Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73616 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 720 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780751503890
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Library Journal
When nine-year-old Rob Cole felt the life force slipping from his mother's hand he could not foresee that this terrifying awareness of impending death was a gift that would lead him from the familiar life of 11th-century London to small villages throughout England and finally to the medical school at Ispahan. Though apprenticed to an itinerant barber surgeon, it is the dazzling surgery of a Jewish physician trained by the legendary Persian physician Avicenna that inspires him to accept his gift and to commit his life to healing by studying at Avicenna's school. Despite the ban on Christian students, Rob goes there, disguising himself as a Jew to gain admission. Gordon has written an adventurous and inspiring tale of a quest for medical knowledge pursued in a violent world full of superstition and prejudice. Recommended. Literary Guild alternate. Cynthia Johnson Whealler, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
'An exciting story.' - The Times

From the Publisher
Set against the superstition and splendor of the 11th century, the engrossing story of Rob J. Cole unfolds. A penniless orphan, Rob was blessed with a gift that, in the days of witchcraft, could send a man to the stake: he had the ability to sense the chill hand of death when it settled on the living. His skill quickened with the potency of knowledge, and he knew he was born to heal and to be a physician. His quest would take him from the rough roads of Britain to the sumptuous and corrupt courts of Persia and the school of the greatest healer of his time. Disguised as a Jew, toiling as a war surgeon in the conflicts of Eastern empires, he would be helped by mighty patrons and threatened by plague and the cruel prejudice of mullahs and clerics. And always, beside the pure flame of learning there burned a fierce passion — for the fiery–eyed beauty of a woman he could never leave.

Customer Reviews

An excellent, exciting book about life in the middle ages
This engrossing book traces the life of 11th century Englishman, Robert Cole. Cole begins as a normal child, is quickly orphaned, and is then apprenticed to a barber-surgeon. As he travels throughout England with his master, the reader is introduced to all aspects of English peasant life. Family life, morality, religion, sexuality, medicine, xenophobia and history are all presented in an interesting, subtle, and easily read writing style. When Cole grows up and decides to be a physician, he comes in contact with Jewish doctors who explain to him that the best universities are in Moslem-ruled Persia, where no Christian may go. Determined to learn, Cole overcomes this obstacle by pretending to be a Jew. As he travels and studies in Persia, the same questions of lifestyle are addressed, only this time within the Jewish and Moslem communities. This is a great read for anyone who likes adventurous stories about growing up, or who is interested in sociology, religion, medicine, or history.

Couldn't put it down!!!
I read this book 13 years ago and it still ranks with me as one of the best books I have ever read. You will feel as if you are in the locals as this book travels across continents. I found myself reading this book when ever I could find time. This would make a great motion picture.
Enjoy!! You will not be disappointed.

A Time Piece
Kudos to Mr. Gordon. He takes the reader back and shows us all the Y1K problems faced as urban sprawl meant something different than SUV's and the erosion of the ozone layer. Gordon paints a vivid picture of life in England at the turn of the last millenium. He than transports us to the mytic cities of the Near East and shows us medicine in its infancy. As a physician, I was spellbound by a history too often not taught. The lessons in religious tolerance and intolerance thrown in along the way were a bonus. A solid read for any history buff. Something all physicians can learn from. High marks for volume I of the Rob J trilogy.