Set in the deserts around Syria and Palestine, Talisman is Walter Scott's classic tale of the Crusade. In Talisman, no one is who you think they are and if they are, and neither are they on the side you expect. During the time of the Talisman story, a truce is in place and Richard is near death with a mysterious fever. After Richard recovers with the help of an Infidel medical man, the Royal women join the camp, including Richard's charming young consort. Various alliances are contemplated, all including marriage proposals ...
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Set in the deserts around Syria and Palestine, Talisman is Walter Scott's classic tale of the Crusade. In Talisman, no one is who you think they are and if they are, and neither are they on the side you expect. During the time of the Talisman story, a truce is in place and Richard is near death with a mysterious fever. After Richard recovers with the help of an Infidel medical man, the Royal women join the camp, including Richard's charming young consort. Various alliances are contemplated, all including marriage proposals as their contractual binder. A very brave young Scotsman turns out to be a person of greater standing than advertised. This book has the classic images of the Crusades: duels, secret convents hidden in the harsh, craggy rocks of the desert, hermits, sultans, kings, dukes, Nubian slaves, conspiracies, Arab doctors and the like. It makes fascinating reading and reveals a lot about the imagination of Scott and his time.
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Add this copy of Talisman to cart. $15.75, very good condition, Sold by Halcyon Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from LONDON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2009 by Createspace Independent Publishi.
Stephen King's & Peter Straub's The Talisman (1984) is a horror story. This is Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman (1825), a Crusaders' tale of religion, war, and romance. If you can leave behind your 21st-century prejudices of what constitutes a good novel, you may find yourself swept away by this narrative (a relatively short one for the verbose Scott) and come to understand why Scott was so popular in his time. Occasionally slow at first, it eventually picks up the pace and becomes a true page-turner. There are better-written, more engaging Scott novels (e.g., Ivanhoe and The Heart of Midlothian), but The Talisman is an enjoyable introduction to the works of this inventor of the modern historical novel.
