A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERA stunning blockbuster Robert FiskA brilliant tour de force of revisionist scholarship and thrilling storytelling Simon Sebag MontefioreA compelling detective story of the highest order Sunday TimesTom Holland has an enviable gift for summoning up the colour, the individuals and animation of the past IndependentIn the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world. In the Shadow of the Sword explores how this came about. Spanning from Constantinople to the Arabian desert, and starring some of the most remarkable rulers who ever lived, he tells a story vivid with drama, horror, and startling achievement.

Binding: Paperback;592 pages; Publisher: Hachette UK Distribution; Classification: HBJF1; Weight: 602 g; Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 39

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