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The Saracen
A compilation of Shea's Land of the Infidel (Book 1, 480 pages) and The Holy Land (Book 2, 357 pages), originally published in 1989. Amazon does not clarify that both books are included under the series title. Both books were converted by Project Gutenberg and available in Kindle format for free with almost no restrictions at the gutenberg.org website.
The central character, Daud, is an English child is left an orphan in Palestine and is raised as a Muslim soldier in Egypt, as part of the Mameluke Corps. were raised as the Janisaries were in the Ottoman armies. The brutal military training that Daud has to endure matches closely the theories of many historians as to how the Mamelukes were trained.
The character of Baybars is a menacing soldier, heroically portrayed since the Mamelukes were ferocious fighters and were the only army to halt the Mongol advance. Some historians argue that this Mongol army that the Mamelukes defeated was not the same as the one Genghis Khan had led, but many in the Islamic world believe that if Egypt had fallen so too would have Islam. This unlikely viewpoint is conveyed in this book as we see things from the point of views of the participants including a French knight, an English-born Mameluke, and the woman they both love/lust.
The central character, Daud, is an English child is left an orphan in Palestine and is raised as a Muslim soldier in Egypt, as part of the Mameluke Corps. were raised as the Janisaries were in the Ottoman armies. The brutal military training that Daud has to endure matches closely the theories of many historians as to how the Mamelukes were trained.
The character of Baybars is a menacing soldier, heroically portrayed since the Mamelukes were ferocious fighters and were the only army to halt the Mongol advance. Some historians argue that this Mongol army that the Mamelukes defeated was not the same as the one Genghis Khan had led, but many in the Islamic world believe that if Egypt had fallen so too would have Islam. This unlikely viewpoint is conveyed in this book as we see things from the point of views of the participants including a French knight, an English-born Mameluke, and the woman they both love/lust.
837 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
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59 people want to read
About the author
Robert Shea
66 books176 followersRobert Joseph Shea was a novelist and journalist best known as co-author with Robert Anton Wilson of the science fantasy trilogy Illuminatus!. It became a cult success and was later turned into a marathon-length stage show put on at the British National Theatre and elsewhere. In 1986 it won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. Shea went on to write several action novels based in exotic historical settings.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 26, 2015
Horas de satisfacción me ha proporcionado esta historia de amor y de guerra, de intrigas, del islam y de la cristiandad del siglo XIII. Un culebrilla que me ha enganchado de principio a fin!
March 9, 2016
Robert Shea is always an excellent read and this book is no exception. I have had it for years and had not read it. I have no idea why. But I am glad that I have remedied that.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews