From Booklist
Tarr weaves a spellbinding tale of two women confident enough to defy convention in order to fulfill their remarkable destinies. In 1129, Lady Richildis, a young Frankish noblewoman, journeys to Jerusalem determined to discover the fate of her beloved brother, a missing Crusader. Though she finds Bertrand, Richildis fails to convince him to return with her to their estate in Anjou; rather, she herself becomes enthralled with the exotic and extravagant lifestyle of the East. Serving as a trusted attendant to Melisende, the beautiful queen of Jerusalem, Richildis observes and assists the queen in her successful struggle for power and recognition in a male-dominated society. A richly textured tapestry steeped in history and fraught with romance, adventure, and intrigue. Margaret Flanagan


From Kirkus Reviews
Historical novel about Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem, by the author of King and Goddess (p. 853) and many others. Melisende came to power during the stormy interlude between the First and Second Crusades, after French and Norman knights had conquered the Holy Land and divided it into four Christian principalities. Tarr characterizes Melisende as a strong-willed woman forced, thanks to a shortage of suitable men, to marry a much older French noble, Count Fulk. When he dies in battle, she becomes queen, but her kingdom comes quickly under attack. Much of the novel is palace intrigue: the struggle for position among sons, knights, mistresses, and courtesans, and Melisende's own struggle to consolidate her power after Fulk is killed. Though Tarr's rendering of the privations of the desert and of battle are gripping, she's most entertaining in domestic scenes. After Melisende gives birth to her son, Baldwin, for instance, she announces that she'll not go to bed again with her husband, since her duty to him is done, and no man matters enough to endure childbirth again. As Tarr explains: ``Each child that was born took its mother to the gates of death.'' But despite all that Baldwin has cost her, Melisende sends him into a foolish battle against the infidels, after which he challenges her openly for her crown. He pits his army against hers, eventually becoming King of Jerusalem but leaving his mother in control of the Church. Tarr moves among points of view narrates most events through a fictional Frenchwoman, Lady Richildis, who, having trekked to Jerusalem seeking her brother, becomes a lady-in-waiting for the queen. Richildis is also a strong woman but finds rather more happiness in rather less lusting for power. Tarr's large and devoted readership won't be disappointed. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"This is a sumptuous work, bristling with action, intrigue and more than a little subterfuge."--Washington Post Book World

"Tarr excels at bringing historical events to life."--Publishers Weekly

"Tarr weaves a spellbinding tale of two women confident enough to defy convention in order to fulfill their remarkable destinies . . . . [Queen of Swords is] a richly textured tapestry steeped in history and fraught with romance, adventure, and intrigue."--Booklist



Review
"This is a sumptuous work, bristling with action, intrigue and more than a little subterfuge."--Washington Post Book World

"Tarr excels at bringing historical events to life."--Publishers Weekly

"Tarr weaves a spellbinding tale of two women confident enough to defy convention in order to fulfill their remarkable destinies . . . . [Queen of Swords is] a richly textured tapestry steeped in history and fraught with romance, adventure, and intrigue."--Booklist



Review
"This is a sumptuous work, bristling with action, intrigue and more than a little subterfuge."--Washington Post Book World

"Tarr excels at bringing historical events to life."--Publishers Weekly

"Tarr weaves a spellbinding tale of two women confident enough to defy convention in order to fulfill their remarkable destinies . . . . [Queen of Swords is] a richly textured tapestry steeped in history and fraught with romance, adventure, and intrigue."--Booklist



Book Description
From the Court of Jerusalem to the battlefields of the Crusades to the glorious city of Byzantium, here are the pageantry and the danger of twelfth-century Europe's greatest advantage.

Melisende was the oldest daughter of Baldwin of Jerusalem, a princess of the Franks and, since she had no brothers, heir to the Crusader Kingdom. The crown would go to the man who married her, and after to her son.

But Melisende was a strong woman; the law that forced her to marry instead of taking the crown in her own name was a thorn in her side. It was she who ruled the City and who juggled the politics of church and court. The knights of Jerusalem fought in her honor, many of the best sworn to her personal service. She would not submit easily to a husband's rule, nor for long.



About the Author
Judith Tarr is the author of more than twenty widely praised novels, including The Throne of Isis, White Mare's Daughter, and Queen of Swords, as well as five previous volumes in the Avaryan Chronicles: The Hall of the Mountain King, The Lady of Han-Gilen and A Fall of Princes (collected in one volume as Avaryan Rising), Arrows of the Sun, and Spear of Heaven. A graduate of Yale and Cambridge University, Judith Tarr holds degrees in ancient and medieval history, and breeds Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Melisende was the oldest daughter of Baldwin of Jerusalem, a princess of the Franks and destined to become queen of the Crusader Kingdom. Edwin and his beloved queen, Morphia, had no sons, and so the crown of Outremer would go to the man who married Melisende and afterward to her son. She was wed to Count Fulk of France - a man of years, tried in battle, acceptable to the Knights Templar. Melisende was a strong woman; the law that forced her to marry instead of taking the crown in her own name was a thorn in her side. It was she who ruled in the city and who juggled the politics of church and court. The knights of Jerusalem fought in her honor, many of the best sworn to her personal service. She would not submit easily to Fulk's rule for long. From the court of Jerusalem to the battlefields of the Crusades to the glorious city of Byzantium, here are the the pageantry and danger of twelfth century Europe's great adventure.

FROM THE CRITICS

Washington Post Book World

This is a sumptuous work, bristling with action, intrigue and more than a little subterfuge.

Kirkus Reviews

Historical novel about Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem, by the author of King and Goddess (p. 853) and many others.

Melisende came to power during the stormy interlude between the First and Second Crusades, after French and Norman knights had conquered the Holy Land and divided it into four Christian principalities. Tarr characterizes Melisende as a strong-willed woman forced, thanks to a shortage of suitable men, to marry a much older French noble, Count Fulk. When he dies in battle, she becomes queen, but her kingdom comes quickly under attack. Much of the novel is palace intrigue: the struggle for position among sons, knights, mistresses, and courtesans, and Melisende's own struggle to consolidate her power after Fulk is killed. Though Tarr's rendering of the privations of the desert and of battle are gripping, she's most entertaining in domestic scenes. After Melisende gives birth to her son, Baldwin, for instance, she announces that she'll not go to bed again with her husband, since her duty to him is done, and no man matters enough to endure childbirth again. As Tarr explains: "Each child that was born took its mother to the gates of death." But despite all that Baldwin has cost her, Melisende sends him into a foolish battle against the infidels, after which he challenges her openly for her crown. He pits his army against hers, eventually becoming King of Jerusalem but leaving his mother in control of the Church. Tarr moves among points of view narrates most events through a fictional Frenchwoman, Lady Richildis, who, having trekked to Jerusalem seeking her brother, becomes a lady-in-waiting for the queen. Richildis is also a strong woman but finds rather more happiness in rather less lusting for power.

Tarr's large and devoted readership won't be disappointed.