From Publishers Weekly
Fans of Tarr’s historical fantasies will welcome this action-packed sequel to Devil’s Bargain (2002). Richard the Lion-Hearted’s reign is threatened by the return from the dead of Sinan, the Old Man of the Mountain. In the Holy Land, it’s no-holds-barred and full magic ahead when Richard’s half-sister, the druidess Sioned, confronts Sinan. After refusing to give back to Sinan the magical Seal of Solomon, which she stole from Sinan and used to kill him, Sioned steals back from Rome the supernaturally powerful sacred Ark, which the now-returned Jews employ to restore their ancient Temple while taking care not to harm the nearby Muslim Dome of the Rock. Jinns, demons and a host of other supernatural menaces enliven the proceedings.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Another beautifully researched, masterfully written historical fantasy from Tarr, a sequel to Devil's Bargain [BKL O 1 02], in which England's Richard the Lionheart strove to take Jerusalem in the name of Christendom. Now Jerusalem's king, Richard needs to go home when Queen Eleanor writes that she can no longer keep his brother Henry and his ambition to replace Richard "contained." Will the realm survive? For though Henry is no weakling, he isn't Richard. Meanwhile, Richard's illegitimate half sister, Sioned, recently married to an infidel sultan and possessed of the Fairy Sight of the ancient Welsh through one strand of her lineage and the devil's brood of Anjou through another, is hard pressed in her battles with evil sorcerer Sinan, who once endangered Richard's soul. As the queen of Aquitaine adds her strategizing to the plot, Tarr's compelling mixture of magic, myth, and history becomes a regular page-turner and reason to hope for a further sequel. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
National bestselling author Judith Tarr returns to the world of her critically-acclaimed Devil's Bargain as the sorceress Sioned and her half-brother King Richard once again face the Old Man of the Mountain, an evil sorcerer determined to destroy them...
About the Author
Judith Tarr has written over thirty novels. A graduate of Yale and Cambridge Universities, she holds degrees in ancient and medieval history, and breeds horses at her home, Dancing Horse Farm.
House of War FROM THE PUBLISHER
National bestselling author Judith Tarr returns to the world of her critically-acclaimed Devil's Bargain as the sorceress Sioned and her half-brother King Richard once again face the Old Man of the Mountain, an evil sorcerer determined to destroy them...
About the Author:Judith Tarr has written over thirty novels. A graduate of Yale and Cambridge Universities, she holds degrees in ancient and medieval history, and breeds horses at her home, Dancing Horse Farm.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Fans of Tarr's historical fantasies will welcome this action-packed sequel to Devil's Bargain (2002). Richard the Lion-Hearted's reign is threatened by the return from the dead of Sinan, the Old Man of the Mountain. In the Holy Land, it's no-holds-barred and full magic ahead when Richard's half-sister, the druidess Sioned, confronts Sinan. After refusing to give back to Sinan the magical Seal of Solomon, which she stole from Sinan and used to kill him, Sioned steals back from Rome the supernaturally powerful sacred Ark, which the now-returned Jews employ to restore their ancient Temple while taking care not to harm the nearby Muslim Dome of the Rock. Jinns, demons and a host of other supernatural menaces enliven the proceedings. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
VOYA - Christine Sanderson
In this sequel to Devil's Bargain (Roc, 2002/VOYA April 2003), worlds collide as the mages of the Druids, the Jews, the Muslims, and the Christians join forces to defeat Sinan, The Old Man of the Mountain, a creature of pure evil who has returned from the dead. A decade after King Richard the Lionhearted conquered Jerusalem, the region is threatened when his queen, Berengaria, summons Sinan's spirit. Although Richard is unsurpassed in waging an earthly war, to defeat his other-worldly enemy he must join forces with his half-sister Sioned, a Druid priestess; her husband, Ahmad, a Muslim prince; and Master Judah, the Jewish physician, to return the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Richard has not overcome his aversion to magic, but he realizes that this time his enemy is dictating the terms. "That's what it comes to, doesn't it? I have to use the weapons he chooses—the ones I would never, of my own will, think of touching." Again Tarr seamlessly blends history and fantasy in a compelling story of family and love. The world she creates is one where Eleanor of Aquitaine and razor-toothed jinn coexist. War is waged by unleashing the "[r]aw power of the infinite, utterly divorced from mortal substance." For those who do not read fantasy on a regular basis, the many references to magical "wards and protections" might be confusing, but for the most part, the story is one that is not limited by genre and will hold the interest of all readers. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2003, Roc, 376p., Trade pb. Ages 15 to Adult.
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