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The Saracen: Land of the Infidel
The Saracen: Land of the Infidel
He is Daoud ibn Abdallah, a warrior who is not afraid to go alone amid multitudes of enemies. The servant of a very great ruler. Though young, a wealthy and powerful man in his own land, but spy and a thief in the lands of others.He is the man whom Sophia Karaiannides, accomplished courtesan and mistress to a king, is to serve without reservation.The alliance has been struck. The adventure begins....
Book Excerpt
ned at it.
"What is this, a mirror?"
"Yes, Messere. Our Trebizond mirrors are famed in Byzantium, Persia, and the Holy Land. I brought this as another sample of what we can offer."
"It is a good mirror," Lorenzo agreed. "It shows me my ugly face all too well."
Daoud was relieved to see Lorenzo had not guessed the secret of the mirror, that it contained a deadly disk of Hindustan. Thrown properly, the sharp-edged disk would slice into an opponent like a knife.
At Lorenzo's command, two of the guards searched Daoud briskly and efficiently. They even made him take off his boots.
The fingers of one guard found the chain around Daoud's neck and pulled on it. The locket Daoud had hidden under his tunic came out.
"What is that?" Lorenzo growled.
A chill ran over Daoud's body. Could Lorenzo possibly guess what the locket was?
"A locket with a holy inscription in our Greek language, Messere."
"Open it up."
With a leaden feeling in his belly D
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This book is a true epic writen in a similiat spirit to Shogun and Taipan. Shea is a true storyteller. I first bought Saracen in the early 1990's as a young banker. For over 20 years I searched for Holy War and any other books I could find by Robert Shea. Thanks to this site my search has ended. Cant get enough of reading then rereading Shea's books.
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that was good. Set mostly in 13th century Italy it is a royal tour de force. Excellent well-drawn characters, all flawed and human, none of them clear protagonists, you find yourself rooting for all of them even when they are against each other. He jugles a number of characters, male and female, excellently.
Shea gets his history right as he mixes christians, mamlukes, jews, tartars, moors and others with a perfect balance of realism to their actions. Also telling the story through a Mamluke in Europe is quite original.
Shea gets his history right as he mixes christians, mamlukes, jews, tartars, moors and others with a perfect balance of realism to their actions. Also telling the story through a Mamluke in Europe is quite original.
09/25/2012
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