The Bulatovich Saga: The Name of Hero - Paperback

by Richard Seltzer (Author)

Raised in the Ukraine, Alexander Bulatovich (1870-1919) was a tsarist cavalry officer, an African explorer, and a religious leader. He guided an Ethiopian army through territory unknown even to them and fought in Manchuria during the Boxer Rebellion. When he retired at age 33 to join a monastery, seven of his men followed him there. Later, he led a religious movement at Mount Athos, fought in WWI, and, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, was shot dead on his doorstep in the Ukraine. The odd shifts in his career, his qualities as a leader, and the puzzle of what motivated him first drew me to him. I was also drawn by the strangeness of the events - Russian exploration in Ethiopia, the Russian conquest of Manchuria, and a heresy battle in the twentieth century for which hundreds of monks were sent into exile. My historical sources included books by Bulatovich himself and over 25 hours of interviews with his sister, Princess Mary Orbeliani, when she was 99. The Name of Hero covers his life up through Manchuria. I will continue his story in two subsequent novels - The Name of Man and The Name of God.

BookLife Prize review:

Plot/Idea: This fictionalized account of Alexander Bulatovich holds interest... Alexander's battle scenes feel vivid and realistic, and his charisma seeps from the page. The dichotomy between his band of admirers and some of his commanding officers' viewpoints of him is intriguing.

Prose: Seltzer's prose is quick and to the point, a fitting match for both the story's setting and its central figure.

Originality: This is an intriguing, well-researched historical snapshot of a fascinating figure, and Seltzer nicely balances the more grim elements with insightful, character-driven moments.

Character/Execution: Alexander emerges as a sharply defined character, seeking adventure and meaning at nearly every turn as a way to offset the toll war exerts on him and his comrades.