Book Review: Warriors of God by James Reston, Jr.

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Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade by James Reston Jr.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

James Reston Jr. has shown his expertise as an author in pulling together a plethora of factual information about the third crusade and it’s two battlefield opponents, Richard, The Lion Hearted, and Saladin, The Wise. The history of war so often sticks to only one side of the story or concentrates solely on one main character. In that telling, we see a skewed vision of the conflict from only one viewpoint and as Paul Harvey would so aptly have put it, know not “The Rest of the Story”. Author Reston has taken on the nearly impossible task of telling this particularly spectacular story of the Third Crusade from both Christian and Moslem viewpoints. These viewpoints alternate throughout the book. As a consequence, we gain a broad picture of the upbringing, lives, loves, strengths, weaknesses and peccadillos of both side’s heroic figures. The lives and histories of Saladin and Richard thus become an interwoven tale of Europe and the Middle East over nearly half a century. It’s a time of intrigue and cooperation, war and peace, as well as love-hate relationships between kings and nations. We see the pettiness, the brilliance, the petulance and bravado of both men as well as gain an understanding of their own inner turmoil brought on by years of conflict, leadership and warfare. It’s set during a time when England owned and coveted large sections of France, yet had trade, family and love relationships between the two reigning kingdoms. At this same time, the setting in the Moslem Empire of Bagdad shows how this Sunni nation coveted yet traded with the Shiite nation of Egypt which it was soon to conquer. Ultimately, we see that the Holy War between Richard and Saladin is actually a part of the larger power struggle between two of the world’s great religions as they attempt to extend their power over Palestine and the Holy City of Jerusalem, where Jesus of Nazereth was crucified, and The Profet Muhammed ascended to heaven. This is the history that has inspired and influenced bards, poets, hymns, plays, films, architecture, and civilizations for a thousand years. An exciting era of history told through an easily readable magnificent piece of scholarship.



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