Anatole France
Penguin Classics
2004 (1912)
256
Paperback
Classics
Xmas Gift
It is April 1793 and the final power struggle of the French Revolution is taking hold: the aristocrats are dead and the poor are fighting for bread in the streets. In a Paris swept by fear and hunger lives Gamelin, a revolutionary young artist appointed magistrate, and given the power of life and death over the citizens of France. But his intense idealism and unbridled single-mindedness drive him inexorably towards catastrophe. Published in 1912, The Gods Will Have Blood is a breathtaking story of the dangers of fanaticism, while its depiction of the violence and devastation of the Reign of Terror is strangely prophetic of the sweeping political changes in Russia and across Europe.
The Gods Will Have Blood was a quick but insightful read. Set during some of the most tumultuous years of the Revolution, it follows a young man whose ideals and fanaticism lead to his ruin. The introduction offered some background and exploration of the main characters for those less familiar with this period of French history. But for anyone who is familiar, woven between the imagined characters are real figures from the period and actual events that took place. Despite its relative brevity, it was a compelling tale that offered a snapshot of the time and a look at different psychological approaches to the events unfolding, with the characters reacting in very different ways to the situation. I am giving it 4.5 stars.
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