false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171506640m/104101.jpg 104101 21 <p>The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan -- poet, diplomat, soldier -- until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.</p> <p>Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated -- and feared -- military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south.</p> <p>In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve -- for a time -- the same master. Sharing their interwoven fate -- and increasingly torn by her feelings -- is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond.</p> <p>Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, <b>The Lions of Al-Rassan</b> is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply compelling story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake -- or destroy -- a world.</p> 955081 1995 The Lions of al-Rassan total:1198|5:563|4:405|3:197|2:29|1:4| 1198 5088 1636 110 5 3 false false Fri Nov 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 15:15:40 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 15:16:10 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 4 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Apr 06 18:30:24 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 06 18:45:41 -0700 2008
Will it be with the flamboyant Ammar ibn Khailan, poet, spymaster, kingslayer, warrior? With Jehane, strong and stubborn doctor? Perhaps with Miranda, so beautiful a...more...]]> 5 3 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Feb 14 06:20:23 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 14 08:50:13 -0800 2008 The Lions of Al-Rassan is such a novel. In...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Feb 19 21:31:44 -0800 2009 Wed Jun 06 15:57:42 -0700 2007 Thu Feb 19 21:31:44 -0800 2009 Lions of Al-Rassan is a recent discovery of mine - I read one of Kay's Finovar Tapestry series a few years ago and while it wasn't awful, it wasn't something I'd read again. So I didn't pick up any of his other books until last fall, when I was skulking around the used bookstore in search of that ra...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 12 09:52:22 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 10:48:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 20 07:09:01 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 07:25:07 -0800 2009 about 5 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sun May 31 23:26:48 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 23:40:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1994 Thu May 14 19:42:18 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 08:42:06 -0700 2009
Based on the general concepts and political/socioeconom...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Apr 09 03:10:59 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 03:53:13 -0700 2009 like a zillion good.

What Kay does in his semi-historical fiction is to paint heart-achingly lovely views into times and places on the verge of being ground do...more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Tue Jul 24 12:46:04 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 24 12:46:37 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Dec 16 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 13:35:55 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 16 08:39:27 -0800 2008 nice review of it on a Portuguese blog. I'm so glad I picked it up, is one of the best books I've read this year!

You can see clearly the influence of the Iberian Peninsula history in this book, during the Musl...more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Jul 02 05:44:19 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 02 05:45:37 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jun 12 06:13:33 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 07:10:48 -0700 2009
I would classify this as "alternative history", as it's based loosely on the unification of medieval Spain after its Islamic inhabitation. The three main char...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Mar 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 18:40:11 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 08:09:39 -0700 2009
Set in a world that is much like ancient Spain, with warring nations, petty kings, and clashing religions, but once you establish the ideas of where everything is, and who is what, you get to characters t...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 13 05:34:06 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 02:49:23 -0700 2009
Neste livro segue-se a história de 3 personagens (um Asharita, uma Kindate ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 09:08:40 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 21:18:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 14 12:53:40 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 12:01:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Oct 17 06:52:37 -0700 2007 Wed Oct 17 06:53:03 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Mar 18 10:00:50 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 18 10:34:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jun 23 01:16:45 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 01:48:51 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=104101