Crusaders: The Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands

Very well written general history of the crusades. I always felt this period was a big gap in my understanding of the history of the relationship between the East and West. Very informative and a good overview of the period. Jones really brings the various "larger than life" characters into view showing why their force of personality so dominated their time.and at the same time whay that personality lead to the troubles we experience today. Highly recommended as a starting point for understanding this period and its consequences today

I find it very difficult to get into a book typically but this one is written excellently. Dan jones is a fantastic storyteller and pulls you in with his writing. 10/10 fantastic book

This is a well written, interesting overview of the Crusades from the British writer Dan Jones. He devotes each chapter to a character from one Crusade. The effect is to make the book more like the non-fiction equivalent of a collection of short stories than a novel. Not a criticism and as I think about it, probably a valid approach to covering a topic that spans centuries. I don't know much about the Crusades and I learned a lot from this approach. But if I am to be honest, I suspect a reader more familiar with the topic would find this approach too cookie cutter. Also, an epilogue that tried to connect a mass shooting in New Zealand to emotions raised by the Crusades seemed in poor taste. Almost as if he were grasping at straws to market his book.

I purchased this book because I was interested in the crusades as I knew nothing about them at the time and wanted to see what all the 'fuss' was about. This book was a great overview of the crusades and kept my interest as it tracks various characters of the crusades to keep things interesting. Rather than having a boring timeline going through each event of the crusades, this book focuses on key characters during each crusade and you develop a sense of presence within all sides of the crusades. I would recommend this to someone who is looking for an overview of all of the crusades but doesn't have the time or energy to read multiple 1,000 page reviews. For those who are looking for a detailed look at the crusades I would likely steer away.

Good

Dan Jones makes history entertaining! I’ve read many Dan Jones books and he writes great historical books!

I love learning. I have several Crusaders from long ago in my family.

His style of writing has gotten much better since his first books, which were good but a bit plodding, and I've mostly enjoyed this one. However, it desperately needed a better editor. Or any editor, for that matter. If not for that, I would have rated five stars. I've seen no evidence of a leftist agenda, as another reviewer accused. Both Crusaders and Muslims are presented as they were, which means violent, bigoted and intolerant, yet frequently filled with a zeal for their version of their religions that accomplished quite a lot.

Dan Jones has researched and written a tome of Crusader history, worthy of a book “Logie”. A fascinating and detailed account of one of the most important histories for our time. Whilst religious-based conflicts in the present are limited to radical terrorist organisations, the shades of the conflicts covered in this book are still present in other mindless country-conflicts today. Well done, DJ.

No se hace nada pesado, sino todo lo contrario. Y yo que llegué a pensar que la edad media era la edad de las tinieblas, pues ahora me parece todo lo contrario. Llevo sólo un tercio del libro, pero creo que adquiriré algún otro libro de este autor, porque la historia, que es muy interesante, no es fácil redactarla bien y en muchos casos se hace aburrida. Todo lo contrario sucede con este autor que da vida a la historia con cada párrafo que escribe y que permite que todo lo que cuenta sea muy actual y permita entender muchas cosas que suceden en el presente.

Fast, past & cast in its scope.

Brilliant book, well worth the purchase price.

Toll, wie alles von diesem Autor.