Shadow of the Swords: A Novel of the Crusades

Kamran Pasha

Washington Square Press,  June 2010

An epic saga of love and war, Shadow of the Swords tells the story of the Crusades -- from the Muslim perspective

Saladin, a Muslim sultan, finds himself pitted against King Richard the Lionheart as Islam and Christianity clash against each other, launching a conflict that still echoes today.

In the midst of a brutal and unforgiving war, Saladin finds forbidden love in the arms of Miriam, a beautiful Jewish girl with a tragic past. But when King Richard captures Miriam, the two most powerful men on Earth must face each other in a personal battle that will determine the future of the woman they both love -- and of all civilization.

Richly imagined, deftly plotted, and highly entertaining, Shadow of the Swords is a remarkable story that will stay with readers long after the final page has been turned.

paperback | ISBN: 9781416579953 | Publication Date: June 2010

Reviews:
"Forget everything you think you know about the Crusades. In this gorgeously wrought tale, Kamran Pasha depicts the other side of the legendary struggle with startling modern relevance. His unexpected vision of charismatic Saladin, tortured Richard the Lionheart, and the proud woman who comes between them is passionate, gilded with detail, and steeped in the blood and thunder of two antagonistic faiths, vying for possession of a beleaguered land. A triumph from start to finish!"
--C.W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen and The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

"A ripping, action-crammed yarn, Shadow of the Swords puts us smack into the Crusades, making this period new and visceral and riveting. Kamran Pasha is a powerful new voice in historical fiction."
--Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire

"Two outsized legends of the Crusades -- Richard the Lionheart and Saladin -- face one another once again, this time as mortal men in this intelligent, incisive portrait of the quintessential east-west conflict."
--Margaret George, bestselling author of The Memoirs of Cleopatra