Ambitious ... The result is a comprehensive, if whistle-stop, look at medieval Eurasia over a millennium ... The strengths of the Bright Ages are several, but what is most pleasurable to see as a medievalist is the way its authors use sources. Each chapter is anchored by references to art and artworks from the time and place that it is describing ... In terms of written sources, the authors have also been incredibly astute ... The Bright Ages is steeped in the sort of nuance that allows audiences to gently reconsider their preconceived ideas ... The Bright Ages gets that we don’t have to accept a straight-forward dichotomy about the past, and explains how to become comfortable with that ... While all of this is the sort of stuff that professional medievalists love to see, the thing I like most about Perry and Gabriele’s effort is that it is fun. The Bright Ages is written in such an engaging and light manner that it is easy to race through ... You can tell how much the authors love the subject matter, and that they had a great time choosing stories to share and evidence to consider. I repeatedly laughed out loud as I was rushing through ... The beauty and levity that Perry and Gabriele have captured in this book are what I think will help it to become a standard text for general audiences for years to come. Medieval historians aren’t interested in the period because it is dull. However, few of us have succeeded in conveying to audiences the fact that the complexity and subtlety of the Middle Ages allows for fun as well as drama. The Bright Ages is a rare thing.

Here Gabriele and Perry offer an imaginative and supremely inviting look at the Dark Ages, which they ingeniously repackage ... They aren’t suffering from an intellectual form of achromatopsia, the rare visual defect where individuals can only see black and white. There are plenty of brilliant colors in this volume along with (lest us not forget) the moments of extreme darkness. But in a brisk book that illuminates an enormous historical period—a thousand years in 336 pages: what a relief!—they shine a light on an age they argue is misunderstood and mischaracterized ... This argument is incandescent and ultimately intoxicating ... for as the chapters progress, it dawns...on the reader that those who lived in this period were more conventional than the cardboard figures of schoolday narratives, that they were composed of unbounded good along with unimaginable evil or were, if we dare trip the light fantastic verbally, possessed of brilliance and darkness.

An engaging overview of a complex, yet often oversimplified era ... Gabriele and Perry center individuals and perspectives of the so-called Dark Ages that are typically left unexamined, namely women, people of color, and Indigenous Americans, who are all given space in the counternarratives produced in this 'new history.' In addition to offering in-depth historical analysis, the authors also situate their subjects within modern frameworks, calling for increased scrutiny of the adoption of medieval symbols by white supremacists ... The Bright Ages offers a refreshingly critical look at an era burdened with misconceptions and it’s sure to become a new standard for those seeking a comprehensive and inclusive review of medieval times.

A spirited rebuttal to what they call the 'myth of the Dark Ages' ... In this fast-moving popular history that roughly spans the time from the middle of the fifth century to the Black Death that began in the 1340s, they succeed in painting what they propose as a 'much more complicated, more interesting picture of the period' ... Gabriele and Perry blend a chronological and subject matter approach. They're especially fond of debunking popularly held views of the Middle Ages ... While The Bright Ages doesn't purport to offer a comprehensive survey of the Middle Ages, it does provide readers with a useful overview of and context for the main historical events of the age ... Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry liberate the Middle Ages from stereotypes and half-truths in The Bright Ages ... If their book sparks more thoughtful interest in the period and a continuing reappraisal of its importance in the history of civilization, they will have accomplished their goal.

Accessible ... Highlighting architectural, artistic, literary, and theological breakthroughs, the authors analyze Dante’s Divine Comedy and shed light on the creation of Empress Galla Placida’s mausoleum in Italy, the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (now Istanbul), and the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, among other achievements. Occasional references to 21st-century pop culture, including the musical Hamilton, keep the tone light ... Though the authors somewhat understate the brutality and religious persecution of the era, they add nuance and complexity to popular conceptions of the Dark Ages and make clear that beauty and achievement existed among the horrors. This is a worthy introduction to an oft-misunderstood period in world history.

Nothing upsets current scholars of the Middle Ages more than calling it 'the dark ages' ... [Gabriele and Perry] make a lively case that it was no such thing ... Although traditional politics-and–great-men history makes an appearance, the authors keep current by including a surprising number of great women and emphasizing their disapproval of racism, sexism, and slavery. The result is an appealing account of a millennium packed with culture, beauty, science, learning, and the rise and fall of empires ... A fine single-volume overview of an age that was definitely not dark.