Rating: 
Summary: So Passed Those Years and Men . . . .
Review: "Warriors of God" is a compelling narrative that draws the reader into the Third Crusade and the lives of its two great leaders, Richard the Lionhearted and Saladin. Reston's story is spiced with the words of poets and bards, and it breathes life into a fascinating and all but forgotten time.I have not read a great deal about the Crusades, so it is difficult for me to judge how historically accurate Reston's book is. But I can say that "Warriors of God" is very entertaining, that the story is often moving, and that the characters are fascinating. Saladin was a remarkable leader who united Egypt and Syria and captured Jersualem for Islam. Equally striking, according to Reston, he was a relatively decent man in a brutal time--he preferred bargaining to killing and went out of his way to avoid destroying the people that he defeated. Legend has it that he sent King Richard two fine Arabian horses when Richard lost his mount in a battle with Saladin's troops--after all, a King should not be on foot with his men! Whether or not the legend is true, it says something that it was apparently repeated and believed. King Richard was cut from a much rougher mold. He was a charismatic but tough leader, and he was not above killing prisoners to make a point. But for all his hardness, he lost his nerve and the Third Crusade when he was on the verge of capturing Jerusalem. After he withdrew from the Holy Land, he embarked on an odyssey, spending a year as the captive of the Holy Roman Emperor and finally returning to England in time to save the country from his brother, John. The focus of the book is on King Richard and Saladin, but the minor characters are intriguing in their own right. One of these was Sinan, the "Old Man of the Mountain," who ruled the cult of the Assassins. Reston calls him brilliant, ruthless, mystical and ascetic, "with eyes as fierce as meteors." Sinan's followers owed him unquestioning obedience and would regularly kill at his command. "Once, to prove the devotion of his followers to a Crusader leader, Sinan had given a fleeting hand signal to two fidai high in a tower at Kahf, whereupon the two leaped to their death in the ravine below." Not a person to be taken likely, and a reminder that sometimes the past is not all that different from today. Reston tells us that shortly after Saladin died on March 4, 1193, his scribe Beha al-Din wrote "so passed those years and men, and seem, both years and men, to be a dream." In "Warriors of God," Reston has done done a good job of bringing those years and men to life for the modern reader. If you enjoy "Warriors of God," you might also want to take a look at Reston's "The Last Apocalypse," which is an equally entertaining book about Europe at the turn of the first millennium AD.
Rating: 
Summary: Crusades Confidential
Review: "Warriors of God," reads like a tabloid history of the third crusade, and that's exactly what makes it so much fun. James Reston got the dirt on the primary English and French players and has no temerity about spreading it around. Who was the regal counterpart Richard the Lionheart was sleeping around with? You'll find the answer right here. Care for a look at the private life of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine? Step right up. Who was the "whore of Europe?" Yes, indeed, find out here. As for the politics, both in Europe and the East, well, nothing much has changed in the modus operandi of the ruling class. Richard fought a bloody war on the battlefields, and deadly political wars on the two fronts of Europe and the Holy Land. Yes, the underlying current was a holy war, but the profiteers, looters, and opportunists steered events as rigorously as the warriors and clerics. Mr. Reston has much less to say about the peccadilloes of Saladin and the warriors of Islam. In fact, they come off as models of rectitude, both in their private and public affairs. However, both sides were equally as blood-thirsty, and the blood flowed ankle deep--such were the times, such are the times. Mr. Reston focuses quite clearly on Richard and Saladin as the protagonists of this third crusade, and in them he has found characters as large as life. They were educated, wily, impassioned leaders whose stature has not been diminished by the passage of nine hundred years. I recommend this book both for the dirt and the history. It's a fascinating look at characters and events, as well as a witness to how the Crusades have never really ended.
Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: History at its best! The triangle of Phillip, RIchard and Saladin is a story that everyone should know. All three could be ruthless, crazy and oddly devoted (well except for Phillip of France). First time readers of the Crusdaes will learn why there are still hostilities in the Middle East. It also makes it easier to understand why Muslims would be greatly offended by saying that the USA was on a "Crusade to end terrorism" (note to George W. Bush - you may want to brush up on your history!) How factual is this book? well it is hard to say, but it seems to collaborate with everything else I have read about the Richard, Phillip and Saladin. Was Richard and Phillip homosexual lovers... where is the evidence... well from all accounts it seems like their undergoing the crusading vow was their direct punishment from the Pope. Whatever their relationship it is both clear that enjoyed each others company while young but hated each other during their time spent during their crusading alliance. Also, all of Da Vinci Code buffs out there... this makes a decent follow-up (although there are several books on the Templers that may prove to be more entertaining to you). Reston sets a very nice pace throughout the work, and is able to buid suspense. I think that this is one of the rare works taht has the ability to transcend the genre of history and become enjoyed by all readers.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Crusades Book, but....
Review: I have always been interested in the era of the Crusades or the Middle Ages if you will. I don't pertain to be an expert on the topic, but I do know a fair bit about the historical events surrounding this era. First off I did enjoy the book. It gave interesting insight into the main figures of the third crusade. (Richard and Saladin) I have seen reviews were people lambaste the author because at times he appears to overly fawn over these two characters, but then again both had traits worth admiring. Saladin whom had inherited the lands of Zangi and Nur'al Din, had managed to cohesively control both Egypt and Syria. An amazing feat in itself aside from the Sunni and Shi feud. From there he was able to unite Islam and nearly expunged the Crusaders and extinguish the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Had it not been for Richard he would have completely succeeded. For a good read this book is fine, for a history student I find this book to be lacking in that area. I also found it to be overly expensive for a relatively short novel and would have preferred that it be a hundred pages or so longer.
Rating: 
Summary: not a history not fictiom not a great book
Review: I would not particularly recommend this book. It is billed as a history but it is not. Yes it is probably factually correct, but its presentation is shall we say weird. I think the author thinks he can write history with the flair and style of Churchill, something at which he fails. There are no footnotes or backing for statements that need it and certainly some of his opinion comes across as nothing more than that. For example I do not know if Richard the Linohearted of France and Philip of France were homosexual lovers but the presentation of this affair is not contextual and makes little sense. There is less context for their sudden rivalry. Finally, while Mr. Reston tries, he does not give particularly adequate background on the happenings in Europe.
Rating:
Summary: A highly polished little gem.
Review: If Reston's short history of the third crusade was made mandatory reading for high school juniors I can guarantee that the number of college history majors would double. While substantial "artistic liberties" are taken by the author he does at the same time do a good job keeping the complex storyline going in the right direction and maintains its historical integrity. The book is exciting to read and splendid in its objectivity toward all of the players concerned. The Holy Land sucked Richard The Lionharted into its quagmire almost a thousand years ago and has the same unfortunate force on the Western World to this day.
Rating:
Summary: Very good read, but not historical fact!
Review: If you're looking for a pure historical account of the Third Crusade, then avoid this book at all costs!
But if you're looking for a little bit of history mixed in with drama & the author filling in the gap (where historical evidence can't), then you will probably love this book!
Rating:
Summary: The Original Warriors of God
Review: The book "Warriors of God: The Great Religious Orders and Their Founders" by Walter Nigg 1959, was very helpful before I read Jr. James Reston's "Warriors of God". One of the original warriors of God in Nigg's book summarized Jr. James Reston's type of Christendom very nicely.
Religious obedience-which has no analogy with military obedience-was the highest law. The reason for this incomprehension is doubtless that religious obedience has to often been mistaken for cringing subservience, an unfortunate error that has inflicted untold harm on Christendom.
Walter Nigg's book, which is very hard to find, should be a foundation to any true historian of Christianity. The Chapters are; St. Anthony and the Hermits of the Desert, St. Pachomius and Cenobitism, St. Basi and Eastern Monasticism, St. Augustine and the Communal Life of the Clergy, St. Benedict and His Rule, St. Bruno and the Carthusians, St. Bernard and the Cistercians, St. Francis and the Friars Minor, St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers, St. Teresa and Carmel, St. Ignatius Loyola and the Society of Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: The Original Warriors of God
Review: The book "Warriors of God: The Great Religious Orders and Their Founders" by Walter Nigg 1959, was very helpful before I read Jr. James Reston's "Warriors of God". One of the original warriors of God in Nigg's book summarized Jr. James Reston's type of Christendom very nicely.
Religious obedience-which has no analogy with military obedience-was the highest law. The reason for this incomprehension is doubtless that religious obedience has to often been mistaken for cringing subservience, an unfortunate error that has inflicted untold harm on Christendom.
Walter Nigg's book, which is very hard to find, should be a foundation to any true historian of Christianity. The Chapters are; St. Anthony and the Hermits of the Desert, St. Pachomius and Cenobitism, St. Basi and Eastern Monasticism, St. Augustine and the Communal Life of the Clergy, St. Benedict and His Rule, St. Bruno and the Carthusians, St. Bernard and the Cistercians, St. Francis and the Friars Minor, St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers, St. Teresa and Carmel, St. Ignatius Loyola and the Society of Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: Too black and white
Review: This is a biased account but entertaining none the less.
If only things in real life were as plain as this book portrays events between the middle east and the west. Not to detract from the skill with which the narrative was written, but the book left me questioning the objectiveness of the author. Of course, all history is written with a human bias, but Reston seems to favor Saladin's side heavily.
To start, this book attempts to be fair to both the western crusaders and the muslim defenders; in depth history is given about both protagonists so we can understand their motives for joining the war and perhaps empathize with them. However, once we reach the actual events in the middle east, Reston contiunally calls the actions of the Crusaders barbaric and harsh. Even their champion, Richard the Lionheart, is belittled; his incredible feats of survival in battle are criticized as too brash and reckless. Even though this may be true, he is not given as much credit for his leadership abilities as Saladin, who is only portrayed throughout the book as pious, righteous, brilliant, and merciful. This was clearly a romanticized potrayal of the respectable Muslim leader.
For example, Richard is criticized for slaying his muslim captives after the stalled concession talks after his capture of Acre, and rightly so, but Saladin is never condemned by the author when he slays his christians captives after the battle of Arsuf and during the march to Ascalon. This book is not without merit; the author writes in a light, sometimes whimsical narrative. He never gets side-tracked with too many details or techinical aspects of the battles, and keeps the story moving. His heavy reliance on the acounts of bards and court biographers must have made reporting the facts a hard task indeed. But he does a good job with taking the reader on a journey through those sweltering hot days in the holy land.
If you are looking for unbiased and footnote heavy information on the third crusade, look elsewhere. If you want a quick novella on the subject, you've found it. Its an above-average introduction to the third crusade.
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