Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

The story begins in 1444 Mystras with the birth of the narrator, John IX Palaeologus. He was abandoned by his mother and adopted by Emmanuel and Diana, a baron couple. It is obvious he was loved. They secretly read to him from the scriptures. His father taught him to do battle.

Paleologus stands before the Inquisitor stating the truth knowing that doing so he will die. He shares the cruelties of Nero. He refers to him as the antichrist. He continues by imparting the history of the 1400s. It was a time of battle, a vicious time with torture and cruelty. Cloistered women were treated as though they were prostitute.

John formed a plan. He’d survived the plague when he was a child. He saw what such a disease would do. He used a vial of the disease and a bag of mosquitoes to infect the Pope. He accomplished his mission.

The Last Byzastine reads like a diary. Paleologus stands before the Inquisitor stating the truth knowing that doing so he will die. “Byzantium was founded on the knowledge and values of Greece and Rome. We lost her when we divorced Freedom from Virtue and God from Wisdom. Like the Israelites of old it was our turn to suffer.”

I’m really at a loss for how to review this book. The history is beautifully shared. It is the prophecy troubles me. I suppose it was meant to. Frankly, I found it difficult to understand. I am a Christian and it does not fit in completely with my beliefs. What troubled me most was has to do with my belief that the only way to the Father is through the Son. The author does not agree with this belief. The prophecy was difficult for me to understand. However, all in all this is an interesting read. Scholars and theologians will enjoy The Last Byzantine.