"...a great central figure—
a bit like William Shakespeare’s portrayal of the
young Prince Hal..."
Kirkus Review of "Rebels against Tyranny"
In Schrader’s (The Last Crusader Kingdom, 2017, etc.) historical novel, the Ibelin family fights to protect
their honor and their position against a tyrannical Holy Emperor in 13th-century
Cyprus and the Middle East.
The handsome, recently knighted Sir
Balian II of the House of Ibelin can’t please his father, John d’Ibelin, Lord
of Beirut, who considers his eldest son and heir to be impulsive and decadent;
moreover, his reputation as a lady’s man seems inescapable. His uncle, Philip,
is baillie of Cyprus on behalf of the 7-year-old King Henry I, and he strives
to keep the peace in the land. When Amaury Barlais, a bitter knight, nearly
kills someone after accusing him of cheating in a joust, he becomes the Ibelin
family’s enemy for life. In Sicily, Frederick II Hohenstaufen, the Holy Roman
Emperor, weds the young Yolanda, queen of Jerusalem, for a political alliance, but
when he doesn’t keep his word regarding royal succession, it sets off a terrible
chain of events. The emperor also wants to win back the Holy Land from the
Saracens, and he calls on his subjects to
help him. This sprawling work is full of excitement, with plenty of jousts,
sieges, and daring escapes. The story features a huge cast of characters, and
it takes readers on adventures through Cyprus, Acre, Jaffa, and other locales;
however, there are maps, family trees, and character descriptions at the
beginning that will help wayward readers. The well-meaning but flawed Sir Balian
is a great central figure—a bit like William Shakespeare’s portrayal of the
young Prince Hal, without being too clever for his (and his people’s) own good.
The leading female characters, meanwhile, aren’t blushing maidens waiting to be
rescued but rather forceful actors in their own rights.
An exciting royal adventure with a
large cast.
KIRKUS REVIEW
No comments:
Post a Comment