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A review by taisie22
The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman
5.0
The Land Beyond the Sea covers the approximately twenty-year period before Ms. Penman's previous book Lionheart. Outremer, or the lands held by the Franks during the Crusades, is under siege by Saladin and his armies. The young king is Baldwin IV, stricken with leprosy and struggling to hold his kingdom together. The politics of the various lords native to Outremer and those on Crusade, the struggle between the Roman and Greek churches over the rule of Jerusalem, and the determination of the Muslims to take back the Holy City make for a compelling read.
The story is told from various POVs, but Balian d’Ibelin who marries the former Greek Queen of Jerusalem is the glue that holds the story together. He starts as an unimportant younger brother and ends up heroically saving the people of Jerusalem when Saladin finally conquers the city. Ms. Penman is one of the best at writing historical fiction and she's picked a fascinating period to set her story. She uses primary sources from both the Christian and Muslim world and depicts both sides of this holy war fairly. It's a wonderful read (I learned so much about the history of those times) and full of intriguing people.
The story is told from various POVs, but Balian d’Ibelin who marries the former Greek Queen of Jerusalem is the glue that holds the story together. He starts as an unimportant younger brother and ends up heroically saving the people of Jerusalem when Saladin finally conquers the city. Ms. Penman is one of the best at writing historical fiction and she's picked a fascinating period to set her story. She uses primary sources from both the Christian and Muslim world and depicts both sides of this holy war fairly. It's a wonderful read (I learned so much about the history of those times) and full of intriguing people.