Guy Gavriel Kay, The Lions of Al-Rassan

Guy Gavriel Kay, The Lions of Al-Rassan - History has condemned Ammar to the role of monstrous butcher as he betrayed an inept monarch by killing him and brought to the Al-Rassan throne a stronger but abusively insane king. Though hated by everyone, even the person he put in charge, Ammar will do anything to save his beloved country. As he did once before, he plans to correct his mistake with the same deadly, precise solution.

Dr. Jehane is a physician just like her father, who had to choose between his life by bowing to his cruel ruler or his oath. His daughter has doubts that a physician can adhere to her oath to heal while kneeling to the savagery of the monarch. She plans to break her oath by killing the killer of her father.

Rodrigo is a great swordsman recognized by everyone as a hero for his loyalty to the deposed ruler. Since heroes cannot expeditiously be royally killed, he was exiled by the new king. His beloved wife and his children remained behind in Al-Rassan. He wants to come home to see his woman one more time, which means he must bow to the ruler.

Three individuals from different walks of life impacted by the same pivotal moment are coming together, perhaps at another focal point.

This is a reprint of a classic mid 1990s tale that fictionalizes the fall of Moorish Spain. The three superb main characters struggle with the past and present and have no hope for the future while the support cast brings the era to life. The storyline remains powerful and insightful while also entertaining readers with an extraordinary historical fiction thriller that transports audience back to the twelfth or thirteenth century.

Eos, Jul 2005, $14.95

ISBN: 0060733497

Harriet Klausner