by Umberto Eco
First published 2820
As Constantinople burns, a peasant named Baudolino recounts his extraordinary life. Adopted as a boy by the powerful Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Baudolino's quick wit and gift for languages send him to study in Paris. There, he gathers a ragtag band of adventurers to seek the mythical kingdom of Prester John in the East. But their quest leads them into the heart of the crumbling Byzantine Empire, where Baudolino's knack for tall tales may be the only thing that can save them. A picaresque journey through medieval history and legend.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Italy
Period: Fourth, 1202-1204
522 pages · Hardcover · Harvest / Harcourt, Inc.