The Swords of FaIth

A Novel

A charismatic Muslim leader takes control of Egypt, Syria, and the holy cities of Arabia, then leads a loosely-unified Muslim army to the conquest of Jerusalem after years of non-Muslim rule. The Muslims leave their enemies with only a desperate, tenuous hold on a few coastal cities. A fragile coalition army from the West, led by the most talented military commander of the time, storms into the area intending to reverse the Muslim takeover of the city sacred to three religions.

This could be the scenario for a present-day thriller. But it is actually a description of what history now calls the “Third Crusade,” a confrontation between armies led by two towering figures of the Middle Ages—Richard the Lionheart, and Saladin. The Swords of Faith is the story of the collision between these larger-than-life leaders, both believing they were destined by God to lead their holy armies to complete victory. The resolution of their irreconcilable goals offers fascinating entertainment, as well as insights that reverberate into the present day.

The Swords of Faith is told from the viewpoints of Richard and Saladin, as well as through the eyes of two fictional characters, a Christian knight, Pierre of Botron, and an Arab trader, Rashid of Yenbo. The story begins with Saladin’s trap at The Battle of Hattin, which ends with Pierre captured and enslaved. Pierre struggles to rescue some dignity from his humiliation, and ends up with a fate he never would have imagined. Rashid and Pierre cross paths, and their relationship is the story of how common people of good will can prosper in the midst of such a polarizing conflict. The story is true to history, with a number of scenes dramatized from Christian and Muslim chronicles. Events build, culminating with all four characters together as part of a dramatic confrontation at one of the most well-known battles of “the Crusades,” the Battle of Jaffa. And to a significant extent, their fates depend on the choices they make between the compassionate and fanatic aspects of their faiths.

EMAIL RICHARD WARREN FIELD

(The Swords of Faith is the first book in a set of three novels. Look for The Ghosts of Baghdad, and The Sultan and the Khan in the near future.)