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Gary Jennings

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The Journeyer Hardcover – January 1, 1984

by Gary Jennings (Author)

4.5 760 ratings

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The epic journeys of Marco Polo are recreated in a historical saga that follows the adventures of the Venetian explorer from medieval Italy to the court of Kublai Khan

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0689114036
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atheneum (January 1, 1984)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 821 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780689114038
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0689114038
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #274,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17,430 in American Literature (Books)
- #26,123 in Action & Adventure Fiction (Books)

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4.5 760 ratings

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Gary Jennings

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GARY JENNINGS was known for the rigorous and intensive research behind his novels, which often included hazardous travels--exploring every corner of Mexico for his Aztec novels, retracing the numerous wanderings of Marco Polo for The Journeyer, joining nine different circuses for Spangle, and roaming the Balkans to do Raptor.

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4.5 out of 5

760 global ratings

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Amazon Customer

Marco Polo's extraordinary journey

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2015

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An amazing book difficult to put down. If you can't sleep and you want to read something to make you sleep ... then don't read this book. The story line changes according to the region that Marco Polo was traversing and of course, changes with his age; it is funny, naughty, magical; I wish there were more books of Gary Jennings in eBook format in addition to the others on the Aztec civilization. Everybody can appreciate that he must have been done so much research in writing this book and he has been going in such details that deserve a thumb-up only for that. Also the fantastic, weird and explicit sex adventures that Marco Polo went through are surprising and intriguing even for a mature person with lots of experience ... ha, ha, ha.
In conclusion, a very enriching reading that you will not forget for long time.

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WILLIAM C.

A smart, sexy, and scholarly serving of what Marco Polo didn't tell us

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2016

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Gary Jennings researched his novels to exacting detail, which gives his usually first-person-narrated stories an accuracy and sense of "being there" that few other authors can accomplish. Since Marco Polo was broadly quoted as saying that he had reported only half of what he had seen and done, Jennings took that quote as the springboard to tell the "other half" in The Journeyer. Oh, and does he! Jennings is a true tale spinner, a titillating yarn teller nonpareil. Although this review site's parameters for violence and sexual content are limited to only three perfunctory levels, Jennings' inclusions of violence and sexual content are of the most exquisite and delicious descriptive language. To be clear: if heat bothers you, this kitchen is likely not for you. Nevertheless, once begun, The Journeyer is a hard read to put down. It's erudite, historically and argot accurate, and just plain fun to consume.

13 people found this helpful

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Lilly Flora

The quintessential expeditionist tells his rambling tale

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2007

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Whoever came up with the title for this book was surely a genius, because it manages to convey multiple things about the novel in one word. First of all Marco Polo was a journeyer, perhaps the quintessential explorer of who that we are taught of in school with his amazing adventures along the silk road that spanned the length of Asia. Secondly, reading this book feels like you are going on a journey, not only the physical one that Marco Polo takes but one of the spirit, a journey of growth, not only in age and maturity but in philosophy. And last of all, this is a book about what it means to be a "journeyer" at heart, a man with a wandering spirit and soul who has a constant drive to explore.

I'm not going to go into details about the plot, mainly because the plot is the story of the journey and to tell it would be to write the book again. This is a long book, divided up by the place in which Marco Polo is at the time and told in the first person, but from a removed standpoint because he is writing it all down long after the events occurred. It is very, very well written, and I say that not liking first person narratives too much. In a sense it reminded me of "Shogun", if perhaps only in the description of landscapes. In other ways, well...

This book is extremely sexually explicit. In every way possible. Every persuasion and perversion is mentioned (some in great detail) and though our narrator himself is fairly decent a great deal of the sex stuff in this book is upsetting and disgusting because it describes sex with children and animals and the sexual norms of the many cultures we move through, many of which are (justly) felonies today. This is NOT a book for prudes or people who can't handle anything that's sexually upsetting or explicit. In fact I would have to rate it (movie style) "X"-and there is a great deal about sex in the book. Some of it is normal, run of the mill novel sex though.

What isn't about sex is very interesting. Though I have no idea about the actual accuracy of the novel when it comes to Marco Polo's journey there is a ton to be learned from this book in historical and cultural tidbits. And as I said, it's a very well written book. But it's also very long and has some boring stretches (like between pages 400-700 but after that it really picks up) as well as those of great excitement.

What really struck me about this book is how complete it is. This book has more of a sense of being completely written, perfectly filled out, than anything I've ever read. The beginning really starts off the story, the middle is the adventures and the ending wraps things up so perfectly-with so much poignancy about the true journey and what it means to be a journeyer-that I was slightly stunned. It's obvious that Gary Jennings is talented not only in the creative sense, but in the technical aspects of writing as well.

4 stars. I really enjoyed this book and found it to be very well written both in technical aspects and in creativity. But there were those boring spots (which were quite boring) and all of that sex, which while I understand was used to describe the culture and times of the book in a complete way, was still too explicit in some cases.

31 people found this helpful

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C. Crabtree

Jennings at his best...but is he ever at his worst?

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2010

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I'll be honest. I am a fan of Gary Jennings. A fan of the caliber of 'potential stalker' if he were alive but, alas he is not, so I have to limit myself to reading his novels over and over. And I do. Over and over.

Journeyer is a wonderful ride! As good as Aztec, as good as Spangle, as good as Raptor. He's the only author that consistently puts on a great show.

Is it sexual? Hell, yes. Just like the world has been from day one. Is it graphic? Yes. Just like the world has been....well, you get the picture.

I leave Jennings' books feeling as if I've sat through a history class. But a class that has been one hell of a ride. If you loved Aztec then Journeyer will thrill you just as much. Don't forget Spangle or Raptor, either.

Jennings' obit says he was working on a novel involving Babylon when he died. What I wouldn't give to see what he'd completed.

One person found this helpful

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massimo bottecchia

Pessima qualità di stampa

Reviewed in Italy on February 18, 2024

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Ho preso il libro per studiare l'inglese assieme alla versione in italiano che possiedo da anni, sfortunatamente questa edizione in copertina flessibile ha una qualità di stampa davvero pessima, allego una foto che mostra meglio come sia una riproduzione scansionata e ingrandita di altre edizioni. Si possono notare sia un effetto pixel dato dalla bassa risoluzione sia un puntiato dalla bassa qualità di stampa che una sfocatura. Questo è presente in ogni singola pagina del libro rendendolo di difficile lettura. Un vero peccato per un libro che sennò sarebbe davvero bello.

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Amazon Customer

Great historical fiction.

Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2021

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Great story about Marco Polo. Full of erotic, exotic , and exciting adventures along the Silk Road.

One person found this helpful

Andy Shaw D.

No solo en Mexico hay picaros

Reviewed in Mexico on May 25, 2019

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Fabuloso. Lei Aztec del mismo autor y este tambien esta impresionante. No entiendo como logra describir todo lo escrito sin haberlo vivido en carne propia. Muy divertido.

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