Doug F. (DougFranzen) reviewed on 1/22/2009

Helpful Score: 2

A little tough going at first, but mostly because I am not familiar with 1) the geography of the Middle East (there are 2 maps in the front of the book and I used Google Earth a lot until I got my bearings...) and 2) the time period in which the book was written. I think the author makes a few assumptions about his readers.

However, once I got going, I found it to be a very enjoyable read! The author does a great job piecing a lot of primary source material into a coherent and readable story. In the afterword he discusses some of the variations in the story and admits he chose certain versions to make for a better story - without diluting the main text down by offering up or discussing these variations within the main text.

Overall, a good read. If you're interested in the history of conflict in the Middle East, or military history, or want to learn a little more about the crusades/middle ages/rise of the Ottoman Empire, I'd recommend this book.

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