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diontick's review against another edition
4.0
The first ever Book I have read covering this period, let alone the crusades. A great general introduction to the topic, though sometimes confusing because of the constant rotation of individuals. It's almost every page that someone new is introduced which, in fairness to the author, is confusing only because I have not encountered many, if any, of these people before. Nevertheless a great read, leaving one with the thirst to learn more about religious warfare.
karingforbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
There are bits that’ll stuck with me and as always jones does a masterful job of condensing such a broad and complex topic into something digestible and nuanced. But it’s not something I’ll necessarily think of regularly in the future and it won’t be life changing. It took me a while to get through though it’s well written and organized. It’s a great book, just doesn’t have that flare for five stars
ryner's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.0
I selected this book to fulfill the Read Harder category "a history about a period you know little about" since what I knew could probably have been summed up in a sentence or two. It was somewhat of a slow slog from beginning to end, to the point where I ultimately had to set daily page goals to make progress, but I do now feel considerably more knowledgeable about the subject matter. I made frequent use of the included maps, as well as Google for key players, geography and terminology. There were some pretty messed-up surprises: the Fourth Crusade was waged against fellow Christians; and some not-surprises: religiously-motivated acts have long been garbage, and Christianity has been demonstrably corrupt from the very beginning.
shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition
5.0
So I apparently have yet to meet a book by Dan Jones that disappoints me. He has surprised and amazed me once again with his new book: a whole lot of information about a very hostile time broken down into easily understood and comprehendable material. I also liked the way he approached the Crusaders: rather than focusing on the group as a whole and what they were fighting for, he chose to focus on specific individuals from every side of the conflict. I highly recommend this book (and all of his others!).