In the Land of Giants

August 8, 2016
Rambling about his native Great Britain, writer and archaeologist Adams (The Wisdom of Trees) reveals the subtle ways in which the past permeates the present, despite the presence of modern motorways and housing developments. “I went to Wessex to walk with the heroes of the Dark Ages,” he writes, “not to praise them, but to understand how a mythic past has infiltrated the fabric of the landscape.” Adams peers into the countryside and sees what was once there, imagining the inhabitants of centuries past. Archeology can say what happened, but “rarely can it say why.” Part history lesson, part travelogue, and part philosophical musing, this book reminds readers of a world in which time and distance were measured differently. This is not an idyllic journey. There are blisters, mud, cold, more mud, and encounters with a “megalithic tentacle roundabout” and a business park that is “a creepy landscape, overdesigned, inorganic, and inhuman.” This is a book to savor; as readers travel with Adams, noting meetings with strangers, discoveries of ancient shrines and henges, and enjoying intimate contact with the surroundings, they will long to get some hiking boots and a staff to follow these forgotten trails. Photos.

This is no ordinary history of the Dark Ages but rather a confounding, engrossing amalgamation of information and beauty.This is exactly the sort of book to expect from a man who is equal parts archaeologist, Early Medieval expert, outdoorsman, and wordsmith. Slipping into the skin of a wandering nomad, Adams (The Wisdom of Trees, 2015, etc.) strikes out around the country, solo or sometimes in the company of friends, for days on end with little more than a tent, pack, map, and his acute understanding of how landscape influenced cultural and political histories. When it comes to the Dark Ages, we could fill volumes with what we don't know, but the Celtic world in Britain and beyond did not utterly disappear when the Roman Empire pulled out their last remaining garrison. Rather, as the author notes, "society survived and evolved; kings ruled, warriors fought, monks prayed and peasants farmed." The oft-painted portrait of doom and neglect has come into question recently, and scholars have even rebranded the time period more respectfully as "Early Medieval." However, there are still far too few authors covering this time period, which makes Adams' book all the more valuable to readers. Through visits to ruined Roman outposts, ancient fortresses, historic churches, and other locales, the author seeks to flesh out the bones of an era that has flummoxed historians and archaeologists alike for centuries. His series of long walks and in some cases nautical ventures took him from Hadrian's Wall to Ireland, Somerset, Northumberland, Cornwall, and throughout Scotland, and the journey is a pleasure for the medievally minded. While some things are freshly illuminated, Adams' subject is elusive, and ultimately, this isn't a book of new discovery. But the author's act of retracing these paths breathes life back into the sites and people from hundreds of years ago, and for that experience alone, it is a worthy book. Myth and ancient magic meet with solid historical ground in Adams' voyage through a largely forgotten age. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016

Part travelog, part history, and part philosophical musing, this work by Adams (The King in the North) explores Britain's Dark Ages (400-900s CE) through various walk-abouts across the island's landscape. These are not ramblings but planned routes that try to encompass various ruins, historical sites, and even modern cities along the way. Each route is the individual theme of each chapter and also prescribes the past that Adams, a noted archaeologist, touches on. History is not the only aim of the book, though. Adams fills each chapter with asides about modern Britain to show how past and future collide and intersect in ways as old as they are new. For those who aren't familiar with British geography or early British history, having a map or historical atlas nearby is recommended as a quick reference to help add context to the small maps included. VERDICT A fascinating read for medievalists and history buffs. Readers will savor the almost whimsical happenstance; instead of a strict chronology, the volume is meant to be read however one wants, in chapter order or jumping among sections.--Laura Hiatt, Fort Collins, CO

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