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مه پرتگاه را از نظر کسانی که محکوم به زوال هستند مستور می‌دار� ... طلسم یکی از معروف‌تری� داستان‌ها� والتر اسکات، نویسنده نامدار اسکاتلندی، است. این داستان از پیکارهای مسلمانان و مسیحیان، که در تاریخ به نام جنگ‌ها� صلیبی معروف است، مایه گرفته و هر چند موضوع آن تاریخی است، ولی خیال‌پرداز� بیش از واقعیت در آن راه یافته است.
610 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1823
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About the author
Walter Scott
11.3kbooks1,869followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet FRSE FSAScot, was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819), Rob Roy (1817), Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature.
As an advocate, judge, and legal administrator by profession, he combined writing and editing with his daily work as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire. He was prominent in Edinburgh's Tory establishment, active in the Highland Society, long time a president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1820�1832), and a vice president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1827�1829). His knowledge of history and literary facility equipped him to establish the historical novel genre as an exemplar of European Romanticism. He became a baronet of Abbotsford in the County of Roxburgh.
Scott's work shows the influence of the 18th century Enlightenment. He thought of every individual as basically human, regardless of class, religion, politics, or ancestry. A major theme of his work is toleration. His novels express the need for social progress that does not reject the traditions of the past.
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet FRSE FSAScot, was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels Ivanhoe (1819), Rob Roy (1817), Waverley (1814), Old Mortality (1816), The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), and The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), along with the narrative poems Marmion (1808) and The Lady of the Lake (1810). He had a major impact on European and American literature.
As an advocate, judge, and legal administrator by profession, he combined writing and editing with his daily work as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire. He was prominent in Edinburgh's Tory establishment, active in the Highland Society, long time a president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1820�1832), and a vice president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1827�1829). His knowledge of history and literary facility equipped him to establish the historical novel genre as an exemplar of European Romanticism. He became a baronet of Abbotsford in the County of Roxburgh.
Scott's work shows the influence of the 18th century Enlightenment. He thought of every individual as basically human, regardless of class, religion, politics, or ancestry. A major theme of his work is toleration. His novels express the need for social progress that does not reject the traditions of the past.
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November 25, 2020
A lone knight heavily armed, covered with armor travels through the hot arid desert to reach the Dead Sea, equally without life on horseback he looks at the empty surface the small space, a peculiar odor that omits from it, the strange color unlike any other lake, the salt contents so thick that a person floats to the top without effort underneath the Bible says, the wicked cities destroyed by God lie hundreds of feet below, at the never seen bottom. Sir Kenneth of Scotland as he calls himself ( disguises are prevalent in the novel) is on a special, secret, (King Richard, wants to continue to fight) hazardous mission, for the Kings and nobles the Third Crusade is coming to an end in 1192. The knight must get out of the tormenting endless Sun, a small spring with a couple of Palm trees nearby for shade, the weary rider sees something moving on the horizon too, quickly coming he ascertains it's a Saracen...The battle, the Christian has a long lance and sword sharp dagger, big shield, with a chain mail, his horse also the Muslim ( the Emir Sherkohf he discovers later) stays away and shoots arrows very accurately. The exhausting skirmish soon becomes a stalemate the truce is declared the tired, brave combatants become unlikely friends with reservations, both drink the precious pure waters from the spring, they eat a meal the Knight sips wine and eats pork which the Emir finds repugnant and both sleep under the Palm trees. ..Sir Kenneth must meet a hermit the Venerable Theodorick, the Saracen can help, he knows this eccentric man and where he lives. A pile of rocks, in the middle of the desolate land, the wild man appears like a savage the Emir is attacked by the tall madman, but the Emir laughs...taken deep into a cave well hidden and difficult to find. Sir Kenneth must speak in private to the monk about a permanent truce between the Crusaders and Sultan Saladin, to end the war while King Richard the Lionhearted is ill. This now normal yet clever human, is friend's to both sides. The knight is left alone in a secret side cave, two unearthly dwarfs come from under the floor from a trap door and soon leave, feminine voices sweetly singing hymns penetrate through the stones, soon a procession of nuns and boys materializes march three times around the tiny room, the beautiful lady Edith drops rosebuds at his feet. Sir Kenneth is smitten, who would not? he must see her again...back at the Crusader's camp in Palestine, the Christian armies are restless King Philip of France wants to go home, Archduke Leopold of Austria, a Marquis, Conrade of Montferrat ( northern Italy), and other royal leaders also, the crumbling quest seems about to collapse too many rivalries and dissensions . The goal of capturing the holy city of Jerusalem not possible now. A skillful mystifying Arabian physician sent by Saladin, El Hakim arrives and saves the life of King Richard with a magical bag ( a talisman)...why? The hopeless love of the Scottish knight for Lady Edith, cousin of the ferocious English monarch and he just a lowly knight or is he?... When chivalry was at its zenith, kings and nobles knights and their ladies, enemies vanquished the good will win in any contest but reality soon becomes clear, not always... And Saladin was more noble than the Christians. An interesting tale full of adventurous scenes and colorful characters some who actually lived, dominated by the magnificent Richard the Lionheart.
April 9, 2019
The Talisman wins my respect for its sympathetic portrayal of a Muslim--rare for 1825--and it wins my affection not only for its memorable characterizations of Lionheart and Saladin, but also for its vivid descriptions of Crusader and Saracen dress and pageantry. The style is verbose, the dialogue is infuriating in its deliberate stiltedness (as if anyone ever talked in this pseudo-Medieval fashion!), and its plot--a far cry from the carefully structured "Ivanhoe"--is thin and melodramatic (with one device that strongly resembles a TV episode of "Lassie"). Nevertheless, its thoughtful themes and basic humanity redeem it in the end.
Both in Ivanhoe and here, Scott focuses on the real outsiders of society (the Muslim, the Jew) and compares and contrasts them with the "inside outsider" (the Scot, the Saxon knight, the patriotic outlaw), showing how both groups serve to enrich and broaden a hierarchical, exclusionary culture.
Even more interesting is the fact that these outsiders often succeed in their objectives by adopting an even lowlier disguise: the Saracen prince transforms himself first into a simple Muslim warrior and secondly into a Moorish physician in order to understand better his Crusader foes, the penitent knight turned hermit counterfeits madness in order to conceal his political machinations to win the Holy Land, and the Scottish prince--first disguised as a humble knight and then dishonored--returns to the tent of his English king in the guise of a mute Ethiopian slave, later emerging triumphant as His Majesty's anonymous champion. In a larger sense, though, all these outsiders are anonymous champions--"invisible men" (the echo of Ralph Ellison is deliberate) exploiting their marginal status to achieve admirable goals.
September 27, 2023
طلسم کتابی ایست از والتر اسکات ، نویسنده اسکاتلندی که بیشتر او را به عنوان پدر رمان تاریخی می شناسند. این رمان بر اساس وقایع واقعی جنگ‌ها� صلیبی نوشته شده� اما وجود عناصری تخیلی و داستانی ، از وجه تاریخی کتاب کاسته و طلسم را البته همانگونه که نام کتاب نشان می دهد باید بیشتر تخیلی دانست تا تاریخی .
در کتاب اسکات شخصیت های تاریخی مانند ریچارد شیردل - همان برادر پرنس جان در کارتون رابین هود است ( نام پرنس جان گرچه در کتاب بسیار کم آمده و هر دو بار هم به بی کفایتی او در جمع آوری مالیات اشاره شده اما او را می توان به سبب کارتون بسیار مشهور رابین هود ( محصول سال 1973 به کارگردانی ولفگانگ رایترمن ) بسیار شناخته شده تر از دیگران دانست ) ، فیلیپ دوم ، پادشاه فرانسه ، لئوپولد پنجم ، پادشاه اتریش و البته صلاح الدین ایوبی ، فرمانده مشهور مسلمانان در جنگ های صلیبی حضور دارند ، اسکات از یک واقعه تاریخی یعنی اختلافات میان کشورهای مسیحی و بی خردی ریچارد شیردل استفاده کرده و داستان خود را بیان کرده است ، طرح داستانی او بسیار ساده و سست بوده و پایان کتاب را هم به راحتی می توان حدس زد .
در کتاب اسکات شخصیت های تاریخی مانند ریچارد شیردل - همان برادر پرنس جان در کارتون رابین هود است ( نام پرنس جان گرچه در کتاب بسیار کم آمده و هر دو بار هم به بی کفایتی او در جمع آوری مالیات اشاره شده اما او را می توان به سبب کارتون بسیار مشهور رابین هود ( محصول سال 1973 به کارگردانی ولفگانگ رایترمن ) بسیار شناخته شده تر از دیگران دانست ) ، فیلیپ دوم ، پادشاه فرانسه ، لئوپولد پنجم ، پادشاه اتریش و البته صلاح الدین ایوبی ، فرمانده مشهور مسلمانان در جنگ های صلیبی حضور دارند ، اسکات از یک واقعه تاریخی یعنی اختلافات میان کشورهای مسیحی و بی خردی ریچارد شیردل استفاده کرده و داستان خود را بیان کرده است ، طرح داستانی او بسیار ساده و سست بوده و پایان کتاب را هم به راحتی می توان حدس زد .
April 26, 2019
کتاب خوبی بود. فقط ترجمه دلچسب و روان نبود و مملو از کلمات نامانوس و عربی بود و گاها مجبور بودم به فرهنگ لغت مراجعه کنم. چند نمونه برای استحضار کسانی که قصد خواندن دارند می آورم:
مضایقه از تطویل بقا و تسکین درد کبر پرعصیانی است ص 271.
آنان دیوانگان را ملهم عالم بالا می پندارند ص 173.
ما در این وادی میغ آلود بشری طی طریق می کنیم ص 382.
او آماده استماع احتجاج های شاه نبود ص 379.
نظامات مقرره جامعه 208
تحذیر را تجاهل کرد 221
احاله خواهم کرد 234
نسق مستور داشتند 228
معاضدت 370
رامشگر 209
مطمح 304
ترضیه خاطر 306
و...
نمی دانم آیا ترجمه دیگری از این کتاب شده یا نه؟ اگر نشده این کتاب اکیدا به یک ترجمه امروزی و روان و زیبا نیاز دارد.
مضایقه از تطویل بقا و تسکین درد کبر پرعصیانی است ص 271.
آنان دیوانگان را ملهم عالم بالا می پندارند ص 173.
ما در این وادی میغ آلود بشری طی طریق می کنیم ص 382.
او آماده استماع احتجاج های شاه نبود ص 379.
نظامات مقرره جامعه 208
تحذیر را تجاهل کرد 221
احاله خواهم کرد 234
نسق مستور داشتند 228
معاضدت 370
رامشگر 209
مطمح 304
ترضیه خاطر 306
و...
نمی دانم آیا ترجمه دیگری از این کتاب شده یا نه؟ اگر نشده این کتاب اکیدا به یک ترجمه امروزی و روان و زیبا نیاز دارد.
December 29, 2017
The Talisman (Tales of the Crusaders #2), (1825), Sir Walter Scott
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سوم ماه سپتامبر سال 1971 میلادی
عنوان: طلسم ؛ نویسنده: والتر اسکات؛ مترجم: حسین دره باغی؛ تهران، بنگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب، 1340؛ در 345 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان انگلیسی قرن 19 م
در سپاه صلیبیون مستقر در سرزمین مقدس، به رهبری ریچارد شیردل، نفاق درگرفته است. رهبران دیگر عبارتند از: فیلیپ، پادشاه فرانسه؛ لئوپولد، دوک اتریش؛ مارکی دو مونتسرات، و استاد اعظم شهسواران پرستشگاه. شهسوار بیچاره اما جسوری از اسکاتلند، معروف به سرکنت یا شهسوار یوزپلنگ، احترامی راستین و البته متقابل نسبت به امیری عرب احساس می‌کن�. آن دو بی‌هی� نتیجه� ای با یکدیگر جنگ تن به تن کرده� اند. این برخورد نتایجی بسیار مطلوب برای سر کنت در پی دارد، زیرا دیری نمی‌گذر� که دچار مشکل بزرگی می‌شو�. یک شب که مسئول حفاظت از بیرق انگلستان است، از ادیت دو پلانتاژنه که دوستش می‌دار� پیغامی دریافت می‌کن� و از مأموریت خود غافل می‌شو�. مسئول این توطئه ملکه برانژر، همسر ریچارد است. دشمنان با استفاده از غیبت کوتاه سر کنت، بیرقی را که مسئول حفظ آن بود، پاره پاره می‌کنن�. کنت به یاری پزشکی عرب که کسی جز امیر نیست، از مرگی که ریچارد بدان محکومش کرده بود، نجات می‌یاب�. امیر به او لباس می‌ده�. پزشک دروغین به نفع کنت مداخله می‌کند� و موفق می‌شو� که او را به نام «برده» با خود ببرد. صلاح‌الدی� ـ پزشک ـ با او رفتاری انسانی در پیش می‌گیرد� و سر کنت را در لباس برده� ای مغربی به نزد ریچارد بازمی‌فرستن�. سر کنت شاه را از توطئه قتل نجات می‌دهد� و خود را به او می‌شناساند� شاه از گناه او درمی‌گذرد� و دستش را بازمی‌گذارد� تا کسی را که به بیرق ملی بی� حرمتی کرده است، بیابد. این شخص کنراد دو مونتسرات است. بی‌درن� نبردی تن به تن ترتیب می‌دهند� و طی آن، کنت مونتسرات را شکست می‌ده� و زخمی می‌کن�. در این حال، معلوم می‌شو� که سر کنت، در حقیقت دیوید، پرنس اسکاتلند است. بدین‌سا� مشکل دون� پایگی ولادت، که مانعی بر پیوند او با ادیت دو پلانتاژنه بود، برطرف می‌شو�. طلسمی که عنوان رمان بدان اشاره دارد، تعویذی است که صلاح� الدین به کمک آن ریچارد را معالجه می‌کن�. یادآوری این نکته جالب است که خانواده لاکهارت (که والتر اسکات از آنان بود) تعویذی در اختیار داشت، به نام: لی-پنی که سیمون لاکهارت، از جنگی صلیبی با خود آورده بود. این رمان، که سرشار از توصیفهای زنده و بدیع از فلسطین است، جزو بهترین آثار والتر اسکات به شمار می‌رو�. ا. شربیانی
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سوم ماه سپتامبر سال 1971 میلادی
عنوان: طلسم ؛ نویسنده: والتر اسکات؛ مترجم: حسین دره باغی؛ تهران، بنگاه ترجمه و نشر کتاب، 1340؛ در 345 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان انگلیسی قرن 19 م
در سپاه صلیبیون مستقر در سرزمین مقدس، به رهبری ریچارد شیردل، نفاق درگرفته است. رهبران دیگر عبارتند از: فیلیپ، پادشاه فرانسه؛ لئوپولد، دوک اتریش؛ مارکی دو مونتسرات، و استاد اعظم شهسواران پرستشگاه. شهسوار بیچاره اما جسوری از اسکاتلند، معروف به سرکنت یا شهسوار یوزپلنگ، احترامی راستین و البته متقابل نسبت به امیری عرب احساس می‌کن�. آن دو بی‌هی� نتیجه� ای با یکدیگر جنگ تن به تن کرده� اند. این برخورد نتایجی بسیار مطلوب برای سر کنت در پی دارد، زیرا دیری نمی‌گذر� که دچار مشکل بزرگی می‌شو�. یک شب که مسئول حفاظت از بیرق انگلستان است، از ادیت دو پلانتاژنه که دوستش می‌دار� پیغامی دریافت می‌کن� و از مأموریت خود غافل می‌شو�. مسئول این توطئه ملکه برانژر، همسر ریچارد است. دشمنان با استفاده از غیبت کوتاه سر کنت، بیرقی را که مسئول حفظ آن بود، پاره پاره می‌کنن�. کنت به یاری پزشکی عرب که کسی جز امیر نیست، از مرگی که ریچارد بدان محکومش کرده بود، نجات می‌یاب�. امیر به او لباس می‌ده�. پزشک دروغین به نفع کنت مداخله می‌کند� و موفق می‌شو� که او را به نام «برده» با خود ببرد. صلاح‌الدی� ـ پزشک ـ با او رفتاری انسانی در پیش می‌گیرد� و سر کنت را در لباس برده� ای مغربی به نزد ریچارد بازمی‌فرستن�. سر کنت شاه را از توطئه قتل نجات می‌دهد� و خود را به او می‌شناساند� شاه از گناه او درمی‌گذرد� و دستش را بازمی‌گذارد� تا کسی را که به بیرق ملی بی� حرمتی کرده است، بیابد. این شخص کنراد دو مونتسرات است. بی‌درن� نبردی تن به تن ترتیب می‌دهند� و طی آن، کنت مونتسرات را شکست می‌ده� و زخمی می‌کن�. در این حال، معلوم می‌شو� که سر کنت، در حقیقت دیوید، پرنس اسکاتلند است. بدین‌سا� مشکل دون� پایگی ولادت، که مانعی بر پیوند او با ادیت دو پلانتاژنه بود، برطرف می‌شو�. طلسمی که عنوان رمان بدان اشاره دارد، تعویذی است که صلاح� الدین به کمک آن ریچارد را معالجه می‌کن�. یادآوری این نکته جالب است که خانواده لاکهارت (که والتر اسکات از آنان بود) تعویذی در اختیار داشت، به نام: لی-پنی که سیمون لاکهارت، از جنگی صلیبی با خود آورده بود. این رمان، که سرشار از توصیفهای زنده و بدیع از فلسطین است، جزو بهترین آثار والتر اسکات به شمار می‌رو�. ا. شربیانی
April 1, 2023
I found this story so delightful, I am ready for another Scott.
July 4, 2020
I really enjoyed The Talisman. The Scottish Knight and the Moslem of many, many disguises. The story has everything with romance, chivalry, treason, intrigue and a brave dog. Richard the Lion heart comes across as a volatile, quick tempered and not to bright King. In contrast, Soltan is the exact opposite.
The backdrop of the Dead Sea and desert is evocative with hermits and the rag tail crusaders with their heads of state insecurities over Richards leadership and fame. Once again Scott has used class as a divide in romance with apparently Edith the cousin of Richard above the lowly Sir Kenneth.
All in all an enjoyable read.
The backdrop of the Dead Sea and desert is evocative with hermits and the rag tail crusaders with their heads of state insecurities over Richards leadership and fame. Once again Scott has used class as a divide in romance with apparently Edith the cousin of Richard above the lowly Sir Kenneth.
All in all an enjoyable read.
June 2, 2022
Not exactly what I was excepting but I rather enjoyed this one. It read a little like reading a novel of a Shakespeare history play to me.
March 13, 2023
Wonderful. Now I want to read more of Saladin and Richard Lionheart. Fantastic.
June 9, 2008
Sir Walter Scott writes wonderfully enjoyable historical fiction. He first ventured into this realm in 1814 with the novel, Waverley which was published anonymously as Scott's first venture into prose fiction and possibly the first-ever historical novel. His subsequent novels came to be called Waverley novels, including this story. The Talisman is the middle in the trilogy about one of England's most popular kings ~~ King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted), which begins with The Betrothed and concludes with Ivanhoe.
There are many times Scott (through his characters) gets a bit carried away in song and verse, but if you can overlook (or skim through!) these, it's a fine adventure story about the Third Crusade. Some might say the history is a bit fanciful, some might even say it's more fantasy than history. Well, never mind, standards were different then. Indeed, Scott rather set the standard as it were. It is true he was a staunch Protestant and thought most of the problems with the period had to do with Roman Catholicism, and could be cured by the Reformation, but we're all entitled to our opinions, especially when it's your book.
All that said, if you haven't read it, it's worth the reading from the perspective of Scott's perspective, even if it weren't a rollicking good tale, which it is!
Started: 3 Dec 2005
There are many times Scott (through his characters) gets a bit carried away in song and verse, but if you can overlook (or skim through!) these, it's a fine adventure story about the Third Crusade. Some might say the history is a bit fanciful, some might even say it's more fantasy than history. Well, never mind, standards were different then. Indeed, Scott rather set the standard as it were. It is true he was a staunch Protestant and thought most of the problems with the period had to do with Roman Catholicism, and could be cured by the Reformation, but we're all entitled to our opinions, especially when it's your book.
All that said, if you haven't read it, it's worth the reading from the perspective of Scott's perspective, even if it weren't a rollicking good tale, which it is!
Started: 3 Dec 2005
December 23, 2019
The Talisman opens with a Red Cross Knight toiling across the desert plain in Syria (modern Israel). He meets a Saracen and engages in thrilling combat that results in a friendly truce. The warriors then set off together to the camp of King Richard. Scott paints a vivid portrait of Richard’s camp and the political machinations of the various leaders participating in the Crusade. Our knight is caught between the rival factions and must regain his honor with the help of his unlikely Saracen ally.
Like Ivanhoe, the book requires perseverance for the first half, but then all the strands come together and the story amply rewards the initial effort. The conclusion was so exciting, I listened to it on Librivox and then went back and read it again on my Kindle.
Like Ivanhoe, the book requires perseverance for the first half, but then all the strands come together and the story amply rewards the initial effort. The conclusion was so exciting, I listened to it on Librivox and then went back and read it again on my Kindle.
March 9, 2019
En realidad 4'5.
Genial. Me ha parecido que esta novela está muy bien ambientada (el estudio histórico previo es perfecto). A mi me ha encantado, y eso que las Cruzadas no son mi época preferida precisamente,...
En la mayoría de la novela hay varios elementos de sorpresa, que no espera el lector. Sin embargo en las últimas 100 páginas, ya el lector sabe lo que va a pasar, pero aún así es un muy bien libro.
Además del aspecto histórico, me ha gustado muchísimo el mensaje de amistad y de tolerancia.
Con ganas de repetir con Scott.
Genial. Me ha parecido que esta novela está muy bien ambientada (el estudio histórico previo es perfecto). A mi me ha encantado, y eso que las Cruzadas no son mi época preferida precisamente,...
En la mayoría de la novela hay varios elementos de sorpresa, que no espera el lector. Sin embargo en las últimas 100 páginas, ya el lector sabe lo que va a pasar, pero aún así es un muy bien libro.
Además del aspecto histórico, me ha gustado muchísimo el mensaje de amistad y de tolerancia.
Con ganas de repetir con Scott.
February 18, 2025
This was a very enjoyable read! Scott has a thing for concealing identities and this story had lots of fun surprises!
November 1, 2024
Overall, I really enjoyed this read though it would not rank as my favorite Sir Walter Scott novel. I did enjoy reading a book from this particular time period of English history and also enjoyed gaining another perspective of Richard I’s character�-I was more familiar with the roses of his character and this book acquainted me with his thornier parts. The Scottish knight and Sultan were of course my favorite characters and I enjoyed the twist at the end when you found out that you were actually intimately getting to know the character of the Sultan throughout the course of the entire novel. And finally I loved how Scott weaved this entire story together after being inspired by the this mysterious talisman that survived as an ancient relic in the Scottish culture from this time period. Fascinating!
September 5, 2007
As with 'Ivanhoe','The Talisman' is a humorous, exciting, romantic adventure that deals with the Crusades, the Church, ambitious Europeans lords of Christendom, and Richard the Lionheart. This book, however, takes place in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade and contrary to expectations contains little Christian/Mohammadan hostilities, but rather is driven entirely on the conflict of in-fighting and conspiring within the Christian camp.
There are so many intriguing facets to the novel. The portrayal of muslims, especially their sultan, Saladin, is more realistic and less stereotyped as is typical of Eurocentric and Chistian culture in general. There is also the interesting motif that no one in the novel, save King Richard, is who they say they are or pretend to be.
This book is a worthy companion to 'Ivanhoe' if not for the literary aspect, then certainly in a historic, scholarly capacity, as it shows Scott's interpretation of the figure of Richard I. 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Talisman' when put together give a very interesting view of the man; his faults, his hubris, his honor, and his courage and nobility.
There are so many intriguing facets to the novel. The portrayal of muslims, especially their sultan, Saladin, is more realistic and less stereotyped as is typical of Eurocentric and Chistian culture in general. There is also the interesting motif that no one in the novel, save King Richard, is who they say they are or pretend to be.
This book is a worthy companion to 'Ivanhoe' if not for the literary aspect, then certainly in a historic, scholarly capacity, as it shows Scott's interpretation of the figure of Richard I. 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Talisman' when put together give a very interesting view of the man; his faults, his hubris, his honor, and his courage and nobility.
December 16, 2024
Audible Plus 14 hours 50 min. Robert Whitfield (AA)
Only available until December 31, 2024
I greatly enjoyed Ivanhoe, but I am enthralled by the plot and even the stereotypical character of Richard I of England.
The Talisman was brought to life by an exceptionally able narrator. My rating on this book is from the perspective of a 19th-century reader. i have a better appreciation of Scott's talent. Often, I feel I am listening to a play by Shakespeare, especially during the soliloquies. His skill as a poet is shown throughout, especially the songs sung by Blondel, Richard's minstrel. If one is reading the lyrics of Blondel's "The Bloody Vest," I suggest reading it out loud. It's the same rhyme and meter as Clement Moore's "T'was the Night Before Christmas."
I am listening to this book a second time and noticing details that I missed the first time. Sir Walter Scott was a member of the Church of Scotland (Protestant), but he was very objective in the description of Roman Catholic Church considering the divisiveness between the two churches, which were especially strong in 1825. Scott was also well acquainted with the writings of the Persians and some of the Koran. This really surprised me. Saladin's character is portrayed as more noble and honorable than more than a few of Richard I the Lion Heart's "trusted" compatriots in their quest to regain Jerusalem for the RC Church. He is certainly wiser and more capable.
I am fairly well acquainted with the Bible, having read it through many times, and Scott used the Scriptures often and ably. I would have skipped over or overlooked these references had I read this book 40 years ago. Sometimes, age has an advantage!
This novel was one the last written by Sir Walter Scott. In his later age, he wrote primarily to relieve himself of a huge debt he had assumed. He died at age 61. I am disappointed that so few of his works are available as audiobooks.
Only available until December 31, 2024
I greatly enjoyed Ivanhoe, but I am enthralled by the plot and even the stereotypical character of Richard I of England.
The Talisman was brought to life by an exceptionally able narrator. My rating on this book is from the perspective of a 19th-century reader. i have a better appreciation of Scott's talent. Often, I feel I am listening to a play by Shakespeare, especially during the soliloquies. His skill as a poet is shown throughout, especially the songs sung by Blondel, Richard's minstrel. If one is reading the lyrics of Blondel's "The Bloody Vest," I suggest reading it out loud. It's the same rhyme and meter as Clement Moore's "T'was the Night Before Christmas."
I am listening to this book a second time and noticing details that I missed the first time. Sir Walter Scott was a member of the Church of Scotland (Protestant), but he was very objective in the description of Roman Catholic Church considering the divisiveness between the two churches, which were especially strong in 1825. Scott was also well acquainted with the writings of the Persians and some of the Koran. This really surprised me. Saladin's character is portrayed as more noble and honorable than more than a few of Richard I the Lion Heart's "trusted" compatriots in their quest to regain Jerusalem for the RC Church. He is certainly wiser and more capable.
I am fairly well acquainted with the Bible, having read it through many times, and Scott used the Scriptures often and ably. I would have skipped over or overlooked these references had I read this book 40 years ago. Sometimes, age has an advantage!
This novel was one the last written by Sir Walter Scott. In his later age, he wrote primarily to relieve himself of a huge debt he had assumed. He died at age 61. I am disappointed that so few of his works are available as audiobooks.
September 9, 2011
Sir Walter Scott was a much-loved author of the 19th century: he wrote great tales of adventure, as appealing now as they were then, but today we read them with a keen awareness of the British sense of entitlement which guides Scott’s characters� actions.
The Talisman is a tale of the Crusades, set in 1190 and beginning when there was a truce between the Saracens and King Richard the Lionheart. As with many another historical novel, Scott takes liberties with the historical record, and probably with his depictions of Arab culture too, but rather than analyse its deficiencies with a post-colonial eye, I chose to surrender to the adventure instead.
BEWARE: SPOILERS (Nothing but, really)
It begins, as does The Faerie Queen with the image of the lone knight plodding through an eerie landscape, in this case the arid wastes of the desert. He’s weighed down by all the chain mail paraphernalia of the knight and Scott notes that many crusaders died from the effects of the torpid heat. However this knight (and his horse) have adapted easily. Clearly he has exceptional qualities of endurance, and he’s also honorable. After two years on the campaign he’s run out of money to support the usual followers (who we presume would cook his meals, wash his socks and help him repel the enemy) but the reason for his impecunious state is that (a) he wasn’t well off to start with, though clearly better off than a luckless peasant and (b) (unlike other crusaders) he’s chosen not to rob those he’s defeated nor demand ransom for their return. His squire, who by rights should be loyal and therefore not in need of any such sordid inducement as regular payment, is absent because he is ill, not because he’s shot through. Is our hero cast down by his circumstances? Certainly not. He ‘was accustomed to consider his good sword as his safest escort, and devout thoughts as his best companion�.
To read the rest of my review please visit
The Talisman is a tale of the Crusades, set in 1190 and beginning when there was a truce between the Saracens and King Richard the Lionheart. As with many another historical novel, Scott takes liberties with the historical record, and probably with his depictions of Arab culture too, but rather than analyse its deficiencies with a post-colonial eye, I chose to surrender to the adventure instead.
BEWARE: SPOILERS (Nothing but, really)
It begins, as does The Faerie Queen with the image of the lone knight plodding through an eerie landscape, in this case the arid wastes of the desert. He’s weighed down by all the chain mail paraphernalia of the knight and Scott notes that many crusaders died from the effects of the torpid heat. However this knight (and his horse) have adapted easily. Clearly he has exceptional qualities of endurance, and he’s also honorable. After two years on the campaign he’s run out of money to support the usual followers (who we presume would cook his meals, wash his socks and help him repel the enemy) but the reason for his impecunious state is that (a) he wasn’t well off to start with, though clearly better off than a luckless peasant and (b) (unlike other crusaders) he’s chosen not to rob those he’s defeated nor demand ransom for their return. His squire, who by rights should be loyal and therefore not in need of any such sordid inducement as regular payment, is absent because he is ill, not because he’s shot through. Is our hero cast down by his circumstances? Certainly not. He ‘was accustomed to consider his good sword as his safest escort, and devout thoughts as his best companion�.
To read the rest of my review please visit
March 28, 2017
I have to admit that the overwhelming feeling I am left with after finishing this book is one of amusement. It's a story largely of man's folly in believing that honour is the most important thing to consider - to the point that King Richard very nearly kills our hero just because someone stole a flag that he was supposed to be guarding!!
But once you get over the really old-fashioned points of view, the story is ok. Set at the times of the crusades, it follows Sir Kenneth as he sort of falls from one accidental incident to another, all while keeping his heroic, manly, upstanding bearing - I suppose this is the precursor to the English 'stiff-upper-lip'! Everything turns out ok in the end, with the bad guys well and truly trounced, and the good guys all getting on is the most super way!
Despite what I've just written, I did enjoy it - my copy is really old and has some interesting colour plates illustrating the book, which was an added bonus.
But once you get over the really old-fashioned points of view, the story is ok. Set at the times of the crusades, it follows Sir Kenneth as he sort of falls from one accidental incident to another, all while keeping his heroic, manly, upstanding bearing - I suppose this is the precursor to the English 'stiff-upper-lip'! Everything turns out ok in the end, with the bad guys well and truly trounced, and the good guys all getting on is the most super way!
Despite what I've just written, I did enjoy it - my copy is really old and has some interesting colour plates illustrating the book, which was an added bonus.
January 19, 2021
Loved this book! A good solid adventure about the crusades with Richard the Lionheart and the Soldan Suleiman. What makes this special is Scott’s talent in writing rich dialogue that immersed me completely into the novel every time I picked it up. The characters came to life, even the secondary characters, and the plot with all the scheming and changes in loyalties, all shone through the dialogue. Then the elaborate medieval setting with just enough meticulous details each time to set the scene without Scott blabbering on as if he needed to prove his knowledge... perfect! A real master at writing literary adventures... if only modern writers could be this eloquent. Having now read The Talisman and Ivanhoe, I look forward to reading more of his works.
January 2, 2015
Sir Walter Scott's second Crusades novel, The Talisman (1825), is an absorbing and humorous book set in the holy land during the 3rd Crusade. The Crusaders are not unlike the invading and besieging Greeks in The Iliad: formidable fighters riven by the mutual pride, suspicion, envy, and hatred of their leaders, a connection that Scott highlights by comparing Richard the Lionheart to Achilles and King Philip of France to Odysseus. And the major movement of the plot hinges on an argument over the relative positioning of the Austrian and English flags on a hill.
The novel opens with the chance meeting of two solitary enemy knights, a Crusader from Scotland, Sir Kenneth of the Couchant Leopard, and a Saracen emir, Ilderim Sheerkohf (the Lion of the Mountains) at an oasis in the desert. After an exciting fight to a draw, the men make a truce, leading to an interesting and comical clash of cultures as the Kurdish Saracen insists on guiding the Scot to his destination, the sacred chapel-retreat of a wild Christian hermit. The two men admire each other’s martial ability and spirit, but scorn each other's customs and ideas about everything from nourishment and marriage to climatology and, of course, religion (each man figuring the other is bound for hell). While they are riding through the part of the wilderness where Jesus fasted for forty days and was tempted by Satan, the Kurd irritates the quiet and respectful Scot by singing sensual Persian songs about, for instance, how one Rudpiki prefers the mole on the bosom of his mistress to all the wealth of Bokhara and Samarcand. It will develop that neither man is quite what he seems at first.
Meanwhile, sick in the Crusader camp in Palestine stews Richard the Lionheart, the only leader with guts and charisma and ability to unify all the crusaders from different countries for their purpose of retrieving Jerusalem from the “infidels,� but therefore also the leader most envied and hated by his fellow leaders. And while the army is immobilized by Richard's illness, the different feuds and enmities of the soldiers fester: the French and English, the English and Scotts, the Italians and Germans, and the Danes and Swedes all hate each other, and there are no worthy leaders to replace Richard, so they’re stuck in a truce in the holy land, having to pay Saladin for water and food just to sustain themselves, while whole bands of soldiers daily give up the cause and return home. And then the duplicitous Conrade of Monserrat and the creepy Grand Master of the Templars are scheming their own agendas. And Richard’s spoiled young queen Berengaria is either playing appalling pranks or giving vent to “ecstasies and passionate hypochondriacal effusions.� And a courtly love affair between people of too wildly different stations leads to unexpected consequences. And a faithful and intelligent hound named Roswal (“a majestic dog�) does his perilous duty. And just where is Saladin, anyway?
The Talisman might not be historically accurate in terms of things like the fate of Conrad, the presence of Sir Kenneth, and the age of Richard’s feisty kinswoman Edith, but it’s a lot of fun. Scott takes great pleasure in his history, as when he depicts a feast hosted by Leopold the Archduke of Austria wherein the ruler is attended by his “proverb-monger,� who shakes clashing coins on the end of his rod to announce an impending pearl of wisdom and then utters it, and by his fool, who shakes the bells in his motley cap and mocks the wisdom of the "sage," who then feels compelled to explicate the fool’s cryptic mockery to the company at large, which then provokes the fool to mock him more, until between their competing coins and bells and ever noisier utterances it’s difficult to decide who is the greater fool and who the greater entertainer.
Despite setting his novel at a crisis point of the 3rd Crusades, Scott is more interested in personality, desire, power, gender, chivalry, and love than in warfare, and writes no large-scale battles and surprisingly few fights between Crusaders and Saracens. His book is refreshingly unbiased towards Moslems or Crusaders and presents them all as interesting and flawed people. The ending is too sudden and contrived, but The Talisman is mostly an entertaining, humorous, and suspenseful book with interesting characters, snappy early 19th century medieval dialogue, and many great lines worthy of rereading and savoring:
“The wise man warms him by the same firebrand with which the madman burneth the tent.�
“Seek a fallen star . . . and thou shalt only light on some foul jelly, which, in shooting through the horizon, has assumed for a moment an appearance of splendour.�
“But in the Crusade, itself an undertaking wholly irrational, the quality of sound reason, of all others least esteemed, and the chivalric valor which both the age and the enterprise demanded was considered as debased if mingled with the least touch of discretion.�
Fans of historical romances, Crusades literature, or Walter Scott should read The Talisman (there's a good free LibraVox recording of it).
The novel opens with the chance meeting of two solitary enemy knights, a Crusader from Scotland, Sir Kenneth of the Couchant Leopard, and a Saracen emir, Ilderim Sheerkohf (the Lion of the Mountains) at an oasis in the desert. After an exciting fight to a draw, the men make a truce, leading to an interesting and comical clash of cultures as the Kurdish Saracen insists on guiding the Scot to his destination, the sacred chapel-retreat of a wild Christian hermit. The two men admire each other’s martial ability and spirit, but scorn each other's customs and ideas about everything from nourishment and marriage to climatology and, of course, religion (each man figuring the other is bound for hell). While they are riding through the part of the wilderness where Jesus fasted for forty days and was tempted by Satan, the Kurd irritates the quiet and respectful Scot by singing sensual Persian songs about, for instance, how one Rudpiki prefers the mole on the bosom of his mistress to all the wealth of Bokhara and Samarcand. It will develop that neither man is quite what he seems at first.
Meanwhile, sick in the Crusader camp in Palestine stews Richard the Lionheart, the only leader with guts and charisma and ability to unify all the crusaders from different countries for their purpose of retrieving Jerusalem from the “infidels,� but therefore also the leader most envied and hated by his fellow leaders. And while the army is immobilized by Richard's illness, the different feuds and enmities of the soldiers fester: the French and English, the English and Scotts, the Italians and Germans, and the Danes and Swedes all hate each other, and there are no worthy leaders to replace Richard, so they’re stuck in a truce in the holy land, having to pay Saladin for water and food just to sustain themselves, while whole bands of soldiers daily give up the cause and return home. And then the duplicitous Conrade of Monserrat and the creepy Grand Master of the Templars are scheming their own agendas. And Richard’s spoiled young queen Berengaria is either playing appalling pranks or giving vent to “ecstasies and passionate hypochondriacal effusions.� And a courtly love affair between people of too wildly different stations leads to unexpected consequences. And a faithful and intelligent hound named Roswal (“a majestic dog�) does his perilous duty. And just where is Saladin, anyway?
The Talisman might not be historically accurate in terms of things like the fate of Conrad, the presence of Sir Kenneth, and the age of Richard’s feisty kinswoman Edith, but it’s a lot of fun. Scott takes great pleasure in his history, as when he depicts a feast hosted by Leopold the Archduke of Austria wherein the ruler is attended by his “proverb-monger,� who shakes clashing coins on the end of his rod to announce an impending pearl of wisdom and then utters it, and by his fool, who shakes the bells in his motley cap and mocks the wisdom of the "sage," who then feels compelled to explicate the fool’s cryptic mockery to the company at large, which then provokes the fool to mock him more, until between their competing coins and bells and ever noisier utterances it’s difficult to decide who is the greater fool and who the greater entertainer.
Despite setting his novel at a crisis point of the 3rd Crusades, Scott is more interested in personality, desire, power, gender, chivalry, and love than in warfare, and writes no large-scale battles and surprisingly few fights between Crusaders and Saracens. His book is refreshingly unbiased towards Moslems or Crusaders and presents them all as interesting and flawed people. The ending is too sudden and contrived, but The Talisman is mostly an entertaining, humorous, and suspenseful book with interesting characters, snappy early 19th century medieval dialogue, and many great lines worthy of rereading and savoring:
“The wise man warms him by the same firebrand with which the madman burneth the tent.�
“Seek a fallen star . . . and thou shalt only light on some foul jelly, which, in shooting through the horizon, has assumed for a moment an appearance of splendour.�
“But in the Crusade, itself an undertaking wholly irrational, the quality of sound reason, of all others least esteemed, and the chivalric valor which both the age and the enterprise demanded was considered as debased if mingled with the least touch of discretion.�
Fans of historical romances, Crusades literature, or Walter Scott should read The Talisman (there's a good free LibraVox recording of it).
April 11, 2023
A very educational historical classic based on Richard 1 AKA Richard the lionheart was a slow read to start off with but then became more interesting
August 18, 2015
From BBC Radio 4 - Drama:
The Talisman is the finale of Scott's novels set during the crusades but this one features the dying dog days of the Third Crusade. Richard the Lionheart is de facto leader but the military expedition has ground to a halt and the allies are getting itchy feet. They are sick of Richard's over-bearing leadership and, to make it worse, very few of them still believe Jerusalem can be reconquered.
To the modern reader this must be a rather recondite setting. Beyond the jousting and the knightliness, how much do we care about the crusades anymore? And that's without opening the can of worms as to whether the West had any more right to be there then than it does now.
Jonathan Myerson, the adapter, wondered how to update this story and find a modern parallel to this situation.
And then it came to him: Occupy London in 2011. Those protestors started with the same, almost ecstatic belief in the possibility of change. They aimed to seize the holiest of places - the London Stock Exchange - but were beaten back and forced to set up camp outside. As the original crusaders came to loathe the heat and insect life in their desert encampment outside Jerusalem, the protestors of Occupy came to much the same conclusion - as winter set in - about sleeping on the cold, wet flagstones of St.Paul's Churchyard. And, in much the same way, the competing groups started to feel it was time to pack up and go home.
So, new listeners will follow Scott's original story of conspiracy and counter-conspiracy and, most important of all, star-crossed lovers but will hear new resonances in this old tale.
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.
The Talisman is the finale of Scott's novels set during the crusades but this one features the dying dog days of the Third Crusade. Richard the Lionheart is de facto leader but the military expedition has ground to a halt and the allies are getting itchy feet. They are sick of Richard's over-bearing leadership and, to make it worse, very few of them still believe Jerusalem can be reconquered.
To the modern reader this must be a rather recondite setting. Beyond the jousting and the knightliness, how much do we care about the crusades anymore? And that's without opening the can of worms as to whether the West had any more right to be there then than it does now.
Jonathan Myerson, the adapter, wondered how to update this story and find a modern parallel to this situation.
And then it came to him: Occupy London in 2011. Those protestors started with the same, almost ecstatic belief in the possibility of change. They aimed to seize the holiest of places - the London Stock Exchange - but were beaten back and forced to set up camp outside. As the original crusaders came to loathe the heat and insect life in their desert encampment outside Jerusalem, the protestors of Occupy came to much the same conclusion - as winter set in - about sleeping on the cold, wet flagstones of St.Paul's Churchyard. And, in much the same way, the competing groups started to feel it was time to pack up and go home.
So, new listeners will follow Scott's original story of conspiracy and counter-conspiracy and, most important of all, star-crossed lovers but will hear new resonances in this old tale.
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4.
August 21, 2020
The frame story is about a knight hiding his identity and his love for a female relative of King Richard the Lion Heart towards the end of the 3rd Crusade in the 12th Century. However, for me the real point of interest was the mutual regard and respect between Richard Coeur de Lion and Saladin - hence also the very high regard which the famous historical novelist Sir Walter Scott had for Saladin.The rest of the story is on noble love, honor, intrigue, and betrayal. Against the backdrop of infighting amongst the Crusader leaders it is these two heroic figures that Scott revels in writing about. Saladin has taken on a legendary aura due to his code of honor, chivalry, justness, courage and military successes and much as it was a time of great enmity and prejudice he has has been hailed and glorified in much of Western literature as the worthiest of opponents.
January 18, 2021
رواية الطلسم هي تجربتي الثانية مع السير والتر سكوت رائد الرواية التاريخية في الادب الإنجليزي بعد تجربتي الاولي الممتازة مع عملة الأشهر ايفانهو لم تأتي هذه التجربة على نفس القدر من الجودة.
رواية الطلسم تدور احداثها في أثناء فترة الحرب الصليبية الثالثة عن فارس اسكتلندي يخدم تحت راية الملك ريتشارد لنشاهد وجهة نظر الكاتب حول الصراعات داخل معسكر الجيوش الأوروبية والعلاقة بين الملك ريتشارد و السلطان صلاح الدين
الرواية يعوزها الدقة التاريخية لحد بعيد جدا كما انها تحتوي على قدر كبير من المبالغة بخصوص ريتشارد و قدر رهيب من المبالغة حول صلاح الدين.
اجمالا الرواية جيدة لكن كان الممكن نظرا لطبيعة الفترة التي تدور أحداثها خلالها ان تكون أفضل بكثير.
رواية الطلسم تدور احداثها في أثناء فترة الحرب الصليبية الثالثة عن فارس اسكتلندي يخدم تحت راية الملك ريتشارد لنشاهد وجهة نظر الكاتب حول الصراعات داخل معسكر الجيوش الأوروبية والعلاقة بين الملك ريتشارد و السلطان صلاح الدين
الرواية يعوزها الدقة التاريخية لحد بعيد جدا كما انها تحتوي على قدر كبير من المبالغة بخصوص ريتشارد و قدر رهيب من المبالغة حول صلاح الدين.
اجمالا الرواية جيدة لكن كان الممكن نظرا لطبيعة الفترة التي تدور أحداثها خلالها ان تكون أفضل بكثير.
May 25, 2024
Book: The Talisman (1823)
Movie: King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
Summary: During the Third Crusade the Scottish Knight Sir Kenneth must try and do his duty towards his country and religion while contending with an unexpected ally in the form of the Saracen physician Hakeem, the mercurial King Richard the Lionheart, petty feuding European monarchs, treacherous scheming Templars, and trying to court his love the Lady Edith whos is cousin to King Richard and above Kenneth's social status.
Differences: The setting of the Third Crusade, King Richard occasionally being a jerk but ultimately being shown as a good man, the extremely positive portrayal of the Muslim leader Saladin, Kenneth romancing an eager Edith, Kenneth being disguised at one point, the English banner being stolen, Kenneth's mastiff being wounded but not killed, a marriage between Saladin and Edith being part of a proposed alliance, the villains being Templars, and squabbling European leaders exist in both mediums.
In the film the two minor dwarf characters and a hermit are omitted, the official duel between Kenneth and another character is moved to an earlier point in the story, and Kenneth's disguise is not problematic now. The Templars being responsible for Richard's illness in the beginning, an epic chase on horseback to rescue Edith at the finale, their being a potential love triangle between Kenneth, Edith, and Saladin are all original to the film.
Verdict: Both the book and film are extremely well made pieces of media that depict the Third Crusade in an unexpectedly even-handed way and have an equally unexpected positive portrayal of a Muslim character, who is bumped up to a secondary protagonist and love interest in the film. The potential downside to the book is while it is written in modern English the style in which it is written is somewhat old fashioned and my be off-putting to some. The only downside to the film is that Rex Harrison portrays Saladin and uses makeup to darken his skin 😬. This will be an understandable deal breaker to some viewers but this was unfortunately standard practice at the the time. It is worth noting again that Harrison's portrayal of an Arabic Muslim character is completely positive as opposed to the portrayal of Muslim Arabs in the other Medieval Hollywood picture The Black Knight (1954) that released the same year.
Book: 4/5
Movie: 4/5
Movie: King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
Summary: During the Third Crusade the Scottish Knight Sir Kenneth must try and do his duty towards his country and religion while contending with an unexpected ally in the form of the Saracen physician Hakeem, the mercurial King Richard the Lionheart, petty feuding European monarchs, treacherous scheming Templars, and trying to court his love the Lady Edith whos is cousin to King Richard and above Kenneth's social status.
Differences: The setting of the Third Crusade, King Richard occasionally being a jerk but ultimately being shown as a good man, the extremely positive portrayal of the Muslim leader Saladin, Kenneth romancing an eager Edith, Kenneth being disguised at one point, the English banner being stolen, Kenneth's mastiff being wounded but not killed, a marriage between Saladin and Edith being part of a proposed alliance, the villains being Templars, and squabbling European leaders exist in both mediums.
In the film the two minor dwarf characters and a hermit are omitted, the official duel between Kenneth and another character is moved to an earlier point in the story, and Kenneth's disguise is not problematic now. The Templars being responsible for Richard's illness in the beginning, an epic chase on horseback to rescue Edith at the finale, their being a potential love triangle between Kenneth, Edith, and Saladin are all original to the film.
Verdict: Both the book and film are extremely well made pieces of media that depict the Third Crusade in an unexpectedly even-handed way and have an equally unexpected positive portrayal of a Muslim character, who is bumped up to a secondary protagonist and love interest in the film. The potential downside to the book is while it is written in modern English the style in which it is written is somewhat old fashioned and my be off-putting to some. The only downside to the film is that Rex Harrison portrays Saladin and uses makeup to darken his skin 😬. This will be an understandable deal breaker to some viewers but this was unfortunately standard practice at the the time. It is worth noting again that Harrison's portrayal of an Arabic Muslim character is completely positive as opposed to the portrayal of Muslim Arabs in the other Medieval Hollywood picture The Black Knight (1954) that released the same year.
Book: 4/5
Movie: 4/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2019
Treads a lot of the same ground as Ivanhoe, but is not nearly as good.
August 6, 2020
I loved the romanticised setting of the Crusades; the larger than life Richard Coeur de Lion (with his quick tempers) and Saladin (in his surprising appearances); the humble Knight of the Leopard Kenneth and the Holy Man of the cave. Very enjoyable novel.
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September 26, 2017Set during the Crusade to the Holy Lands led by Richard the Lion-Hearted, the main story revolves around a Scottish knight, Sir Kenneth of the Sleeping Leopard (the figure emblazoned on his shield). He has an encounter with a cavalryman of Saladin's forces outside an oasis later identified at the Diamond of the Desert. Fighting to a relative standstill, the two combatants retire to this oasis as semi-friends. It is there Kenneth meets Engaddi, a Christian hermit monk, who shows him a scene of high bred ladies performing a religi0us service in the presence of a revered relic. During this service, two rosebuds are dropped at Kenneth's feet by a veiled lady he determines is Edith, a member of Richard's household and a Plantagenet of somewhat obscure parentage. His feelings for her are of the most purely chivalrous form of courtly love since, as one of relatively low rank, he can do nothing but admire her from afar. Richard is quite ill, and thus the Crusade is not progressing well. Indeed, there is virtually no Christian-on-Muslim fighting at all in the novel, and what discord does arise does so between the various factions within the Christians camp, largely resulting from the jealousy of other leaders over Richard's 'inordinate ambition and arbitrary domination'. Saladin, hearing of Richard's illness, sends a healer, El Hakim, to tend to the King, and his cure - the basis of the title of the novel- miraculously works. While Philip of France just wants to go home and the Archduke of Austria would rather spend his nights drinking than fighting, the real threat to the Crusade's unanimity come from the Marquis of Montserrat and the Grand Master of the Templars. There schemes to actually try to assassinate Richard while also pursuing a separate peace with Saladin make for suspenseful times for Richard and Kenneth. As well, Richard's Queen, Berengaria, a young, coquettish, rather frivolous young woman, carries out an ill-minded ruse which imperils the very life of the Scottish knight. Multiple revelations of the true identities of characters - I really don't remember Scott ever having one character pretend to be two different alternative beings before - the predictable unmasking of the bad guy's motivations and foul deeds and the sweet consummation of true love all round out this story which is overwhelmingly short on real action - only two brief encounters amounting to about 5 or 6 of the 500 pages, but really long on description of eastern opulence and analysis of the differences between Christian and Islamic practices. The final feast in a Kurdistan tent spends over a page detailing the elaborate trappings and the scrumptious food served - and this after the author claims that he won't belabor the issue. The comparison of the English broadsword and the Arabian scimitar is also marvelously described. Above all these in importance is the thematic exposition of the true knightly concept of honor - it is fundamental to both Richard and Kenneth, notably lacking in the villains of the story, and truly resplendent in the actions of Saladin, with whom it appears Richard shares much more common sympathy that with his quarrelsome colleagues. This would seem to tally with what little history I've read about the Crusade led by Richard, and Scott seems to have not let his efforts - excellent as always - in telling a gripping story with multiple subplots allow him to scrimp on historical accuracy. First rate, although not within the upper echelon of the Waverley novels as a whole.
August 1, 2019
I loved Rob Roy and Ivanhoe, but this one is truly awful. A very eloquent depiction of boring people having boring interactions.
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