The ''Alamut'' series consists of the two

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

books ''Alamut'' (Doubleday, 1989) and ''The Dagger and the Cross'' (Doubleday, 1991) by

Judith Tarr Judith Tarr (born January 30, 1955) is an American fantasy and science fiction author. Life Tarr was born in Augusta, Maine on January 30, 1955. She is the daughter of Earle A. Tarr, Jr. (a waterworks manager and salesman of real estate), and ...

. The series is set in the same universe as ''

The Hound and the Falcon ''The Hound and the Falcon'' is a fantasy book trilogy by Judith Tarr, containing the books '' The Isle of Glass'' (Bluejay, 1985), '' The Golden Horn'' (Bluejay, 1985), and '' The Hounds of God'' (Bluejay, 1986)."Tarr, Judith" in Stableford, B ...

'', which was written first, but the ''Alamut series'' describes events which occurred before the events in ''The Hound and the Falcon''. Stableford, Brian M. ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature''. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2009. . p. 397. The books mainly tells the story of the

elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

Prince Aidan from the elf kingdom of Rhiyana. The books contain elements of historical fiction, being set in the time of the

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

s and covering events like the

Battle of Hattin The Battle of Hattin took place on 4 July 1187, between the Crusader states of the Levant and the forces of the Ayyubid sultan Saladin. It is also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, due to the shape of the nearby extinct volcano of t ...

, and including historical figures such as the

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage ...

king of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Baldwin IV, the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

leader

Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...

, and the

Hashshashin The Order of Assassins or simply the Assassins ( fa, حَشّاشین, Ḥaššāšīn, ) were a Nizārī Ismāʿīlī order and sect of Shīʿa Islam that existed between 1090 and 1275 CE. During that time, they lived in the mountains of P ...

Alamut Alamut ( fa, الموت) is a region in Iran including western and eastern parts in the western edge of the Alborz (Elburz) range, between the dry and barren plain of Qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the Mazandaran provinc ...

Reception

Reviewing ''The Dagger and the Cross'', John C. Bunnell stated "Judith Tarr's latest novel combines military strategy, political intrigue, high romance, and subtle magic in a blend that should satisfy devotees of any one of the above."Bunnell, John C. (May 1991), "The Role of Books". ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine,

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had been ...

Issue 169, p. 52. Bunnell also lauded Tarr's characterisation, saying "Everyone has a place in the unfolding intrigues, and no one...is left a mere stereotype in Tarr's capable hands."

References

1989 American novels 1991 novels American fantasy novel series Doubleday (publisher) books Fantasy novel series Cultural depictions of Saladin {{1980s-fantasy-novel-stub