Sir Walter ScottThe Talisman

If you want a great middle-ages time-frame book that gives a sense of the world (from an English perspective) during the crusades, this is a great read. The story line has good (if sometimes fairly obvious) twists. The characters are well developed and delightful. This is a great suspense novel with none of the gross language and sex-scenes of modern novels. I loved this book and highly recommend it, especially for young readers who don't need the modern, tasteless, cultural junk!

In The Talisman, Sir Walter Scott not only weaves an fascinating tale, but also skillfully compares and contrasts similarities and many differences between the European kings and knights and the Middle Eastern sovereign and warriors. The respect King Richard and Saladin hold for one another is quite interesting and the tale leads one to conclude that the real enemy is not the obvious one.

It is what it is. A difficult book to wade through without some background in the history and literary style of the times. But for those seeking to better understand those times and those traditions, this is a vital piece of literature.

Horrible formatting