![]() ![]() Miriam is a problematic character for me. But when Miriam is captured by Richard, the two greatest men of their time suddenly find that the political has become unbearably personal. A Jewish woman with a mind of her own, Saladin and Miriam experience an instant attraction. ![]() Complicating matters is the arrival of Miriam, the niece of Saladin’s personal physician. Saladin, the Great Sultan, tries to protect Jerusalem while still adhering to the ideal of a Muslim man (just, fair, and generous). Shadow of the Swords concerns Richard the Lionheart’s Crusade in the Holy Land–from the Muslim and the Jewish perspective. This made everything suddenly make a lot more sense. When I read the Author’s Notes, I discovered why –Shadow of the Swords was originally conceived as a screenplay, but turned into a novel after the success of Kingdom of Heaven, a film I quite enjoyed (but need to brush up on–I think it may have come on the very heels of my Orlando Bloom phase). ![]() It didn’t feel like any book I’d read before, but still familiar. ![]() As I was reading Shadow of the Swords, I was getting a strange feeling. ![]()
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