I read In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland as an audiobook which was narrated by Jonathan Keeble. The author writes about the ancient world and often about religion (you can read my review of his book about Christianity and culture here). This book is about the decline of the Persian and Roman empires in the seventh century and the rise of the Arab nations and Islam.
The author gives a detailed account of events and individuals concerned. He shows how religion either inspired or was claimed to have inspired the battles and struggle for land and power that ensued at this time. He talks about the growth of Islam particularly and shows how modern claims about what happened and the motivations are not always borne out by the evidence we have. He also talks about territorial claims, the economy and other factors influencing events.
This was a cruel and brutal time and there are occasions when reading this book when it is all a bit much to take in. I found some of it a bit hard to grasp because my knowledge of events at this time is not great and also, because I was listening on audio, it was difficult to flick back and reread bits – I also needed access to maps. The author tries to make it personal by following some individuals and telling the story through their eyes. He also talks about the foundation of Islam and how it rose to prominence in this area.
This is a complicated story and the author has an easy, accessible style which helps with understanding. I found the book fascinating but fear that I didn’t grasp everything that the author had to say so I have now purchased a paper copy of the book and will reread it slowly and carefully.
Anne Is Reading 