Dagger and the Cross, The [Hardcover]

Judith Tarr (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The inevitable clash between Christian and Saracen in the holy city of Jerusalem becomes a personal war between two immortal lovers as religious fanatics and political ambition conspire to thwart an act of conciliation that would unite two opposing faiths. Set in the alternate, magical 12th-century world of Tarr's "Hound and Falcon" series, this sequel to Alamut ( LJ 12/89), featuring compelling characters and a wealth of historic detail, belongs in most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 474 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385411812
• ISBN-13: 978-0385411813
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,344,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have a lot of academic credentials (PhD from Yale, MA from Cambridge University, AB from Mt. Holyoke) and taught writing and Latin at Wesleyan University in Connecticut--before I ran away from it all to live on a mesa in Arizona. I breed and ride Lipizzan horses, read and study history (and make up my own alternate and fantastical versions), and write--novels, short stories, articles. I teach writing online (details at http://capriole.smoe.org) and blog on the livejournals as dancinghorse. My alter ego is author Caitlin Brennan, who also has a plog on amazon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best in historical fantasy, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dagger and the Cross, The (Hardcover)

Frankly, I don't understand how any of Judith Tarr's books can ever go out of print. I own everything of hers that I've been able to find, and I read them all on at least a yearly basis, sometimes even more frequently. The Dagger and The Cross continues the story of Aidan and Morgiana, who met in Alamut. Aidan is a prince from the West, and a Crusader; Morgiana is a Muslim, and a former Assassin. One of Ms. Tarr's most marvelous gifts is the ability to weave basic human conflicts into the fabric of history and fantasy, creating an incredible tapestry of wonder and truth. Aidan and Morgiana's problem, the difficulty of reconciling their enormously different belief systems and moral codes, despite their love for one another, lies at the heart of all relationships. This is historical fantasy par excellence; a book not to be missed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History As Fantasy, July 5, 2011

By 

Anthony Dunn "le Revenant" (Lubbock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dagger and the Cross, The (Hardcover)

Judith Tarr transports the reader back to the time of the Crusader States, in a riveting tale of love, betrayal, and magic. Towering characterizations of historical figures such as the Muslim general Saladin, King Baldwin III, his sister Sybilla, her feckless husband Guy de Lusignan, all in a slightly alternate universe wherein the Jinni are real, with terrible power, and offset by Tolkien-like Elves on the side of the Crusaders. The interwoven history is real, and Ms Tarr will have the reader believing in the fantasy as well, before this novel is half read.