbert is definitley one of the better DL authors as of now. Linsha's character is fleshed out more in this novel then the other two. We get to see a kind of darker side to her when she battles and kills a rival woman on Tamrak homeland.

The ending of the novel is very good, particularly because it is not like most of its other new DL counterparts, were the ending is scrunched into 30 pages in a sudden climax. Slowly throughout the book the tension increases, with the climax taking place near Sanction in a dormant volcano. No big suprises in the end really happens but that doesnt make it any less fun. I'll spare revealing the ending to you but I practically jumped for joy when a certain character kicks the bucket.

Overall this book was very good, and in all actuallity it suprised me just how good it was. It ranks in my top 20 for DL books at this point in time. Even if you are dissapointed with the current state of DL books, this book delivers in so many ways.

Fantastic Conclusion.......2005-08-20

Return of the Exile, by Mary Herbert is the third and final book in the Dragonlance: Linsha Trilogy.

All the loose ends that were created in the first two books are nicely wrapped up. The way Herbert concludes this trilogy is just fantastic. I was enthralled the entire time I was reading this. The first book in this series was a good read, the second book was decent, but this book blows the doors off of either of the first two. It's a fantastic book and one I would recommend to anyone.

Mary Herbert has staked her clain to the Dragonlance world with this trilogy. She certainly stands above a lot of the recent sub-par books that have been released. Rest asured this book is int he upper teir of recent Dragonlance novels.

Buy this book; Buy this Trilogy.......2005-03-21

This was a trilogy of books that I went into with a little bit of reluctance. Linsha Majere a Rose Knight, something that is a recent addition for the Majere household. However, this entire trilogy is awesome. There are unique characters, which have good story lines, and the ending I find, personally to be completely awesome.

The Hole in the Flag: A Romanian Exile's Story of Return and Revolution

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Charades on Desolation Row
Highly recommended
The Hole in the Flag--Trevor Landers

The Hole in the Flag: A Romanian Exile's Story of Return and Revolution
Andrei Codrescu
Manufacturer: Avon Books (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Romania | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 038071373X

Customer Reviews:

Charades on Desolation Row.......2006-11-21

When I visited Romania for a month in 1979, I saw a beautiful green land of geese and flowering apple trees, ghostly old Transylvanian hill towns where each charmingly-warped house had eyes. Ham, cheese, mamaliga (polenta) and tsuica marked my days and the warm reception by Romanian friends gave me memories forever. But even then, before the Dracula-Leader went totally bonkers, Romania bore Orwellian overtones. Charades ruled the roost. Bookstores sold stuff that nobody wanted to read. Shoe stores sold footwear that nobody wanted to buy. The news wasn't new. "Friendship with all countries" meant that everyone was suspect. The gypsies lived in junkyards on real desolation rows. Pollution covered the territory of a `people's republic'. How glad I was that I had not been born Romanian. When, over ten years later, the "Romanian Revolution" occurred, I was both glad (Dracula had met his silver bullet) and horrified, when I heard that perhaps 60,000 people had been killed.

Andrei Codrescu, a Romanian exile in the USA, felt a great burst of hope. His country would get out from under at last. He rushed, full of memories and dreams, back to Romania with an National Public Radio team. THE HOLE IN THE FLAG is the poetic, humorous, well-paced memoir of what he found, how he'd left it, with bits on adjusting in America, his old classmates, and his family. At first the reader shares all the stories, the rumors, the excitement, the sounds of battle. Later, in cooler times, Codrescu, like the rest of the world (or those who paid attention), realized that he'd been had. The charades had not stopped. Romania had gone through yet another one. Was it a revolution ? How many had actually died and who had killed them ? Who were the new leaders ? How did the leader die ? What was Russia's role in all this ? When I returned to Romania in 1996, my friends, now deeply disillusioned, raised all these questions and supplied a few depressing answers. With both eyes open and equipped by Romanian life with a large supply of cynicism, Codrescu re-writes the story of the "Revolution" in the latter half of his book. This is top reporting, top writing. Only a poet could write about Ceausescu's Romania and the state of mind it created, because words might fail anyone else. I could easily give the book five stars for writing, but have given it four because, sadly, it is dated now. Perhaps readers will not find the events so relevant, but as a look at human nature, it will never go out of style. I doubt if Bob Dylan had ever seen or thought about Romania, but to quote him is to sum up the feeling you'll get from THE HOLE IN THE FLAG.

"Now at midnight, all the agents and the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone that knows more than they do.
They they bring them to the factory where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders and then the kerosene,
Is brought down from the castles by insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping from Desolation Row."
*with one minor change

Highly recommended.......2006-01-08

A most entertaining, witty, colorful, yet intelligent, articulate, and realistic account of the 1989 Romanian Anti-Communist Revolution. I highly recommend this book to anyone with the sligthest interest in the topic.

The Hole in the Flag--Trevor Landers.......2003-02-08

It was about 2.25 am in the morning when I finished Codresacu's riveting memoir The Hole in the Flag which I found poignant, fey, hopeful and insightful. Sometimes I read a book which demands that it be devoured voraciously and this book falls into that category.

For me, the Romanian revolution is still a cause of some mystification, but it is clear that it was more orchestration than spontaneous uprising. The current controversy with Mircea Dinescu and the debate over the availability of Securitate files, many of which have been pilfered and doctored no doubt. I found my discussions with locals in 2001interesting but wondered whether the divisiveness was a smoke screen yet again. Codrescu's is a reflective and analytical look at Romania just after the Revolution, and his own struggle to comprehend and make sense of the maelstrom that followed is one of the strengths of the work. At turns, banal, burlesque, and brilliant the book is skilfully written and will appeal as much to the general reader as it does to the Romanianists. I heartily recommend this book.

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Peace Justice and Power: My Return to Haiti, the United States and the New World Order
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Manufacturer: National Press Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1882605187

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Excellent Reading
Religion in International Relations: The Return from Exile (Culture and Religion in International Relations)

Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations: The Struggle for the Soul of the Twenty-First Century (Culture and Religion in International Relations)

Bringing Religion into International Relations (Culture and Religion in International Relations)

The Sacred and the Sovereign: Religion and International Politics

The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics

Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide (Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion and Politics)

ASIN: 1403962073

Book Description

Are the secular foundations of international relations sustainable at present? This comprehensive study shows how the global resurgence of religion confronts international relations theory with a theoretical challenge comparable to that raised by the end of the Cold War or the emergence of globalization. The volume tries to shake the secular foundational myths of the discipline and outline the need for an expansion into religiously inspired spheres of thought. It also challenges the most condemning accusation against religion: the view that the politicization of religion is always a threat to security and inimical to the resolution of conflict. Finally, the task of demystifying religion is taken further with an argument for a stronger and "progressive" political engagement of the worldwide religious traditions in the contemporary globalized era.ContributorsCarsten Bagge Laustsen, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, DenmarkFred Dallmayr, Packey Dee Professor of Government, University of Notre Dame, USAJohn L. Esposito, Director of the Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, USARichard Falk, Albert G. Milbank Professor of International Law and Practice, Princeton University and currently Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USAAndreas Hasenclever, Research Fellow at the Peace Research Institute, Frankfurt, GermanyVendulka Kubaacute;lkovaacute;, Professor in the School of International Studies, University of Miami, USACecilia Lynch, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of California, Irvine, USATerry Nardin, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USAVolker Rittberger, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Tubingen, GermanyScott M. Thomas, Lecturer in International Relations, University of Bath, UKJohn O. Voll, Professor of Islamic History at Georgetown University, USAOle Waelig;ver, Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Denma

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Reading.......2003-12-22

This book is an excellent resource for perusing some interesting postmodern developments in international relations theory. It presents relevant questions for global politics, considering the world-wide religious resurgence and the supposed universality of Western (super-rational, Enlightenment) paradigms. It re-evaluates the Eurocentric basis for imposing the Euro-American worldview on non-western nations. Fascinating, and full of creative thinking!

Exile and return: The struggle for a Jewish homeland

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The millenia long attachment of the Jews to the Land of Israel
The Jews - Their History & Their Land.

Exile and return: The struggle for a Jewish homeland
Martin Gilbert
Manufacturer: Lippincott
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0397012497

Customer Reviews:

The millenia long attachment of the Jews to the Land of Israel.......2006-12-03

Since the re-establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 , her existence has been threatened in may ways.
In seven wars , in a sustained and brutal Arab war of terrorism , mainly targeting Israel's women and children , in vicious and hateful propaganda onslaughts and in repeated denials of her right to exist at all as a sovereign Jewish state.

In Exile and Return Martin Gilbert takes us through the 3000 year old attachment of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel , examining the roots and rights of Jewish statehood.
He explores the centuries long exile and persecution of the Jews , culminating in the horrors of the Holocaust. Promises were made and broken , hopes were raised and dashed . Gilbert examines the struggles and determination of the Jews to return to their ancient homeland , the prejudices and obstacles that mitigated against the re-establishment of the Jewish state , and the turning points and terrible anguish of the Jews on the road to the reclamation by the Nation of Israel , of their ancient homeland.

Gilbert begins by pointing out that the Jews were living in Canaan , three thousand years ago. They were first parted from their land by the Assyrians and Babylonians , who destroyed the Kingdoms of Israel and Judea. The Jews returned after several decades and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem. Later Syrian armies conquered the Land of Israel but they were driven out in 168 BCE by a Jewish revolt led by Judas Maccabee , and for a hundred years the Jews were again independent. In 63 BCE the Land of Israel was invaded and occupied by Roman troops , who in response to a susutained Jewish revolt in 66 CE , destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem , and after the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132 CE changed the name of Judea to Syria Palestina , and that is how the name Palestine came about , and it is still used today ,to refer to Israel, by those who wish to cut the Jews off from their land.

The Jews were dispersed from the Land of Israel all over Europe , the Middle East and North Africa , but a remmant always remained in Israel. By 1530 as many as 10 000 Jews lived in and around the Galilee town of Safed.

The author documents the persecution and massacres of the Jews in exile and in Israel , through the ages , by Christians and Moslems alike. He explores the roots of modern Zionism , Alkilai , Hess , BILU and the resettlement of the Land of Israel by the Jews. He examines the efforts of Theodor Herzl and Chaim Weizmann to make the Jewish State a reality. He examines the evolution of British policy from the roots of the Balfour Declaration to the British treachery of going back on their promises to the Jews , and blocking Jewish immigration into the Palestine Mandate , preventing hundreds of thousands of Jews from escaping Hitler's infernos , by settling in the Land of Israel.
He also recounts the bloody Arab pogroms against Jews in 'Palestine' during the 1920' and 30's , in which thousands of Jews were massacred and often whole Jewish communities uprooted.

This book is an excellent resource with which to trace the history behind the conflict raging today over Israel's existence , and should serve as an antidote to the lies of the revisionist historians and far-left bigots.
The book reminds us of the immortal words of David Ben-Gurion , Israel's first Prime Minister speaking five days after the independence of the State of Israel, on the 19th May 1948:

"Never have we lost faith in the conscience of mankind. Always we shall demand what is justly ours. But morning and evening , day in and day out , we must remind ourselves that our existence , our freedom and our future are in our own hands. Our own exertions , our own capacity , our own will, they are the key".
G-D Bless the State of Israel and her people!

The Jews - Their History & Their Land........2002-12-29

If ever the time was ripe for the re-release of a book, then the time is now and this is the book.

Sir Martin Gilbert, one of the most prominent, knowledgeable and admired experts on the Middle East has provided us with an extremely accurate, captivating study of the Jewish people and their relationship to the `Holy Land' which extends back many thousands of years.

The writer presents a meticulous, thorough research into the Jewish origins in the Land, including their exile and subsequent return, which utterly treads underfoot the propaganda, myths, distortions and fabrications taught through the new age pseudo-scholars and `history revisionists' who now seek to de-Judaize the Land from any Jewish birthright, history or heritage.

My personal copy of this book is dated 1978, but it is perhaps even more relevant now than it was then.

The author examines the region's history extending from the Jewish entry into `Biblical Canaan' to the re-birth of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948. Even including a study into the continual Jewish presence in the Land even through the dispersion to Babylon and the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.

The Jewish uprising against Rome is also studied around 70-73AD, including the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the subsequent re-naming of the Land to `Syria Palaestina' by the Romans in 135AD. This of course eventually becoming anglicised into what is presently referred to as `Palestine'.

Attention is also paid to the Arab/Islamic conquest of Palestine from 636-640AD, and the consequences and implications upon the Jewish presence which still remained in the Land throughout that period.

Indeed, Sir Martin Gilbert proceeds to study the Jewish people through virtually every period from their presence in the Land under Byzantine and Muslim rule to their experiences throughout the nations in the Diaspora. Sections are devoted to the medieval persecutions, the `Black Death riots' of 1347-1350 and the Jewish expulsions from Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Sardinia etc.. Reference is also made to the pogroms and massacres in Eastern Europe and the Jewish longing amongst those dispersed to return to their Homeland.

Of more recent significance, the writer refers to Palestine during the 20th Century. We are provided with an analysis of the British promises to the Arabs & Jews, the British occupation of the Holy Land after the defeat of the Ottoman Turks in 1917, the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1917, the Balfour Declaration surrounding a Jewish homeland in Palestine and the subsequent British Mandate.

Further examination is then made of the British betrayal of the Jews in relation to the promised boundaries of the proposed Jewish homeland in Palestine.

This then extends to the pre-World War II years, the Nazi Holocaust, the restrictions by the British upon Jewish immigration into Palestine and the eventual UN Partition Plan of 1947.

The writer refers to the climate of unrest between the British/Arabs/Jews preceding the re-birth of the Jewish state. Reference is made to the 6,000 Jews who were killed during the violence between the date of the UN General Assembly vote of 29 November 1947 and Israel's re-birth in May 1948. Some one percent of the Jewish population having been killed.

The ensuing conflict of 1948 is also discussed, including the 550,000 or more Palestinian Arabs who fled, some two thirds of whom entered the Gaza Strip and the `West Bank', which were immediately occupied by Egypt and Jordan respectively.

My only criticism of this book is that it does not extend beyond 1948. I cannot but repeat my strong feelings that the current times literally cry out for a re-release of this book, perhaps with an additional section which would provide appropriate coverage to the Arab-Israeli conflicts since that time, including the `Palestinian intifadas' and the `war against terror'. Having said that, this book is an excellent reference in it's own right and a worthy read.

Book Description

This volume brings together three significant works of Ashis Nandy - Alternative Sciences, The Illegitimacy of Nationalism, and The Savage Freud. It is essential reading for social and political scientists, and all those interested in the complexities of Indian politics and culture.

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