Saladin

Roanoke Times, 5/15/16 "Even if you come to this book with no knowledge of the Crusades or what the Middle East was like during the period, Man makes it easy for you to jump in...[He] does a very good job of describing the characters in this story, and he frames his narrative not as a history textbook, but as a tale about the life of a man and the passions that drove him. In reading the book, you get a good sense of the kind of person Saladin was, about his inherent nobility and drive to unite Islam under a single banner, both to defend the Holy Land from the Christians and to bring an end to the divisiveness and strife that continue to cause problems in that part of the world...A book that does a great job of introducing a reader to a complex subject." Military Heritage, July 2016 "An interesting account of Saladin's life in detail sufficient to give the reader a sense of the man without bogging the narrative down with too much information...The effects of the Crusades and Saladin's successful struggles against them echo through time to the present, giving this work relevance and scope." Praise for Saladin Library Journal, 4/1/16 "Well written and immensely entertaining...This book will appeal to anyone interested in the Crusades or medieval history. An excellent addition to a public or academic library." Manhattan Book Review, 4/19/16 "The historical side characters of this great narrative are accurately and faithfully identified in the book...Man's is primarily known for his masterful biographies of Genghis Khan. Yet, here is simply excels himself. Those interested in the mysterious qualities of the man's dual acts of kindness and brutalities will not leave this book wanting." Foreword Reviews, Summer 2016 "With the character depth and literary finesse of a novelist, bestselling historian John Man portrays the life of renowned twelfth-century sultan Saladin...Saladin is much more than a character study, however...The battle chapters are riveting...Parallels are astutely drawn to present-day sectarian strife and civil war...The power struggles Saladin faced, the betrayals and reversals, read like modern political dramas...A worthy biography of an important Muslim hero." Portland Book Review, 5/27/16 "Traces the rise of the Sultan from his little-documented childhood in the modern Middle East, through his first major command in Egypt, and finally, to his best-known role as the man who kicked the Christians out of Jerusalem...John Man shows a journalist's gift for context." InfoDad blog, 6/2/16 "Occasionally--not often, but occasionally--a war-focused book not only explains events of the past but also proves to have potentially significant relevance to events of our own time. So it is with John Man's well-written, well-researched Saladin." Chicago Tribune's Printers Row, 6/12/16 "[A] superb and eminently readable biography...Lucid and to the point." Counterpunch, 7/29/16 "Blends military and general history, biography and myth to compile a fascinating narrative of Saladin's life and times. Neither hagiography nor its opposite, this text at its best provides some insight into the thinking of those who consider themselves the builders of a new Caliphate and at the minimum is a concise and intelligent biography of one of history's most influential men." Donovan's Bookshelf, August 2016 "Any who would understand the foundations of the modern Middle East needs to read this book." "[A] masterful biography...The book tells a clear, vivid story of seemingly endless conflict, showing the strengths and weaknesses of both Christians and Muslims. The characters are fascinating...Man's style and pacing are just right for the general reader. This account provides valuable perspective for the twenty-first century tensions between Islam and the West."?Internet Review of Books, 9/29/16 "An excellent overview on this complex man and his time." ?Military Periscope