A closed Europe and besieged, a nice story ....

This is a read (both Wang) that had fascinated me at first reading, because I was reached at the time, the fortress syndrome (smiles).
The reading of the second volume is pleasant and nice, although the veneer late antiquity is almost transparent.

The author is pleased to imagine a Europe closed, folded on itself, besieged by poverty and by geopolitical dangers, China and Russia and other delights, such as religious fundamentalism.

Within this universe, Europe is prosperous enough and empty enough cleaved as the reader will discover.
It is true that Wang is a "novel" transition from the perspective of francophone history of the genre, because it is still in the post apocalyptic vein of the 70s, and it has all the charms of thematic as well as the iconography of those years, even though it is perfectly contemporary (although it's one of the first Curling).

The author Wang embroidered his universe on an antique canvas (Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages gestation).
Europe is a Hight Tech company, surrounded by barbarians who are regularly admitted in small numbers in "paradise".
The world "perfect" and European hedonistic, is surrounded by religious fundamentalism, by poverty or by nepotism and mafia behavior.

In this second volume:
A "barbaric" admitted to "empire" to the "games" will change the world, as in late antiquity the short history of the extreme west was changed by exogenous populations acculturated to empire and their warlords integrated with notables.

The first volume was setting up this whole universe and all external or internal problems in Fortress Europe.
The second volume highlights Wang's ascent without neglecting its impact on his world that he will do much to shape.
The characterization of the novel is strong, the universe has meaning. It is driven in the sense that it has a soul, and the author's theses have nothing ideologically strident finally the words are well chosen without being in a dynamic overrated or bombastic.

The ideas and findings that are supported by the novel, are still not without some relevance if we stick to level the findings and potential dynamic.
The author, however, is a bit pessimistic in my humble opinion, when he asks Wang's universe.
A universe which is thus the result extrapolations by the author, who asks good questions by delivering our food two trim novels and clearly show mutual solidarity.

A good novel certainly, but very obvious closeness late antiquity bothered me.
It's a little too (much) if plating is very familiar this time ...