Michael Chabon’s new novel, “Gentleman of the Road,” is exciting, or at least ostentatious.

The novel begins with foolhardy gambling, a savage two-man battle and fake a death. The motley pair that put it all together is Amram and Zekelman. The first is a gigantic African carrying a huge axe engraved, “defiler of your mother,” and the latter is skinny, and strikingly pale Frank, carrying a long needle-like sword.

The pair decides to go on a conquest to help a fugitive prince win back his kingdom and throne to which he is the heir. They steal horses, battle with impressive swordsmanship and earn a living through trickery and schemes.

There is a lot of unexpected adventure in Chabon’s novel, but it takes more than action to make a good story. Besides action, Chabon didn’t write much else.

The three main characters are Filaq, the whiny, fugitive prince, and the two anti-heroes. Amram has a surprisingly good heart and soft conscience, and Zekelman’s heart is as cold as puppy-killing Cruella Devil. That’s about the extent of the characterization that Chabon offers.

The historical context of the novel is, to put it kindly, loose. The novel takes place in 950 A.D. in the Caucus Mountains. The rest of the history that Chabon references is based more on imagination than history.

To top it off, Chabon’s writing style is, although reminiscent of old fashioned adventure writing, extremely jarring. Chabon relies heavily on action and violence to invoke interest.

Chabon should have stuck with his original title, “Jews with Swords,” because that’s all that this novel is about.

Reach the reporter at kahavens@asu.edu.