{"id":1486,"date":"2023-06-27T11:17:30","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T11:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialoguebooks.org\/?p=1486"},"modified":"2023-06-29T14:06:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T14:06:16","slug":"gentlemen-of-the-road-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialoguebooks.org\/gentlemen-of-the-road-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Gentlemen Of The Road Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While the serialized fiction story was once a leading form of publishing, the style has fallen out of fashion lately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, we prefer to consume our books in one big lump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gentlemen<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What better way to return to an old-fashioned publishing method than with a semi-traditional historical adventure story? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon charts the adventures of two Jewish bandits in the 10th century, as they attempt to return a prince<\/a> to their rightful throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen of the Road<\/em> is a book that plays into your expectations while subverting them at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although in novel form the original serial publication can read a little disjointed, Chabon\u2019s mastery of language helps paper over the cracks. Read our full review of Gentlemen of the Road<\/em><\/a> <\/em>here.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gentlemen Of The Road Plot Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 950 AD, or thereabouts, and two self-styled \u201cgentlemen of the road\u201d are traveling the world (If you like books with themes of travel, check out Travels With Herodotus<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amram, an Abyssinian who is as quick-witted as he is strong, is still mourning the disappearance of his daughter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelikman, a Frankish physician, has clever fingers, a morbid sense of humor, and a deep trauma from his time in a pogrom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGentlemen of the road\u201d is more than just a title the pair have chosen for each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a euphemism, hiding the real goals of the traveling pair. The two are bandits, seeking gullible strangers to con into giving them money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But life on the road is about to take a turn. While preparing to collect their winnings from a staged duel, the two gentlemen are approached by a mahout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mahout wants the pair to protect Filaq, a Khazar prince who is on the run after his family was murdered by a usurper named Buljan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the gentlemen contemplate the offer, life takes the choice out of their hands. Mahout is murdered and the two are forced to escape with Filaq. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filaq swears vengeance on Buljan, while the gentlemen determine to get Filaq home so they can collect their earnings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when the group makes it to Filaq\u2019s home they discover a disaster site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filaq\u2019s family has been murdered, mercenaries are on their way, and things are about to get topsy-turvy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What follows is a rollicking adventure along the twists and turns of the Silk Road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three find themselves thrown apart and drawn together again, never quite stumbling their way into safety but frequently finding increasing danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After time in prison, faked deaths, and even a close encounter with an elephant army, the gentlemen and their charge finally make their way back to the Khazarian stronghold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the battle for the throne has some bloody twists to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen Of The Road Setting And History<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a work of historical fiction, Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>is set in an area not hugely explored by the genre (If you like historical fiction themes, also check out Malibu Rising<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even fans of historical epics might find themselves a little lost in the twisting and turning empire of the Khazars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to understanding some background to the setting, you might find your reading experience is enhanced by a better understanding of its publishing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>is set around 950 AD in Khazaria, an area that is now southwest Russia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The narrative journeys across Khazaria, with almost every chapter introducing a new setting, culture, and people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lead characters are all Jewish, although Chabon was determined to divert the traditional stereotypes of Jews in old stories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With much of the action traversing an Ancient Jewish kingdom, it\u2019s a fresh look at the stale roles writers have tended to place Jewish characters into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need much knowledge of the Khazars to understand Gentlemen of the Road<\/em>, although a vague understanding of the area can help you immerse yourself in the action better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Khazars themselves are still fairly unknown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determining facts about the polyglot, polyethnic society has proven to be difficult as few original sources have remained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Chabon has done his research, the actual details of the empire are still up for debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will this affect how you enjoy the novel? Not really. Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>weaves such an interesting story, and Chabon\u2019s descriptive writing is so enticing, that you\u2019ll be happy just to go with the flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publication History<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Gentlemen<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>was originally published in 15 installments in The New York Times Magazine<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The serial ran from January 28th, 2007 to May 6th, 2007. After the serial was finished, the story was published as a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very few changes occurred between the initial serial publication and the book release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book still has that sense of a serial publication. Each section is fairly self-contained, so readers could pick it up and enjoy a single story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In novel format, it can leave the story feeling a bit disjointed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can imagine putting it down for a week and then picking it up a week later, having forgotten the details of the novel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you skipped a week, it wouldn\u2019t completely ruin the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The serial format isn\u2019t entirely disruptive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The central plot and characters are followed throughout the novel, even if they tend to get into an adventure that wraps itself up by the end of the chapter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this isn\u2019t necessarily a book to get lost in on a lazy afternoon. Instead, each adventure might be better enjoyed for its own merits, before moving on to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen Of The Road Review<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While writing Gentlemen of the Road<\/em>, author Michael Chabon nicknamed the novel Jews With Swords<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wanted to play with the traditional stereotypes of Jewish people in the world of the Middle Ages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence the Khazaria setting \u2014 the ancient kingdom with a large Jewish population that\u2019s still largely unknown offered a background rife with possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chabon clearly delighted in the lack of limits this setting presented. Journeying through Khazaria is perhaps one of the highlights of Gentlemen of the Road<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chabon\u2019s writing style offers luscious descriptions of each new place and people we encounter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we get a rare break from the action, you\u2019ll want to spend a little more time sitting with his descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Jews With Swords<\/em> might not entirely capture the scope of the novel, it\u2019s a pretty good introduction to what you can expect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chabon has played with the stereotypes, sometimes leaning away from them, sometimes leaning in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humor is woven throughout the narrative and at times it can be hard to know whether you should be taking it seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelikman is a Jewish doctor with a traumatic history, occasional bouts of melancholy, and a leaning toward the morbid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amram, Jewish by accident\/choice, also carries with him a traumatic history and occasional bouts of melancholy. But he also has a big hammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two do spend a fair amount of time sword swinging, although they often turn to their other talents to get out of sticky scrapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this sense, Chabon leans very much into classical tropes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other times, Chabon attempts to do things a little differently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Jewish characters aren\u2019t the persecuted background figures of many historical novels, nor the background persecutors of so much fantasy and adventure fiction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they fall in and out of both boxes, as well as numerous others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the attempts to subvert our expectations can be at the expense of the plot, helped by the original serial format. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plot keeps building without really going anywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each section feels unmoored from the last and while constant cliffhangers can feel frustrating, the lack of suspense between chapters in Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>seems an oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s certainly a lot of charm to Gentlemen of the Road<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequent elephant or hat diversions might have been a cheeky wink at continuity when the book was in serial form, yet they remain strangely endearing in novel format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s certainly helped along by Chabon\u2019s indulgent writing. You\u2019ll want to linger on some of the descriptions just to soak up the wordplay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, his luxury style is less suited to action, and action so heavily dominates the plot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are some stumbles along the way, Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>still walks a path you\u2019ll want to keep traveling, especially for fans of Chabon\u2019s style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon is a book (see also: 9 Best Michael Chabon Books<\/a>)that plays with stereotypes while delighting in classical references. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally published as a 15-part serial, Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>has an old-fashioned touch and some charming descriptions that seem almost at odds with the blood-and-guts story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While at times the combo can sit a little uncomfortably, the intriguing backdrop and fast-paced plot keep the reader engaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Where Is Gentlemen Of The Road Set?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Gentlemen of the Road<\/em> by Michael Chabon is set in Khazaria around 950 AD. <\/p>\n

Khazaria was occupied by the Khazars, a semi-nomadic people of Turkic descent. The novel encounters many areas of the Khazars.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What Is Gentlemen Of The Road About?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Gentlemen of the Road <\/em>by Michael Chabon follows two Jewish bandits as they attempt to protect Filaq, a fugitive Khazar prince whose family was murdered by a usurper. <\/p>\n

Frigate is attempting to get revenge on the usurper, reclaim his throne, and keep his secret hidden.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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https:\/\/youtu.be\/N85iawtgl1Y<\/a>