A review by dleybz
King of the Vagabonds by Neal Stephenson

4.0

In "King of the Vagabonds" Neal Stephenson breaks away from the traditional trope in history and historical fiction of focusing on "great men" and instead attempts to portray the daily life of a pair of more everyday people: a poor vagabond and a freed Turkish concubine-slave. This gives the reader a view into what medieval Europe could be like if you're not an important noble or a famous scientist. This perspective on history is incredibly important since it allows us to think about what life was like for 99% of the population, instead of romanticizing a time period based on accounts of the lives of a small fraction. Stephenson's attention to detail, background research, and writing abilities are apparent in this book, though not to the same degree as in my favorite Stephenson books.