The Talisman

The last book on my reading list for 2008 was Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Talisman.

It's been a long time since I've read any books by Scott. In fact, I think the only books I've read by him are Ivanhoe and Kenilworth. That was over thirty years ago.

This book was different. It did involve knights, fights, fair ladies, maidens and honor, but it was set in the 12th century and featured King Richard of England and Sir Kenneth of Scotland (among others) on a Crusade in Palestine. To tell too much would spoil the story, as there is a lot of disguise and people and things revealed (several times over) to be something or someone other than what they seem to be.

The main thing I found interesting was the sympathetic way in which Walter Scott portrayed many of the Muslim characters, especially in a novel featuring Crusaders.

It was a good book, but I didn't love it the way I did Ivanhoe.