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Tales of the Crusaders #2
The Talisman
This tale of Richard Coeur de Lion crusading in the desert contains some of the finest of Scott's writing. A succession of unforgettable scenes conjure up the lonely shore of the Dead Sea where a Scottish man-at-arms rides unattended through the wilderness, the sudden appearance of the Emir, the encounter between the Saracen and the hero, the mystic procession of the veiled queens and ladies, the strife about the banner on St George's Mount, Kenneth's vigil and temptation, the attempt on Richard's life by the Assassin of Lebanon. And in the whole of Scott there is no more engrossing scene that that of the beautiful Berengaria persuading Richard to revoke his sentence upon the knight, Kenneth. Scott's portraiture of Richard too, is a memorable study, for he endows the king with the generosity that won him the hearts of men, as well as with the courage that led him to be called the lion hearted.
333 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1823
262 people are currently reading
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About the author
Walter Scott
8,579 books2,045 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.
Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.
Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.
Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.
Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.
Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.
Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.
Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.
Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.
Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.
Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.
Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
November 25, 2020
A lone knight heavily armed, covered with armor travels through the hot arid desert to reach the Dead Sea, equally without life on horseback he looks at the empty surface the small space, a peculiar odor that omits from it, the strange color unlike any other lake, the salt contents so thick that a person floats to the top without effort underneath the Bible says, the wicked cities destroyed by God lie hundreds of feet below, at the never seen bottom. Sir Kenneth of Scotland as he calls himself ( disguises are prevalent in the novel) is on a special, secret, (King Richard, wants to continue to fight) hazardous mission, for the Kings and nobles the Third Crusade is coming to an end in 1192. The knight must get out of the tormenting endless Sun, a small spring with a couple of Palm trees nearby for shade, the weary rider sees something moving on the horizon too, quickly coming he ascertains it's a Saracen...The battle, the Christian has a long lance and sword sharp dagger, big shield, with a chain mail, his horse also the Muslim ( the Emir Sherkohf he discovers later) stays away and shoots arrows very accurately. The exhausting skirmish soon becomes a stalemate the truce is declared the tired, brave combatants become unlikely friends with reservations, both drink the precious pure waters from the spring, they eat a meal the Knight sips wine and eats pork which the Emir finds repugnant and both sleep under the Palm trees. ..Sir Kenneth must meet a hermit the Venerable Theodorick, the Saracen can help, he knows this eccentric man and where he lives. A pile of rocks, in the middle of the desolate land, the wild man appears like a savage the Emir is attacked by the tall madman, but the Emir laughs...taken deep into a cave well hidden and difficult to find. Sir Kenneth must speak in private to the monk about a permanent truce between the Crusaders and Sultan Saladin, to end the war while King Richard the Lionhearted is ill. This now normal yet clever human, is friend's to both sides. The knight is left alone in a secret side cave, two unearthly dwarfs come from under the floor from a trap door and soon leave, feminine voices sweetly singing hymns penetrate through the stones, soon a procession of nuns and boys materializes march three times around the tiny room, the beautiful lady Edith drops rosebuds at his feet. Sir Kenneth is smitten, who would not? he must see her again...back at the Crusader's camp in Palestine, the Christian armies are restless King Philip of France wants to go home, Archduke Leopold of Austria, a Marquis, Conrade of Montferrat ( northern Italy), and other royal leaders also, the crumbling quest seems about to collapse too many rivalries and dissensions . The goal of capturing the holy city of Jerusalem not possible now. A skillful mystifying Arabian physician sent by Saladin, El Hakim arrives and saves the life of King Richard with a magical bag ( a talisman)...why? The hopeless love of the Scottish knight for Lady Edith, cousin of the ferocious English monarch and he just a lowly knight or is he?... When chivalry was at its zenith, kings and nobles knights and their ladies, enemies vanquished the good will win in any contest but reality soon becomes clear, not always... And Saladin was more noble than the Christians. An interesting tale full of adventurous scenes and colorful characters some who actually lived, dominated by the magnificent Richard the Lionheart.
April 9, 2019
The Talisman wins my respect for its sympathetic portrayal of a Muslim--rare for 1825--and it wins my affection not only for its memorable characterizations of Lionheart and Saladin, but also for its vivid descriptions of Crusader and Saracen dress and pageantry. The style is verbose, the dialogue is infuriating in its deliberate stiltedness (as if anyone ever talked in this pseudo-Medieval fashion!), and its plot--a far cry from the carefully structured "Ivanhoe"--is thin and melodramatic (with one device that strongly resembles a TV episode of "Lassie"). Nevertheless, its thoughtful themes and basic humanity redeem it in the end.
Both in Ivanhoe and here, Scott focuses on the real outsiders of society (the Muslim, the Jew) and compares and contrasts them with the "inside outsider" (the Scot, the Saxon knight, the patriotic outlaw), showing how both groups serve to enrich and broaden a hierarchical, exclusionary culture.
Even more interesting is the fact that these outsiders often succeed in their objectives by adopting an even lowlier disguise: the Saracen prince transforms himself first into a simple Muslim warrior and secondly into a Moorish physician in order to understand better his Crusader foes, the penitent knight turned hermit counterfeits madness in order to conceal his political machinations to win the Holy Land, and the Scottish prince--first disguised as a humble knight and then dishonored--returns to the tent of his English king in the guise of a mute Ethiopian slave, later emerging triumphant as His Majesty's anonymous champion. In a larger sense, though, all these outsiders are anonymous champions--"invisible men" (the echo of Ralph Ellison is deliberate) exploiting their marginal status to achieve admirable goals.
September 27, 2023
طلسم کتابی ایست از والتر اسکات ، نویسنده اسکاتلندی که بیشتر او را به عنوان پدر رمان تاریخی می شناسند. این رمان بر اساس وقایع واقعی جنگهای صلیبی نوشته شده، اما وجود عناصری تخیلی و داستانی ، از وجه تاریخی کتاب کاسته و طلسم را البته همانگونه که نام کتاب نشان می دهد باید بیشتر تخیلی دانست تا تاریخی .
در کتاب اسکات شخصیت های تاریخی مانند ریچارد شیردل - همان برادر پرنس جان در کارتون رابین هود است ( نام پرنس جان گرچه در کتاب بسیار کم آمده و هر دو بار هم به بی کفایتی او در جمع آوری مالیات اشاره شده اما او را می توان به سبب کارتون بسیار مشهور رابین هود ( محصول سال 1973 به کارگردانی ولفگانگ رایترمن ) بسیار شناخته شده تر از دیگران دانست ) ، فیلیپ دوم ، پادشاه فرانسه ، لئوپولد پنجم ، پادشاه اتریش و البته صلاح الدین ایوبی ، فرمانده مشهور مسلمانان در جنگ های صلیبی حضور دارند ، اسکات از یک واقعه تاریخی یعنی اختلافات میان کشورهای مسیحی و بی خردی ریچارد شیردل استفاده کرده و داستان خود را بیان کرده است ، طرح داستانی او بسیار ساده و سست بوده و پایان کتاب را هم به راحتی می توان حدس زد .
در کتاب اسکات شخصیت های تاریخی مانند ریچارد شیردل - همان برادر پرنس جان در کارتون رابین هود است ( نام پرنس جان گرچه در کتاب بسیار کم آمده و هر دو بار هم به بی کفایتی او در جمع آوری مالیات اشاره شده اما او را می توان به سبب کارتون بسیار مشهور رابین هود ( محصول سال 1973 به کارگردانی ولفگانگ رایترمن ) بسیار شناخته شده تر از دیگران دانست ) ، فیلیپ دوم ، پادشاه فرانسه ، لئوپولد پنجم ، پادشاه اتریش و البته صلاح الدین ایوبی ، فرمانده مشهور مسلمانان در جنگ های صلیبی حضور دارند ، اسکات از یک واقعه تاریخی یعنی اختلافات میان کشورهای مسیحی و بی خردی ریچارد شیردل استفاده کرده و داستان خود را بیان کرده است ، طرح داستانی او بسیار ساده و سست بوده و پایان کتاب را هم به راحتی می توان حدس زد .
April 26, 2019
کتاب خوبی بود. فقط ترجمه دلچسب و روان نبود و مملو از کلمات نامانوس و عربی بود و گاها مجبور بودم به فرهنگ لغت مراجعه کنم. چند نمونه برای استحضار کسانی که قصد خواندن دارند می آورم:
مضایقه از تطویل بقا و تسکین درد کبر پرعصیانی است ص 271.
آنان دیوانگان را ملهم عالم بالا می پندارند ص 173.
ما در این وادی میغ آلود بشری طی طریق می کنیم ص 382.
او آماده استماع احتجاج های شاه نبود ص 379.
نظامات مقرره جامعه 208
تحذیر را تجاهل کرد 221
احاله خواهم کرد 234
نسق مستور داشتند 228
معاضدت 370
رامشگر 209
مطمح 304
ترضیه خاطر 306
و...
نمی دانم آیا ترجمه دیگری از این کتاب شده یا نه؟ اگر نشده این کتاب اکیدا به یک ترجمه امروزی و روان و زیبا نیاز دارد.
مضایقه از تطویل بقا و تسکین درد کبر پرعصیانی است ص 271.
آنان دیوانگان را ملهم عالم بالا می پندارند ص 173.
ما در این وادی میغ آلود بشری طی طریق می کنیم ص 382.
او آماده استماع احتجاج های شاه نبود ص 379.
نظامات مقرره جامعه 208
تحذیر را تجاهل کرد 221
احاله خواهم کرد 234
نسق مستور داشتند 228
معاضدت 370
رامشگر 209
مطمح 304
ترضیه خاطر 306
و...
نمی دانم آیا ترجمه دیگری از این کتاب شده یا نه؟ اگر نشده این کتاب اکیدا به یک ترجمه امروزی و روان و زیبا نیاز دارد.
April 1, 2023
I found this story so delightful, I am ready for another Scott.
July 4, 2020
I really enjoyed The Talisman. The Scottish Knight and the Moslem of many, many disguises. The story has everything with romance, chivalry, treason, intrigue and a brave dog. Richard the Lion heart comes across as a volatile, quick tempered and not to bright King. In contrast, Soltan is the exact opposite.
The backdrop of the Dead Sea and desert is evocative with hermits and the rag tail crusaders with their heads of state insecurities over Richards leadership and fame. Once again Scott has used class as a divide in romance with apparently Edith the cousin of Richard above the lowly Sir Kenneth.
All in all an enjoyable read.
The backdrop of the Dead Sea and desert is evocative with hermits and the rag tail crusaders with their heads of state insecurities over Richards leadership and fame. Once again Scott has used class as a divide in romance with apparently Edith the cousin of Richard above the lowly Sir Kenneth.
All in all an enjoyable read.
June 2, 2022
Not exactly what I was excepting but I rather enjoyed this one. It read a little like reading a novel of a Shakespeare history play to me.
March 13, 2023
Wonderful. Now I want to read more of Saladin and Richard Lionheart. Fantastic.
June 9, 2008
Sir Walter Scott writes wonderfully enjoyable historical fiction. He first ventured into this realm in 1814 with the novel, Waverley which was published anonymously as Scott's first venture into prose fiction and possibly the first-ever historical novel. His subsequent novels came to be called Waverley novels, including this story. The Talisman is the middle in the trilogy about one of England's most popular kings ~~ King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted), which begins with The Betrothed and concludes with Ivanhoe.
There are many times Scott (through his characters) gets a bit carried away in song and verse, but if you can overlook (or skim through!) these, it's a fine adventure story about the Third Crusade. Some might say the history is a bit fanciful, some might even say it's more fantasy than history. Well, never mind, standards were different then. Indeed, Scott rather set the standard as it were. It is true he was a staunch Protestant and thought most of the problems with the period had to do with Roman Catholicism, and could be cured by the Reformation, but we're all entitled to our opinions, especially when it's your book.
All that said, if you haven't read it, it's worth the reading from the perspective of Scott's perspective, even if it weren't a rollicking good tale, which it is!
Started: 3 Dec 2005
There are many times Scott (through his characters) gets a bit carried away in song and verse, but if you can overlook (or skim through!) these, it's a fine adventure story about the Third Crusade. Some might say the history is a bit fanciful, some might even say it's more fantasy than history. Well, never mind, standards were different then. Indeed, Scott rather set the standard as it were. It is true he was a staunch Protestant and thought most of the problems with the period had to do with Roman Catholicism, and could be cured by the Reformation, but we're all entitled to our opinions, especially when it's your book.
All that said, if you haven't read it, it's worth the reading from the perspective of Scott's perspective, even if it weren't a rollicking good tale, which it is!
Started: 3 Dec 2005
December 23, 2019
The Talisman opens with a Red Cross Knight toiling across the desert plain in Syria (modern Israel). He meets a Saracen and engages in thrilling combat that results in a friendly truce. The warriors then set off together to the camp of King Richard. Scott paints a vivid portrait of Richard’s camp and the political machinations of the various leaders participating in the Crusade. Our knight is caught between the rival factions and must regain his honor with the help of his unlikely Saracen ally.
Like Ivanhoe, the book requires perseverance for the first half, but then all the strands come together and the story amply rewards the initial effort. The conclusion was so exciting, I listened to it on Librivox and then went back and read it again on my Kindle.
Like Ivanhoe, the book requires perseverance for the first half, but then all the strands come together and the story amply rewards the initial effort. The conclusion was so exciting, I listened to it on Librivox and then went back and read it again on my Kindle.
March 9, 2019
En realidad 4'5.
Genial. Me ha parecido que esta novela está muy bien ambientada (el estudio histórico previo es perfecto). A mi me ha encantado, y eso que las Cruzadas no son mi época preferida precisamente,...
En la mayoría de la novela hay varios elementos de sorpresa, que no espera el lector. Sin embargo en las últimas 100 páginas, ya el lector sabe lo que va a pasar, pero aún así es un muy bien libro.
Además del aspecto histórico, me ha gustado muchísimo el mensaje de amistad y de tolerancia.
Con ganas de repetir con Scott.
Genial. Me ha parecido que esta novela está muy bien ambientada (el estudio histórico previo es perfecto). A mi me ha encantado, y eso que las Cruzadas no son mi época preferida precisamente,...
En la mayoría de la novela hay varios elementos de sorpresa, que no espera el lector. Sin embargo en las últimas 100 páginas, ya el lector sabe lo que va a pasar, pero aún así es un muy bien libro.
Además del aspecto histórico, me ha gustado muchísimo el mensaje de amistad y de tolerancia.
Con ganas de repetir con Scott.
February 18, 2025
This was a very enjoyable read! Scott has a thing for concealing identities and this story had lots of fun surprises!
November 1, 2024
Overall, I really enjoyed this read though it would not rank as my favorite Sir Walter Scott novel. I did enjoy reading a book from this particular time period of English history and also enjoyed gaining another perspective of Richard I’s character—-I was more familiar with the roses of his character and this book acquainted me with his thornier parts. The Scottish knight and Sultan were of course my favorite characters and I enjoyed the twist at the end when you found out that you were actually intimately getting to know the character of the Sultan throughout the course of the entire novel. And finally I loved how Scott weaved this entire story together after being inspired by the this mysterious talisman that survived as an ancient relic in the Scottish culture from this time period. Fascinating!
September 5, 2007
As with 'Ivanhoe','The Talisman' is a humorous, exciting, romantic adventure that deals with the Crusades, the Church, ambitious Europeans lords of Christendom, and Richard the Lionheart. This book, however, takes place in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade and contrary to expectations contains little Christian/Mohammadan hostilities, but rather is driven entirely on the conflict of in-fighting and conspiring within the Christian camp.
There are so many intriguing facets to the novel. The portrayal of muslims, especially their sultan, Saladin, is more realistic and less stereotyped as is typical of Eurocentric and Chistian culture in general. There is also the interesting motif that no one in the novel, save King Richard, is who they say they are or pretend to be.
This book is a worthy companion to 'Ivanhoe' if not for the literary aspect, then certainly in a historic, scholarly capacity, as it shows Scott's interpretation of the figure of Richard I. 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Talisman' when put together give a very interesting view of the man; his faults, his hubris, his honor, and his courage and nobility.
There are so many intriguing facets to the novel. The portrayal of muslims, especially their sultan, Saladin, is more realistic and less stereotyped as is typical of Eurocentric and Chistian culture in general. There is also the interesting motif that no one in the novel, save King Richard, is who they say they are or pretend to be.
This book is a worthy companion to 'Ivanhoe' if not for the literary aspect, then certainly in a historic, scholarly capacity, as it shows Scott's interpretation of the figure of Richard I. 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Talisman' when put together give a very interesting view of the man; his faults, his hubris, his honor, and his courage and nobility.
December 16, 2024
Audible Plus 14 hours 50 min. Robert Whitfield (AA)
Only available until December 31, 2024
I greatly enjoyed Ivanhoe, but I am enthralled by the plot and even the stereotypical character of Richard I of England.
The Talisman was brought to life by an exceptionally able narrator. My rating on this book is from the perspective of a 19th-century reader. i have a better appreciation of Scott's talent. Often, I feel I am listening to a play by Shakespeare, especially during the soliloquies. His skill as a poet is shown throughout, especially the songs sung by Blondel, Richard's minstrel. If one is reading the lyrics of Blondel's "The Bloody Vest," I suggest reading it out loud. It's the same rhyme and meter as Clement Moore's "T'was the Night Before Christmas."
I am listening to this book a second time and noticing details that I missed the first time. Sir Walter Scott was a member of the Church of Scotland (Protestant), but he was very objective in the description of Roman Catholic Church considering the divisiveness between the two churches, which were especially strong in 1825. Scott was also well acquainted with the writings of the Persians and some of the Koran. This really surprised me. Saladin's character is portrayed as more noble and honorable than more than a few of Richard I the Lion Heart's "trusted" compatriots in their quest to regain Jerusalem for the RC Church. He is certainly wiser and more capable.
I am fairly well acquainted with the Bible, having read it through many times, and Scott used the Scriptures often and ably. I would have skipped over or overlooked these references had I read this book 40 years ago. Sometimes, age has an advantage!
This novel was one the last written by Sir Walter Scott. In his later age, he wrote primarily to relieve himself of a huge debt he had assumed. He died at age 61. I am disappointed that so few of his works are available as audiobooks.
Only available until December 31, 2024
I greatly enjoyed Ivanhoe, but I am enthralled by the plot and even the stereotypical character of Richard I of England.
The Talisman was brought to life by an exceptionally able narrator. My rating on this book is from the perspective of a 19th-century reader. i have a better appreciation of Scott's talent. Often, I feel I am listening to a play by Shakespeare, especially during the soliloquies. His skill as a poet is shown throughout, especially the songs sung by Blondel, Richard's minstrel. If one is reading the lyrics of Blondel's "The Bloody Vest," I suggest reading it out loud. It's the same rhyme and meter as Clement Moore's "T'was the Night Before Christmas."
I am listening to this book a second time and noticing details that I missed the first time. Sir Walter Scott was a member of the Church of Scotland (Protestant), but he was very objective in the description of Roman Catholic Church considering the divisiveness between the two churches, which were especially strong in 1825. Scott was also well acquainted with the writings of the Persians and some of the Koran. This really surprised me. Saladin's character is portrayed as more noble and honorable than more than a few of Richard I the Lion Heart's "trusted" compatriots in their quest to regain Jerusalem for the RC Church. He is certainly wiser and more capable.
I am fairly well acquainted with the Bible, having read it through many times, and Scott used the Scriptures often and ably. I would have skipped over or overlooked these references had I read this book 40 years ago. Sometimes, age has an advantage!
This novel was one the last written by Sir Walter Scott. In his later age, he wrote primarily to relieve himself of a huge debt he had assumed. He died at age 61. I am disappointed that so few of his works are available as audiobooks.
September 9, 2011
Sir Walter Scott was a much-loved author of the 19th century: he wrote great tales of adventure, as appealing now as they were then, but today we read them with a keen awareness of the British sense of entitlement which guides Scott’s characters’ actions.
The Talisman is a tale of the Crusades, set in 1190 and beginning when there was a truce between the Saracens and King Richard the Lionheart. As with many another historical novel, Scott takes liberties with the historical record, and probably with his depictions of Arab culture too, but rather than analyse its deficiencies with a post-colonial eye, I chose to surrender to the adventure instead.
BEWARE: SPOILERS (Nothing but, really)
It begins, as does The Faerie Queen with the image of the lone knight plodding through an eerie landscape, in this case the arid wastes of the desert. He’s weighed down by all the chain mail paraphernalia of the knight and Scott notes that many crusaders died from the effects of the torpid heat. However this knight (and his horse) have adapted easily. Clearly he has exceptional qualities of endurance, and he’s also honorable. After two years on the campaign he’s run out of money to support the usual followers (who we presume would cook his meals, wash his socks and help him repel the enemy) but the reason for his impecunious state is that (a) he wasn’t well off to start with, though clearly better off than a luckless peasant and (b) (unlike other crusaders) he’s chosen not to rob those he’s defeated nor demand ransom for their return. His squire, who by rights should be loyal and therefore not in need of any such sordid inducement as regular payment, is absent because he is ill, not because he’s shot through. Is our hero cast down by his circumstances? Certainly not. He ‘was accustomed to consider his good sword as his safest escort, and devout thoughts as his best companion’.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/201...
The Talisman is a tale of the Crusades, set in 1190 and beginning when there was a truce between the Saracens and King Richard the Lionheart. As with many another historical novel, Scott takes liberties with the historical record, and probably with his depictions of Arab culture too, but rather than analyse its deficiencies with a post-colonial eye, I chose to surrender to the adventure instead.
BEWARE: SPOILERS (Nothing but, really)
It begins, as does The Faerie Queen with the image of the lone knight plodding through an eerie landscape, in this case the arid wastes of the desert. He’s weighed down by all the chain mail paraphernalia of the knight and Scott notes that many crusaders died from the effects of the torpid heat. However this knight (and his horse) have adapted easily. Clearly he has exceptional qualities of endurance, and he’s also honorable. After two years on the campaign he’s run out of money to support the usual followers (who we presume would cook his meals, wash his socks and help him repel the enemy) but the reason for his impecunious state is that (a) he wasn’t well off to start with, though clearly better off than a luckless peasant and (b) (unlike other crusaders) he’s chosen not to rob those he’s defeated nor demand ransom for their return. His squire, who by rights should be loyal and therefore not in need of any such sordid inducement as regular payment, is absent because he is ill, not because he’s shot through. Is our hero cast down by his circumstances? Certainly not. He ‘was accustomed to consider his good sword as his safest escort, and devout thoughts as his best companion’.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/201...
March 28, 2017
I have to admit that the overwhelming feeling I am left with after finishing this book is one of amusement. It's a story largely of man's folly in believing that honour is the most important thing to consider - to the point that King Richard very nearly kills our hero just because someone stole a flag that he was supposed to be guarding!!
But once you get over the really old-fashioned points of view, the story is ok. Set at the times of the crusades, it follows Sir Kenneth as he sort of falls from one accidental incident to another, all while keeping his heroic, manly, upstanding bearing - I suppose this is the precursor to the English 'stiff-upper-lip'! Everything turns out ok in the end, with the bad guys well and truly trounced, and the good guys all getting on is the most super way!
Despite what I've just written, I did enjoy it - my copy is really old and has some interesting colour plates illustrating the book, which was an added bonus.
But once you get over the really old-fashioned points of view, the story is ok. Set at the times of the crusades, it follows Sir Kenneth as he sort of falls from one accidental incident to another, all while keeping his heroic, manly, upstanding bearing - I suppose this is the precursor to the English 'stiff-upper-lip'! Everything turns out ok in the end, with the bad guys well and truly trounced, and the good guys all getting on is the most super way!
Despite what I've just written, I did enjoy it - my copy is really old and has some interesting colour plates illustrating the book, which was an added bonus.
November 24, 2025
Oh dear. I'm wincing, I'm wringing my hands, and I *really* don't want to write this (minority opinion) review.
I know I'm supposed to like Sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels. Charlotte Mason did. But, if I gave more than three stars to The Talisman I'd be prevaricating.
My husband and I both got the crud -- a head cold. I looked for a book on my shelf that we could listen to. All it asked was 12 hours of our time. Simon Vance, my favorite narrator. Simon Vance was simply splendid! Sigh. I love Simon Vance's voice.
It helped that I had recently read Will Durant's The Age of Faith where he gave great space to Saladin, whose reputation as a virtuous and respected Islamic sultan stands.
But the stylistic curlicues. The long sentences. It was so baroque. On and on. With enough to interest me, but too much detail that I found soporific.
I'm going to try another Scott. I have Quentin Durward on my shelf and I will read it with a clear head, I promise.
I know I'm supposed to like Sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels. Charlotte Mason did. But, if I gave more than three stars to The Talisman I'd be prevaricating.
My husband and I both got the crud -- a head cold. I looked for a book on my shelf that we could listen to. All it asked was 12 hours of our time. Simon Vance, my favorite narrator. Simon Vance was simply splendid! Sigh. I love Simon Vance's voice.
It helped that I had recently read Will Durant's The Age of Faith where he gave great space to Saladin, whose reputation as a virtuous and respected Islamic sultan stands.
But the stylistic curlicues. The long sentences. It was so baroque. On and on. With enough to interest me, but too much detail that I found soporific.
I'm going to try another Scott. I have Quentin Durward on my shelf and I will read it with a clear head, I promise.
January 19, 2021
Loved this book! A good solid adventure about the crusades with Richard the Lionheart and the Soldan Suleiman. What makes this special is Scott’s talent in writing rich dialogue that immersed me completely into the novel every time I picked it up. The characters came to life, even the secondary characters, and the plot with all the scheming and changes in loyalties, all shone through the dialogue. Then the elaborate medieval setting with just enough meticulous details each time to set the scene without Scott blabbering on as if he needed to prove his knowledge... perfect! A real master at writing literary adventures... if only modern writers could be this eloquent. Having now read The Talisman and Ivanhoe, I look forward to reading more of his works.
January 2, 2015
Sir Walter Scott's second Crusades novel, The Talisman (1825), is an absorbing and humorous book set in the holy land during the 3rd Crusade. The Crusaders are not unlike the invading and besieging Greeks in The Iliad: formidable fighters riven by the mutual pride, suspicion, envy, and hatred of their leaders, a connection that Scott highlights by comparing Richard the Lionheart to Achilles and King Philip of France to Odysseus. And the major movement of the plot hinges on an argument over the relative positioning of the Austrian and English flags on a hill.
The novel opens with the chance meeting of two solitary enemy knights, a Crusader from Scotland, Sir Kenneth of the Couchant Leopard, and a Saracen emir, Ilderim Sheerkohf (the Lion of the Mountains) at an oasis in the desert. After an exciting fight to a draw, the men make a truce, leading to an interesting and comical clash of cultures as the Kurdish Saracen insists on guiding the Scot to his destination, the sacred chapel-retreat of a wild Christian hermit. The two men admire each other’s martial ability and spirit, but scorn each other's customs and ideas about everything from nourishment and marriage to climatology and, of course, religion (each man figuring the other is bound for hell). While they are riding through the part of the wilderness where Jesus fasted for forty days and was tempted by Satan, the Kurd irritates the quiet and respectful Scot by singing sensual Persian songs about, for instance, how one Rudpiki prefers the mole on the bosom of his mistress to all the wealth of Bokhara and Samarcand. It will develop that neither man is quite what he seems at first.
Meanwhile, sick in the Crusader camp in Palestine stews Richard the Lionheart, the only leader with guts and charisma and ability to unify all the crusaders from different countries for their purpose of retrieving Jerusalem from the “infidels,” but therefore also the leader most envied and hated by his fellow leaders. And while the army is immobilized by Richard's illness, the different feuds and enmities of the soldiers fester: the French and English, the English and Scotts, the Italians and Germans, and the Danes and Swedes all hate each other, and there are no worthy leaders to replace Richard, so they’re stuck in a truce in the holy land, having to pay Saladin for water and food just to sustain themselves, while whole bands of soldiers daily give up the cause and return home. And then the duplicitous Conrade of Monserrat and the creepy Grand Master of the Templars are scheming their own agendas. And Richard’s spoiled young queen Berengaria is either playing appalling pranks or giving vent to “ecstasies and passionate hypochondriacal effusions.” And a courtly love affair between people of too wildly different stations leads to unexpected consequences. And a faithful and intelligent hound named Roswal (“a majestic dog”) does his perilous duty. And just where is Saladin, anyway?
The Talisman might not be historically accurate in terms of things like the fate of Conrad, the presence of Sir Kenneth, and the age of Richard’s feisty kinswoman Edith, but it’s a lot of fun. Scott takes great pleasure in his history, as when he depicts a feast hosted by Leopold the Archduke of Austria wherein the ruler is attended by his “proverb-monger,” who shakes clashing coins on the end of his rod to announce an impending pearl of wisdom and then utters it, and by his fool, who shakes the bells in his motley cap and mocks the wisdom of the "sage," who then feels compelled to explicate the fool’s cryptic mockery to the company at large, which then provokes the fool to mock him more, until between their competing coins and bells and ever noisier utterances it’s difficult to decide who is the greater fool and who the greater entertainer.
Despite setting his novel at a crisis point of the 3rd Crusades, Scott is more interested in personality, desire, power, gender, chivalry, and love than in warfare, and writes no large-scale battles and surprisingly few fights between Crusaders and Saracens. His book is refreshingly unbiased towards Moslems or Crusaders and presents them all as interesting and flawed people. The ending is too sudden and contrived, but The Talisman is mostly an entertaining, humorous, and suspenseful book with interesting characters, snappy early 19th century medieval dialogue, and many great lines worthy of rereading and savoring:
“The wise man warms him by the same firebrand with which the madman burneth the tent.”
“Seek a fallen star . . . and thou shalt only light on some foul jelly, which, in shooting through the horizon, has assumed for a moment an appearance of splendour.”
“But in the Crusade, itself an undertaking wholly irrational, the quality of sound reason, of all others least esteemed, and the chivalric valor which both the age and the enterprise demanded was considered as debased if mingled with the least touch of discretion.”
Fans of historical romances, Crusades literature, or Walter Scott should read The Talisman (there's a good free LibraVox recording of it).
The novel opens with the chance meeting of two solitary enemy knights, a Crusader from Scotland, Sir Kenneth of the Couchant Leopard, and a Saracen emir, Ilderim Sheerkohf (the Lion of the Mountains) at an oasis in the desert. After an exciting fight to a draw, the men make a truce, leading to an interesting and comical clash of cultures as the Kurdish Saracen insists on guiding the Scot to his destination, the sacred chapel-retreat of a wild Christian hermit. The two men admire each other’s martial ability and spirit, but scorn each other's customs and ideas about everything from nourishment and marriage to climatology and, of course, religion (each man figuring the other is bound for hell). While they are riding through the part of the wilderness where Jesus fasted for forty days and was tempted by Satan, the Kurd irritates the quiet and respectful Scot by singing sensual Persian songs about, for instance, how one Rudpiki prefers the mole on the bosom of his mistress to all the wealth of Bokhara and Samarcand. It will develop that neither man is quite what he seems at first.
Meanwhile, sick in the Crusader camp in Palestine stews Richard the Lionheart, the only leader with guts and charisma and ability to unify all the crusaders from different countries for their purpose of retrieving Jerusalem from the “infidels,” but therefore also the leader most envied and hated by his fellow leaders. And while the army is immobilized by Richard's illness, the different feuds and enmities of the soldiers fester: the French and English, the English and Scotts, the Italians and Germans, and the Danes and Swedes all hate each other, and there are no worthy leaders to replace Richard, so they’re stuck in a truce in the holy land, having to pay Saladin for water and food just to sustain themselves, while whole bands of soldiers daily give up the cause and return home. And then the duplicitous Conrade of Monserrat and the creepy Grand Master of the Templars are scheming their own agendas. And Richard’s spoiled young queen Berengaria is either playing appalling pranks or giving vent to “ecstasies and passionate hypochondriacal effusions.” And a courtly love affair between people of too wildly different stations leads to unexpected consequences. And a faithful and intelligent hound named Roswal (“a majestic dog”) does his perilous duty. And just where is Saladin, anyway?
The Talisman might not be historically accurate in terms of things like the fate of Conrad, the presence of Sir Kenneth, and the age of Richard’s feisty kinswoman Edith, but it’s a lot of fun. Scott takes great pleasure in his history, as when he depicts a feast hosted by Leopold the Archduke of Austria wherein the ruler is attended by his “proverb-monger,” who shakes clashing coins on the end of his rod to announce an impending pearl of wisdom and then utters it, and by his fool, who shakes the bells in his motley cap and mocks the wisdom of the "sage," who then feels compelled to explicate the fool’s cryptic mockery to the company at large, which then provokes the fool to mock him more, until between their competing coins and bells and ever noisier utterances it’s difficult to decide who is the greater fool and who the greater entertainer.
Despite setting his novel at a crisis point of the 3rd Crusades, Scott is more interested in personality, desire, power, gender, chivalry, and love than in warfare, and writes no large-scale battles and surprisingly few fights between Crusaders and Saracens. His book is refreshingly unbiased towards Moslems or Crusaders and presents them all as interesting and flawed people. The ending is too sudden and contrived, but The Talisman is mostly an entertaining, humorous, and suspenseful book with interesting characters, snappy early 19th century medieval dialogue, and many great lines worthy of rereading and savoring:
“The wise man warms him by the same firebrand with which the madman burneth the tent.”
“Seek a fallen star . . . and thou shalt only light on some foul jelly, which, in shooting through the horizon, has assumed for a moment an appearance of splendour.”
“But in the Crusade, itself an undertaking wholly irrational, the quality of sound reason, of all others least esteemed, and the chivalric valor which both the age and the enterprise demanded was considered as debased if mingled with the least touch of discretion.”
Fans of historical romances, Crusades literature, or Walter Scott should read The Talisman (there's a good free LibraVox recording of it).
April 11, 2023
A very educational historical classic based on Richard 1 AKA Richard the lionheart was a slow read to start off with but then became more interesting
Want to read
January 16, 2026A Book Owned by F. Scott Fitzgerald: https://static-prod.lib.princeton.edu...
August 18, 2015
From BBC Radio 4 - Drama:
The Talisman is the finale of Scott's novels set during the crusades but this one features the dying dog days of the Third Crusade. Richard the Lionheart is de facto leader but the military expedition has ground to a halt and the allies are getting itchy feet. They are sick of Richard's over-bearing leadership and, to make it worse, very few of them still believe Jerusalem can be reconquered.
To the modern reader this must be a rather recondite setting. Beyond the jousting and the knightliness, how much do we care about the crusades anymore? And that's without opening the can of worms as to whether the West had any more right to be there then than it does now.
Jonathan Myerson, the adapter, wondered how to update this story and find a modern parallel to this situation.
And then it came to him: Occupy London in 2011. Those protestors started with the same, almost ecstatic belief in the possibility of change. They aimed to seize the holiest of places - the London Stock Exchange - but were beaten back and forced to set up camp outside. As the original crusaders came to loathe the heat and insect life in their desert encampment outside Jerusalem, the protestors of Occupy came to much the same conclusion - as winter set in - about sleeping on the cold, wet flagstones of St.Paul's Churchyard. And, in much the same way, the competing groups started to feel it was time to pack up and go home.
So, new listeners will follow Scott's original story of conspiracy and counter-conspiracy and, most important of all, star-crossed lovers but will hear new resonances in this old tale.
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b065s7hp
The Talisman is the finale of Scott's novels set during the crusades but this one features the dying dog days of the Third Crusade. Richard the Lionheart is de facto leader but the military expedition has ground to a halt and the allies are getting itchy feet. They are sick of Richard's over-bearing leadership and, to make it worse, very few of them still believe Jerusalem can be reconquered.
To the modern reader this must be a rather recondite setting. Beyond the jousting and the knightliness, how much do we care about the crusades anymore? And that's without opening the can of worms as to whether the West had any more right to be there then than it does now.
Jonathan Myerson, the adapter, wondered how to update this story and find a modern parallel to this situation.
And then it came to him: Occupy London in 2011. Those protestors started with the same, almost ecstatic belief in the possibility of change. They aimed to seize the holiest of places - the London Stock Exchange - but were beaten back and forced to set up camp outside. As the original crusaders came to loathe the heat and insect life in their desert encampment outside Jerusalem, the protestors of Occupy came to much the same conclusion - as winter set in - about sleeping on the cold, wet flagstones of St.Paul's Churchyard. And, in much the same way, the competing groups started to feel it was time to pack up and go home.
So, new listeners will follow Scott's original story of conspiracy and counter-conspiracy and, most important of all, star-crossed lovers but will hear new resonances in this old tale.
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b065s7hp
August 21, 2020
The frame story is about a knight hiding his identity and his love for a female relative of King Richard the Lion Heart towards the end of the 3rd Crusade in the 12th Century. However, for me the real point of interest was the mutual regard and respect between Richard Coeur de Lion and Saladin - hence also the very high regard which the famous historical novelist Sir Walter Scott had for Saladin.The rest of the story is on noble love, honor, intrigue, and betrayal. Against the backdrop of infighting amongst the Crusader leaders it is these two heroic figures that Scott revels in writing about. Saladin has taken on a legendary aura due to his code of honor, chivalry, justness, courage and military successes and much as it was a time of great enmity and prejudice he has has been hailed and glorified in much of Western literature as the worthiest of opponents.
January 18, 2021
رواية الطلسم هي تجربتي الثانية مع السير والتر سكوت رائد الرواية التاريخية في الادب الإنجليزي بعد تجربتي الاولي الممتازة مع عملة الأشهر ايفانهو لم تأتي هذه التجربة على نفس القدر من الجودة.
رواية الطلسم تدور احداثها في أثناء فترة الحرب الصليبية الثالثة عن فارس اسكتلندي يخدم تحت راية الملك ريتشارد لنشاهد وجهة نظر الكاتب حول الصراعات داخل معسكر الجيوش الأوروبية والعلاقة بين الملك ريتشارد و السلطان صلاح الدين
الرواية يعوزها الدقة التاريخية لحد بعيد جدا كما انها تحتوي على قدر كبير من المبالغة بخصوص ريتشارد و قدر رهيب من المبالغة حول صلاح الدين.
اجمالا الرواية جيدة لكن كان الممكن نظرا لطبيعة الفترة التي تدور أحداثها خلالها ان تكون أفضل بكثير.
رواية الطلسم تدور احداثها في أثناء فترة الحرب الصليبية الثالثة عن فارس اسكتلندي يخدم تحت راية الملك ريتشارد لنشاهد وجهة نظر الكاتب حول الصراعات داخل معسكر الجيوش الأوروبية والعلاقة بين الملك ريتشارد و السلطان صلاح الدين
الرواية يعوزها الدقة التاريخية لحد بعيد جدا كما انها تحتوي على قدر كبير من المبالغة بخصوص ريتشارد و قدر رهيب من المبالغة حول صلاح الدين.
اجمالا الرواية جيدة لكن كان الممكن نظرا لطبيعة الفترة التي تدور أحداثها خلالها ان تكون أفضل بكثير.
February 23, 2026
King Richard the Lionheart is on a Crusade to the Holy Land when he falls ill with a fever. A month-long truce is called between the armies, and Richard's European allies use the time to plot against him. A poor Scottish knight, Sir Kenneth, goes on a short pilgrimage to visit the holy hermit of a nearby mountain range with secret messages from the European council to Saladin, the leader of the Muslim army. On the way Sir Kenneth meets a lone Arabian warrior, and after a brief skirmish, they agree to travel together as worthy opponents. Sir Kenneth arrives at the hermitage and sees a strange and holy sight that changes the destiny of his life.
This book is so brilliant and I loved every page! Sir Walter Scott has such a genius for writing exciting adventures and compelling characters. You really get the flavor of history in his descriptions. Scott has that eloquence in his writing that really tugs at your heart and inspires your soul.
I completely fell in love with Sir Kenneth! His courage and high sense of honor really inspired me, but I also loved that he is flawed and makes mistakes and submits humbly to a just punishment and endures through terrible hardships never losing hope. The plot really kept me full of suspense to see what sudden reversal of fortune would next befall Sir Kenneth! His trials are also an interesting exploration of the nature of temptation. Sir Kenneth makes a mistake and rationalizes his way into succumbing to temptation, but later when he is tested again under excruciating emotional distress, he remains firm and keeps his honor. I loved his character development and how he gains this spiritual strength to do what is right, no matter the personal cost.
King Richard's personality is larger than life! Scott did an amazing job of capturing the extreme courage and generosity and pride that you would expect from this famous historical figure. He really is a force to be reckoned with, charming and charismatic and strong, but also imperious and arrogant. I think it is the unwavering sincerity of Richard that really balances his personality. He has a fiery violent temper, but he can also be tender and gentle. But whatever his extreme moods, in the moment he is always sincere. I was completely fascinated by King Richard!
I was also enchanted with the women characters of King Richard's wife Berengaria, who is vain and selfish, and his cousin Lady Edith, who is thoughtful and wise. There is such a contrast between them, and it was interesting to see how the ladies interact with each other and how they both navigate the political sphere in different ways. Queen Berengaria relies on her beauty and charm to persuade others and get what she wants. Lady Edith relies on reason and sound morals to convince others to do what is right. It's also interesting to see how King Richard and Sir Kenneth react very differently to each of them. Lady Edith gets more respect, but Queen Berengaria gets her way.
The plot is so exciting and I loved all the adventures and intrigue within the Christian allied camp! There are a lot of layers to the plot and many different moving parts as characters from both Christian and Muslim sides work for their own ends. There is an assassination attempt, a duel with lances in the lists, a crazy old hermit hangs around the camp preaching destruction and salvation, the English banner is disrespected by the Duke of Austria causing a rift between the allies, and a mysterious Muslim doctor arrives sent by Saladin himself to cure Richard of his fever. Every point of the plot was wildly fascinating!
This is one of the best books that I've read so far from Scott! I think I might like this one even better than Ivanhoe!
This book has been screened for violence on the Screen It First website. https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-ta...
This book is so brilliant and I loved every page! Sir Walter Scott has such a genius for writing exciting adventures and compelling characters. You really get the flavor of history in his descriptions. Scott has that eloquence in his writing that really tugs at your heart and inspires your soul.
I completely fell in love with Sir Kenneth! His courage and high sense of honor really inspired me, but I also loved that he is flawed and makes mistakes and submits humbly to a just punishment and endures through terrible hardships never losing hope. The plot really kept me full of suspense to see what sudden reversal of fortune would next befall Sir Kenneth! His trials are also an interesting exploration of the nature of temptation. Sir Kenneth makes a mistake and rationalizes his way into succumbing to temptation, but later when he is tested again under excruciating emotional distress, he remains firm and keeps his honor. I loved his character development and how he gains this spiritual strength to do what is right, no matter the personal cost.
King Richard's personality is larger than life! Scott did an amazing job of capturing the extreme courage and generosity and pride that you would expect from this famous historical figure. He really is a force to be reckoned with, charming and charismatic and strong, but also imperious and arrogant. I think it is the unwavering sincerity of Richard that really balances his personality. He has a fiery violent temper, but he can also be tender and gentle. But whatever his extreme moods, in the moment he is always sincere. I was completely fascinated by King Richard!
I was also enchanted with the women characters of King Richard's wife Berengaria, who is vain and selfish, and his cousin Lady Edith, who is thoughtful and wise. There is such a contrast between them, and it was interesting to see how the ladies interact with each other and how they both navigate the political sphere in different ways. Queen Berengaria relies on her beauty and charm to persuade others and get what she wants. Lady Edith relies on reason and sound morals to convince others to do what is right. It's also interesting to see how King Richard and Sir Kenneth react very differently to each of them. Lady Edith gets more respect, but Queen Berengaria gets her way.
The plot is so exciting and I loved all the adventures and intrigue within the Christian allied camp! There are a lot of layers to the plot and many different moving parts as characters from both Christian and Muslim sides work for their own ends. There is an assassination attempt, a duel with lances in the lists, a crazy old hermit hangs around the camp preaching destruction and salvation, the English banner is disrespected by the Duke of Austria causing a rift between the allies, and a mysterious Muslim doctor arrives sent by Saladin himself to cure Richard of his fever. Every point of the plot was wildly fascinating!
This is one of the best books that I've read so far from Scott! I think I might like this one even better than Ivanhoe!
This book has been screened for violence on the Screen It First website. https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-ta...
May 25, 2024
Book: The Talisman (1823)
Movie: King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
Summary: During the Third Crusade the Scottish Knight Sir Kenneth must try and do his duty towards his country and religion while contending with an unexpected ally in the form of the Saracen physician Hakeem, the mercurial King Richard the Lionheart, petty feuding European monarchs, treacherous scheming Templars, and trying to court his love the Lady Edith whos is cousin to King Richard and above Kenneth's social status.
Differences: The setting of the Third Crusade, King Richard occasionally being a jerk but ultimately being shown as a good man, the extremely positive portrayal of the Muslim leader Saladin, Kenneth romancing an eager Edith, Kenneth being disguised at one point, the English banner being stolen, Kenneth's mastiff being wounded but not killed, a marriage between Saladin and Edith being part of a proposed alliance, the villains being Templars, and squabbling European leaders exist in both mediums.
In the film the two minor dwarf characters and a hermit are omitted, the official duel between Kenneth and another character is moved to an earlier point in the story, and Kenneth's disguise is not problematic now. The Templars being responsible for Richard's illness in the beginning, an epic chase on horseback to rescue Edith at the finale, their being a potential love triangle between Kenneth, Edith, and Saladin are all original to the film.
Verdict: Both the book and film are extremely well made pieces of media that depict the Third Crusade in an unexpectedly even-handed way and have an equally unexpected positive portrayal of a Muslim character, who is bumped up to a secondary protagonist and love interest in the film. The potential downside to the book is while it is written in modern English the style in which it is written is somewhat old fashioned and my be off-putting to some. The only downside to the film is that Rex Harrison portrays Saladin and uses makeup to darken his skin 😬. This will be an understandable deal breaker to some viewers but this was unfortunately standard practice at the the time. It is worth noting again that Harrison's portrayal of an Arabic Muslim character is completely positive as opposed to the portrayal of Muslim Arabs in the other Medieval Hollywood picture The Black Knight (1954) that released the same year.
Book: 4/5
Movie: 4/5
Movie: King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
Summary: During the Third Crusade the Scottish Knight Sir Kenneth must try and do his duty towards his country and religion while contending with an unexpected ally in the form of the Saracen physician Hakeem, the mercurial King Richard the Lionheart, petty feuding European monarchs, treacherous scheming Templars, and trying to court his love the Lady Edith whos is cousin to King Richard and above Kenneth's social status.
Differences: The setting of the Third Crusade, King Richard occasionally being a jerk but ultimately being shown as a good man, the extremely positive portrayal of the Muslim leader Saladin, Kenneth romancing an eager Edith, Kenneth being disguised at one point, the English banner being stolen, Kenneth's mastiff being wounded but not killed, a marriage between Saladin and Edith being part of a proposed alliance, the villains being Templars, and squabbling European leaders exist in both mediums.
In the film the two minor dwarf characters and a hermit are omitted, the official duel between Kenneth and another character is moved to an earlier point in the story, and Kenneth's disguise is not problematic now. The Templars being responsible for Richard's illness in the beginning, an epic chase on horseback to rescue Edith at the finale, their being a potential love triangle between Kenneth, Edith, and Saladin are all original to the film.
Verdict: Both the book and film are extremely well made pieces of media that depict the Third Crusade in an unexpectedly even-handed way and have an equally unexpected positive portrayal of a Muslim character, who is bumped up to a secondary protagonist and love interest in the film. The potential downside to the book is while it is written in modern English the style in which it is written is somewhat old fashioned and my be off-putting to some. The only downside to the film is that Rex Harrison portrays Saladin and uses makeup to darken his skin 😬. This will be an understandable deal breaker to some viewers but this was unfortunately standard practice at the the time. It is worth noting again that Harrison's portrayal of an Arabic Muslim character is completely positive as opposed to the portrayal of Muslim Arabs in the other Medieval Hollywood picture The Black Knight (1954) that released the same year.
Book: 4/5
Movie: 4/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2019
Treads a lot of the same ground as Ivanhoe, but is not nearly as good.
August 6, 2020
I loved the romanticised setting of the Crusades; the larger than life Richard Coeur de Lion (with his quick tempers) and Saladin (in his surprising appearances); the humble Knight of the Leopard Kenneth and the Holy Man of the cave. Very enjoyable novel.
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