Finally. I’ve been dawdling through this book for nearly three weeks, while taking breaks and dallying with Shakespeare’s Sonnets and an annotated version of Thucydide’s History of the Peloponnesian War. Warriors of God is a history of the third crusade, roughly around 1189-1192, and centers on King Richard Coeur de Lion (Lionheart) of England and the apparently generous and chivalrous general Saladin. I now know an awful lot about, say, the year 1190, but it’s hard for me to find any sense in the Crusades or the violence engendered by religious passion. It just befuddles me. Overall, and informative book, but not an easy or compelling read.

**1/2 (of 5)

More on Saladin and King Richard at Wikipedia.