'Asbridge can't help but tell a ripping yarn, often breezily dramatic, whipping the narrative along.' The Times 'A compelling narrative . A masterful conclusion.' Observer In the eleventh century, a vast Christian army, summoned to holy war by the pope, rampaged through the Muslim world of the eastern Mediterranean, seizing possession of Jerusalem, a city revered by both faiths. Over the two hundred years that followed this First Crusade, Islam and the West fought for dominion of the Holy Land, clashing in a succession of chillingly brutal wars, both firm in the belief that they were at God's work. The Crusades tells the story of this epic struggle from the perspective of both Christians and Muslims, reconstructing the experiences and attitudes of those on either side of the conflict. Mixing pulsing narrative and piercing insight, it exposes the full horror, passion and barbaric grandeur of the crusading era. ' A dramatic and powerful look at both sides of the story .

' Sunday Times ' Brilliant, authoritative, and accessible . Asbridge balances impeccable scholarship with a gifted storyteller's engaging voice.' Professor John L. Esposito, Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, and author of The Future of Islam ' Powerful, assured and epic . departs radically - and successfully - from tradition . brilliantly exposes Muslim strategies and motivations.' James McConnachie, Sunday Times.