I was really surprised by how good this book was, not because of any preconception about the author or the subject matter, as I knew nothing about the first and very little about the second. Just because, in the general stream of things, most books are not that amazing. This one had absolutely everything going for it. Top notch prose, character development, setting (was amazing), pace, satisfyingly unpredictable plot developments — Dickinson even told us right from the beginning what bits he made up, so I wasn’t constantly wondering, should I believe this, should I believe that? The bear was the most completely developed animal I can remember encountering in fiction. And it was a bear, an animal, not some anthropomorphised creature. Very enjoyable character.

For the most part, he even hit it dead on in terms of how he approached people of different beliefs. But there were a couple of sour notes in that department, and I wish that there had been more friendships developed between the Byzantine characters and the more “primitive“ peoples they met. However, given when it was written, in the early 1970s, it’s astonishing that I didn’t have more to complain about in this arena. I know. I was alive in the 1970s and I spent an awful lot of time being angry with the authors of the books I read.

I should clarify that I am not opposed to characters being racist or sexist or what have you, but I am rather opposed to the authors being so. How I would characterise the racism in this book is that it was the kind of background racism that wasn’t even noticed or identified as such by the main stream in the 1970s. And this author was born in 1927, so he wasn’t the springiest chicken when he wrote this, either. So I would say he was doing pretty darn good for the time of writing.

Given that, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the book to someone who enjoys excellent historical fiction, and who will not be personally triggered by the places where he screws up. ( )

Silvester is a slave in 6th-century Byzantium. However, he's never has a problem accepting his lot. As a house servant to a wealthy family, he has been taught to read and write, the rudiments of medicine, and he loves his other task - the training and care of Bubba, the dancing bear. But his stable world is sudenly torn to pieces when the barbarous Huns attack, murdering, looting - and carrying off his young mistress, Ariadne, right from the middle of her betrothal party.
A strange mix of coincidence, duty, and avoiding the legal fallout from this disaster leads Silvester, his bear, and the household's dirty, epileptic holy man to go on a quest... Holy John wants to bring Christ to the Huns (and takes it upon himself to also return a wounded Hun warrior to his tribe), Silvester wants to find and ransom Ariadne, and Bubba just wants honey...
Although published as a YA book, this historical adventure is definitely entertaining for all ages...
(And although the book acknowledges that historically, dancing bears were not usually well-treated, Bubba is well-loved in this book, and never mistreated (well, if someone tries, she can take care of herself!) ( )