Overview

'Saladin and Richard the Lionheart shared the great common ethos of the time: the code of chivalry. James Reston rides with them in the late 12th century Third Crusade. Well aware that war makes for a rattling story, he devotes his gift for words to the construction of a thrilling narrative.' Economist

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Top of George W. Bush's reading list is this 'engrossing story of a fabled conflict' (Independent on Sunday). 'Saladin and Richard the Lionheart shared the great common ethos of the time: the code of chivalry. James Reston Jr rides with them in the late 12th-century Third Crusade. Well aware that war makes for a rattling story, he devotes his gift for words to the construction of a thrilling narrative'. Economist; 'The varied landscapes of the Holy Land are described with the visual awareness of a topographical painter, and both the ecstasy and the horror of medieval warfare are tellingly evoked'. Sunday Telegraph

"""Top of George W. Bush's reading list is this 'engrossing story of a fabled conflict' (Independent on Sunday). 'Saladin and Richard the Lionheart shared the great common ethos of the time: the code of chivalry. James Reston Jr rides with them in the late 12th-century Third Crusade. Well aware that war makes for a rattling story, he devotes his gift for words to the construction of a thrilling narrative'. Economist; 'The varied landscapes of the Holy Land are described with the visual awareness of a topographical painter, and both the ecstasy and the horror of medieval warfare are tellingly evoked'. Sunday Telegraph"

The timing for this meticulously researched book could not be more acute, as the Middle East remains the main flashpoint for most of the planet's political headaches. In the time of Richard the Lionheart, of course, many believed that the conflict between East and West was more straightforward - but James Reston shows that the Crusades were every bit as fraught with moral uncertainties as the volatile situation in the region is today. Reston expertly evokes the bloody clash in the 12th century when Christian holy war and Muslim jihad marked the first major bloodletting in the name of God. This is a dual biography of the legendary Richard the Lionheart and the Sultan Saladin, the key figure in the early Islamic world. We are presented with a sweeping panoply in which the life of each man is fascinatingly detailed, up to the final battle of the Third Crusade. Richard has usually been presented as an iconic representation of chivalric ideals, but Reston presents us with a far more complex (and interesting) portrait - Richard's homosexuality, for instance, will be a revelation to many. Similarly, the wise, cultivated Saladin, while initiating the Arab dream of a united Egypt and Syria, could not be more different from the murderous fanatics who may regard themselves as his heirs. Particularly compelling is Reston's evocation of the continent-shaking encounters of two mighty armies as they approach their final confrontation at the outskirts of Jerusalem. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

James Reston is the author of twelve previous books, including Warriors of God, The Last Apocalypse and Galileo: A Life. He has written articles for The New Yorker, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Time, Rolling Stone and many other publications; three plays; and the scripts for three Frontline documentaries. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

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