Lest Darkness Fall

By Lyon Sprague de Camp, 1939

My summary..

An American archeologist is taken by force to the sixth century in Rome. Getting rid of his initial surprise, he tries to build his business on several realms. At last, meeting the great general Belisarius, he stengthens his new kingdom that will resist the darkness of the Middle Age.

My opinion...

A very funny book about an era that I hardly knew before. It especially confronts an old society with « modern » concepts.

1. At the beginning, business seems at first to be the link of the book. However, the plot quickly shifts towards politics. I wanted to know more about business in this era.

2. The diplomacy/politics part is quite complicated to follow, as they are many names involved.

3. The author seems to see the Middle Age as an Age of Darkness, overlooking for instance the Arab and Chinese discoveries in this era.

4. It is really funny and conveys a critic of our world.

5. As the main character anticipate most events, it seems that there is some events that are very probable to happen. What about the chaos theory that states that a small change can bring disastrous consequences at any scales?

Medicis