I was unable to put this book down. I've always been something of a medieval history buff, and am very fond of works by authors like Alison Weir. To be honest, when I had read that parts of this text were "novelized," I was a bit concerned. I have to say, though, that I found this book to be wonderfully well researched and above that, I found it to be a terrifically told tale.
I had just begun reading this book before the events of Sept. 11th, and as I delved further and further into the text in the days that followed, I realized to my amazement that it was like reading yesterday's newspaper. So little has changed...we're still fighting the same war, still reaping the bitter harvest of enmities played out over hundreds of years now. The cast of characters has not even changed that much... It was fascinating to read about the cult-like Assassins who would commit suicide at the command of their mysterious leader, and who were feared by both Muslims and Christians because of their terrorist attacks and their tendency to destabilize situations for their own ends--a la Bin Laden and al-Q'aeda.
The homosexual relationship between Richard and Philip Augustus is dealt with intelligently and sensitively, and the author makes a rather convincing case for the farreaching ramifications of their post-relationship bitterness.
The only thing I would fault the author for is a tendency to romanticize Saladin's virtue and intelligence--almost to the point of rendering him as the sole "good guy" in the whole sorry mess... But the book is absolutely worth reading!

One of the most colorful retellings of the third crusade!

"Warriors of God," reads like a tabloid history of the third crusade, and that's exactly what makes it so much fun. James Reston got the dirt on the primary English and French players and has no temerity about spreading it around. Who was the regal counterpart Richard the Lionheart was sleeping around with? You'll find the answer right here. Care for a look at the private life of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine? Step right up. Who was the "whore of Europe?" Yes, indeed, find out here. As for the politics, both in Europe and the East, well, nothing much has changed in the modus operandi of the ruling class. Richard fought a bloody war on the battlefields, and deadly political wars on the two fronts of Europe and the Holy Land. Yes, the underlying current was a holy war, but the profiteers, looters, and opportunists steered events as rigorously as the warriors and clerics. Mr. Reston has much less to say about the peccadilloes of Saladin and the warriors of Islam. In fact, they come off as models of rectitude, both in their private and public affairs. However, both sides were equally as blood-thirsty, and the blood flowed ankle deep--such were the times, such are the times.
Mr. Reston focuses quite clearly on Richard and Saladin as the protagonists of this third crusade, and in them he has found characters as large as life. They were educated, wily, impassioned leaders whose stature has not been diminished by the passage of nine hundred years.
I recommend this book both for the dirt and the history. It's a fascinating look at characters and events, as well as a witness to how the Crusades have never really ended.

An exceptional tale that delves deeply into the personalities of two of history's more famous combatants.

I really enjoyed this book. Others have called this work "popular" history, with varying degrees of condescension. I suppose it is, in that it is somewhat briefly told, but the author really has an eye for both telling detail and drama which makes for very exciting reading. I think that Reston is more interested in telling great true stories than in setting down a detailed, authoritive work for posterity. He writes the kind of history I find fascinating and is always a pleasure to read.

Author, Reston, does a great job in doing exactly what he sets out to do: present the reader with a duel biography of two iconic figures through the prism of the Third Crusade. By the end of the book, I felt much enlightened about Richard the First (whom I knew slightly), and Saladin, the great Muslim warrior (whom I knew not at all).

Reston presents Richard the Lionhearted as hot-tempered, capable of both grand gesture and petty slight (as well as moments of sadistic cruelty), a brilliant military tactician and planner; but most importantly ennobled by something special that shone through in crisis - a kind of natural, inspired leadership - a true warrior king. Some of the best passages in the book are descriptions of Richard in battle, brandishing his crossbow and sword. I would leave it to a Muslim emir, speaking about Richard after the battle of Jaffa, to sum up the English King's nearly supernatural powers on the battlefield: "In every deed at arms he is without rival, first to advance, last to retreat. We did our best to seize him, but in vain, for no one can escape his sword. His attack is dreadful. To engage with him is fatal. His deeds are not human." The mere presence of Richard's banner approaching a battlefield often broke the enemy's confidence and spirit.

The real treat of the book for me was learning about Saladin. The portrait Reston paints of this great Sultan is one of a mature man, not given to uncontrolled bouts of temper, but instead always careful, controlled, and patient. Saladin was the great unifier of the then splintered Muslim world and achieved some of the greatest of all their victories. He was not up to Richard's mark on the battlefield, but he was certainly an equal to Richard as a strategist. Unlike Richard, Saladin was often generous in victory and was, if truth be told, more naturally chivalrous and kind than his English counterpart (or for that matter any other character in the history of the Crusades, Christian or Muslim).

One of my favorite tidbits from the book is the moment when, after the battle of Jaffa, Richard fell into a near delirium from his battlefield efforts and a fever brought on by the corrupt decay of the corpses. Richard requested by messenger from Saladin some ice and peaches, of which he was very fond. Saladin, never one to refuse the request of so great a warrior (he had watched Richard during Jaffa with awe from a nearby hilltop) granted the request immediately, sending the rare treats over by currier. Of all the characters, both Christian and Muslim, that marked the Crusades, only Richard I would have requested and expected such a gift, secure that he deserved it, and only Saladin, so generous and understanding of spirit, would have granted it.

This book really captures two great men, very different, both pre-eminent icons for two cultures. I highly recommend it. -Mykal Banta

I enjoyed this book. It was detailed, academic and researched without being dry or boring. It is definitely more about personalities - fascinating ines - than battles and maps, which was a big plus in my opinion.

Nicely written and flows very well. A good look into the roots of some of the tensions between the middle east and west.