“Set in the mid-12th century, in the years following the disastrous Second Crusade, this ambitious, meticulously researched novel . . . has plenty of contemporary resonance. Unsworth sets us down in a brilliantly realized society, a kingdom in which communal tensions are being exploited by cynics and fanatics after a blundering Western military adventure in the Middle East, a campaign that sacrificed stability for short-term gain.” – Jason Goodwin, New York Times Book Review