Blood and Sand

Rosemary Sutcliff

des. del 2021 · Canelo

Sobre aquest llibre

In this adventure based on a true story, a Scottish soldier captured in the Napoleonic Wars converts to Islam and joins forces with the Ottoman Empire.

1807, Egypt. It is the height of the Napoleonic Wars. 6,000 British soldiers have invaded Alexandria in a bid to wrest the control of the country from the Ottoman Empire. Among their number is Private Thomas Keith of the 78th Highlanders.

After the initial successful occupation of the city, however, the tide of the Alexandria campaign begins to turn against the British. At the Battle of El Hamed, Keith is captured by the Ottoman forces.

While a prisoner of war, Keith is introduced to Islam and falls in love with the religion, making the decision to convert to the faith and join the Ottoman army. His conversion and skill with a sword impress the Ottoman general, who sends him to train with the Bedouin cavalry.

So begins Keith’s unlikely journey up the ranks of the Ottoman military, which ultimately saw him become Emir of the Holy City of Medina . . .

Praise of Blood and Sand:

“[A] stirring native. . . . In this veteran British author’s hands, what might have become merely a harsh tale of violence in the deserts of Arabia becomes a memorable, sensitively rendered story.” —Publishers Weekly

“An astonishing, exciting story with great imaginative power.” —The Daily Telegraph

“The tone is dark and thoughtful, the detail carefully observed, and the flavor unmistakably exotic.” —The Lady

Sobre l'autor

Rosemary Sutcliff was born in Surrey, England in 1920, and died in Walberton, West Sussex in 1992. Severely disabled by Still's disease, Rosemary was home-schooled and in the process was introduced to Celtic and Saxon legends. In 1946 she began to write her retellings of those legends for publication. With well over 40 books to her name, Rosemary Sutcliff is now considered one of the finest writers of historical novels for children and adults. She won several awards, including the Carnegie Medal, and in 1975 was awarded the OBE for services to Children’s Literature. She was awarded the CBE in the year of her death.