Devil's Bargain [Paperback]

Judith Tarr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

The year is 1191. The place is the Holy Land, where the knights of Christ are embroiled in a war with the armies of Islam. The prize is the holy city of Jerusalem.

Led by Richard the Lionheart, the armies of the West are conducting a Crusade against the sultan Saladin. In Cyprus, the king's mother, Eleanor, has struck a devil's bargain to grant Richard victory at any cost. Only Sinan the sorcerer knows that victory will cost the king his immortal soul.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After the brilliant, subtle Pride of Kings (2001), in which England's Prince John refreshingly proved to be a hero rather than a villain, Judith Tarr stumbles in her latest alternative historical fantasy, Devil's Bargain, which concerns King Richard and the Third Crusade. Sorcery and witchcraft in the struggle for the Holy Land make for an interesting mix, but shallow, trite characterizations will put off readers expecting better.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As Richard the Lionheart leads his armies on a seemingly doomed quest to capture Jerusalem, his mother, Eleanor, bargains with the Old Man of the Mountains, the master of assassins, to secure victory for her son. The price: Richard's soul. Only his bastard half-sister Sioned, attached as a healer to the armies of the First Crusade, dares to risk her own life and soul to rescue Richard from damnation. Tarr (Pride of Kings; Kingdom of the Grail) crafts an alternate history of the First Crusade that blends magic and myth with meticulously researched historical fact to create a tale of romance and intrigue that belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Roc Trade; First Edition edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451458966
• ISBN-13: 978-0451458964
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,494,808 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting Historical Fantasy, April 11, 2003

By 

Maye Vanarsdel (Clinton, Md USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devil's Bargain (Paperback)

A seamless alternate history that appears to be so close to 'real' history, that you could be left believing that the events portrayed actually happened. Sioned, an illegitimate sister of Richard the Lionheart, is the heroine of the novel. Eleanor, queen mother of Richard, has used her black arts to ensure that Richard's Crusade against Saladin is successful. Sioned works in the crusader's hospital, and does diplomatic work when Richard requires it. Sioned rather inconveniently falls in love with a diplomat on the opposite side. The novel revolves around Sioned's loyalty to her brother and her wish to be with Ahmad, Saladin's brother and prime Muslim negotiator with the Christian side. Sioned is called upon to resolve the problems that Eleanor has created with her black magic when the consequences of the bargain that Eleanor has made with the demonic forces coincide with the Crusade to endanger the whole Crusade and the Crown of England. A well written and absorbing alternate history fantasy that is worth your time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a good read from a usually great writer, March 31, 2003

By 

JLT "jtouchst" (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Devil's Bargain (Paperback)

I have been a Tarr fan since I was about 14 years old. I have read most of her fantasy series and her historical novels. So when I saw this one, I grabbed it. Sadly, this book is very dissappointing. It is so lacking in freshness and originality that I was bored to senselessness. I found myself skipping pages and pages in this book. It felt like it would never end. And by the way, skipping those pages did not detract from this slow moving tale at all. The characters are all people you have met before in other of her works and better portrayed. It is hard to say exactly what is it that makes this book so poor except to say that in reading it you definately have a feeling of "been there, done that". I felt as if the author was sleep walking thru this one-- doing it to satisfy a contract or something. If you are a Tarr fan, this is one book that you can skip. I have faith that she will be better next time.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong alternate history novel, October 7, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devil's Bargain (Paperback)

In 1192 on an Earth much like our own in most respects, Richard I is leading the third crusade to take the Holy Lands. His Majesty expects the battle to be fought on the mortal plane. However, he doesn't know that his mother, Queen Eleanor, a dark sorceress in her own right, has made a pact with Sinan, beloved of Ibris and all the other dark Gods that have ever lived. The Lionheart will win the war and take Jerusalem but the price will be very high.

Sioned, Richard's illegitimate half-sister is traveling with him on the campaign. She has the sight and power of magic that she will learn how to use from Ahmad, Saladin's half-brother who also possesses the talent. Enemies and lovers, the pair fights the powers of darkness that surround them, hoping that Richard will be able to fight off Sinan's power with the Seal of Solomon that Sioned stole from the enemy.

Harry Turtledove is well known for his alternate history novels but Judith Tarr, is his equal in every respect. On a world that never was but could have been, magic play a key role in the affairs of mankind with one woman's burning ambition capable of destroying an empire. DEVIL'S BARGAIN is a masterpiece of intrigue, sorcery and romance.

Harriet Klausner