The Dagger and the Cross

Alamut #2

by Judith Tarr

Immortal lovers, battling faiths, a kingdom torn love and war in the time of the Crusades.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Middle East

474 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

AKA Caitlin Brennan, Kathleen Bryan.

Judith Tarr (born 1955) is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin and writing at Wesleyan University from 1988-1992, and taught at the Clarion science-fiction-writing workshops in 1996 and 1999.

She raises and trains Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature dancing horses modeled on those that she raises.

Reviews

[Alissa]

A child was a wonderful, terrible thing. Born of one’s blood and bone, but grown apart from them.

[Joseph]

Picks up in 1187 AD, some few years after the end of Alamut. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem is dead, succeeded by his brother-in-law Guy and tensions with Saladin are rising (and if this sounds familiar, well, have you seen the movie Kingdom of Heaven? Although it's possible that Tarr has taken fewer liberties with the facts, magic-using elves notwithstanding). But Aidan and Morgiana are happy because Aidan's brother King Gwydion has arrived in Jersualem for a state visit and/or to join the fight against Saladin and, more importantly, he's bringing a dispensation from the Pope that will allow Aidan and Morgiana to finally, actually marry. (Which some of the nobles in the Kingdom of Jerusalem are not thrilled that Aidan is marrying a Muslim ex-assassin.)

But complications ensue when, at the wedding, the dispensation turns out to say something altogether different than expected (no wedding for you!), and Sinister Forces seem bent on disrupting Aidan & Morgiana's joining.

(Also causing tension between Aidan and Morgiana -- Aidan's relationship with his illegitimate daughter Ysabel (born to the human woman Joanna, who is very much not unmarried; and Ysabel is starting to manifest some of the powers she inherited from her father).

Oh, and Guy takes it into his head to march the entire Crusader army out to this place called the Horns of Hattin ...

And near the end of the book, we do start to see some subtle connections to the The Hound and the Falcon trilogy, specifically the origin of the Hounds of God, the monastic order that will wreak such havoc in the later books.

I recommend this entire series wholeheartedly.

[Maureen]

Talamut was an enjoyable, if very long, historical-fantasy read. The problem with this sequel is Tarr's need to generate conflict in Morgiana and Aidan's relationship. At the point of the two coming from two different sides of The Crusade without any compromise of belief, love cannot survive and the relationship would naturally end. Enter Joanna. Anything else makes both characters seem vapid and weak. Alas, this is precisely what doesn't happen in this story of TrueLoveTM. Then, of course, the battle of Hattin feels like an entirely separate story to the marriage annulment, and in the end, only serves as an out for Aidan so he can be with Morgiana. Contrived, contrived, contrived...

[Jessica]

The sequel to Alamut, and just as good. In fact, I get the sense that these were just one long book, cut in half.

[Tasha]

I was just reminded of this book. I haven't thought about it in 30 years. I bought this at a drug store, not realizing it was the second book in a series; I hadn't read the first. I remember almost nothing about it except that I really enjoyed it.

[Amy]

Fun read

I enjoy books by Judith Tarr. These have held up very well over time, as enjoyable today as when I first read them years ago.

[Elana]

i love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love all this author has to say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1This author brings the reader on a journey. i wuvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv her sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomuch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!1!!

[Maya Morikawa]

History and Fantasy

History and Fantasy

Having read Alumet several years ago and loved it.I wasn't sure she could do it again,but I was just as enthralled and couldn't put it down.Historically interesting with the fantasy.Love it

[Chu]

I loved this series as a teenager. Reading it again as an adult, however, was a major let down. I had forgotten how angsty it is. I used to think Aidan was so swoonworthy. Now i just want to slap him around. What a jerk!

[Christine]

Not as good as Alamut, but not bad.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

This was actually a re-read. It was interesting to see what happened to the characters from Alamut and The Hound and the Falcon trilogy, but not all that exciting or satisfying.

[Helen Fleischer]

conclusion of Alamut

[Tiaret]

Didn't like it as much as Alamut but interesting nevertheless.

[Diane]

This is a sequel to Alamut, which I really enjoyed. This was good, but not great - seemed to ramble.

[Kate]

Fantastic follow-up to "Alamut."

[Mike Avest]

Tarr's strengths are her natural gift for detail and emotion and her prodigious historical education. She uses the first two admirably to tell a character driven story amongst one of the most compelling and fraught historical settings in Western and Eastern culture. Being a sequel to a prequel and historical fiction the reader has a certain amount of knowledge aforehand who will leave the holy land with his head on his shoulders and who will gain or lose a kingdom. Regardless Tarr deftly cultivates tension from personal and national conflicts in a worthy conclusion to her Rhiannon series.

[Helga]

Like all of Tarr's books in my experience, it takes a while to get into but is well worth the effort.