In The Shadow Of The Sword

A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER 'A stunning blockbuster' Robert Fisk 'A brilliant tour de force of revisionist scholarship and thrilling storytelling' Simon Sebag Montefiore 'A compelling detective story of the highest order' Sunday Times 'Tom Holland has an enviable gift for summoning up the colour, the individuals and animation of the past' Independent In 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.

A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER 'A stunning blockbuster' Robert Fisk 'A brilliant tour de force of revisionist scholarship and thrilling storytelling' Simon Sebag Montefiore 'A compelling detective story of the highest order' Sunday Times 'Tom Holland has an enviable gift for summoning up the colour, the individuals and animation of the past' Independent In 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.

A thrillingly panoramic historical account of the rise of Islam, hailed as "a veritable tour de force" ( The Wall Street Journal ), from the acclaimed author of Rubicon and co-host of the hit podcast The Rest Is History "Accessible but delightful . . . as fun to read as any thriller, and with far richer intellectual nutritional content."-- The Daily Beast Written with verve and panache, In the Shadow of the Sword recounts the history of how the ancient world came to an end and how a new power, Islam, arose. In a story dazzlingly rich in drama, character, and achievement, Tom Holland describes how the Arabs emerged to carve out a stupefyingly vast dominion in a matter of decades, overcoming seemingly insuperable odds to create an imperial civilization, aspects of which endure to the present day. With profound implications for the most consequential events of our time, Holland bears witness to the abiding impact of this extraordinary, convulsive age.

A thrillingly panoramic historical account of the rise of Islam, hailed as "a veritable tour de force" ( The Wall Street Journal ), from the acclaimed author of Rubicon and co-host of the hit podcast The Rest Is History "Accessible but delightful . . . as fun to read as any thriller, and with far richer intellectual nutritional content."-- The Daily Beast Written with verve and panache, In the Shadow of the Sword recounts the history of how the ancient world came to an end and how a new power, Islam, arose. In a story dazzlingly rich in drama, character, and achievement, Tom Holland describes how the Arabs emerged to carve out a stupefyingly vast dominion in a matter of decades, overcoming seemingly insuperable odds to create an imperial civilization, aspects of which endure to the present day. With profound implications for the most consequential events of our time, Holland bears witness to the abiding impact of this extraordinary, convulsive age.