This book has glimpses of insight and interesting tidbits, but too often lapses into windy tangents that are obscure bits of Byzantine trivia. Not a good read.

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I would certainly agree with the other reviewers that if you only want to read about the effect of plague on the Eastern Roman Empire, than this is not the book to read. However, this book does involve you in a long process of understanding how everything in Justinian's empire was tied together. It is a lot like life, you just can't narrow everything down to a few points on a Powerpoint screen.

Fortunately, you can skim over some sections rapidly and get the gist of what the author wants you to know and then read the more interesting parts. I did this for the religious discussions and the biology of the pest plague organism that the fleas carry, as I knew this from other books.

Overall, I would say I profited from reading the book as I have a much more detailed understanding of the empire and the many reasons why it ultimately failed.

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The title of this book is a bit of a misnomer... it's not really about the plague at all. It's about the history of Byzantium, the reign of Justinian, the relationship between the Roman/Persian empires, the battles of Justinian and Belisarius, the invasions of the Huns/Goths, the siege and sack of Rome, the split between the Catholic and Orthodox churches (complete with theological explanations), the impact of the silk trade, and a host of other things besides.

The book is divided into three sections, though there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason as to what is covered in which. There is an insanely technical middle section about the biology and evolution of the Y.Pestis bacterium which had my head spinning... I'd much rather know about the effect of the bacterium than understand it's evolutionary chronology! The book is rather lacking on the effects of the plague.

If you're looking for a book about the end of the Roman Empire though, this is interesting and packed with fascinating facts. It is just more than a little lacking in focus! However it is an interesting read, if you can get past the fact that it's not really about the plague at all... the last part of the title is far more accurate and it should have just been called 'The end of the Roman Empire' rather than 'Justinian's Flea'.

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