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In the Shadow of the Sword

The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World

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In the Shadow of the Sword

By: Tom Holland
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
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About this listen

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, Tom Holland 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.

©2012 Tom Holland (P)2012 Hachette Digital Ancient Ancient History Middle East Middle Ages Imperialism Africa Crusade Iran

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Critic reviews

Holland's new book traces the process by which the world of the first millennium came to be dominated by one God, three religions and an innumerable succession of emperors (Dan Jones)
It is difficult not to be bedazzled by a cast that includes ulcerated Christian holy men, Zoroastrian priests obsessed with dental hygiene, demonic emperors, barbarians with self-inflicted cranial deformities and Arab ambassadors stinking of camel (Richard Miles)
Holland is a restless wanderer across the ancient world, both geographically and intellectually... A dazzling range of characters... Holland is a skilful and energetic narrator, and while he guides us along the more intricate twists and turns of the period, he also keeps our eyes on the bigger story (Anthony Sattin)
Holland leaves almost no aspect of the traditional story of Islam intact as he charts its rise to global power from the ashes of the Roman and Persian empires (Bryan Appleyard)
A work of history, trying to tell the truth, as modern historians understand that fraught concept... A gripping, colourful book (Charles Moore)
A handsome volume, tackling an important question from a novel perspective, backed by useful notes and written in an accessible and fluid style (Michael Scott)
A brave and valuable attempt to train the lens of popular history upon an exceptionally contentious field of study... elegant and entertaining... In the Shadow of the Sword stands as a useful, and sometimes provocative, starting point for anyone interested in approaching the birth of Islam from a historical, rather than devotional, perspective (Thomas Ashbridge)
Elegantly written and refreshingly free from specialist jargon... marshalling its resources with dexterity, it is a veritable tour de force (Malise Ruthven)
Those unwilling to struggle through academic texts have long needed a guide to the story of Islam as it's understood by those with the fullest access to the latest linguistic and archaeological evidence. Now at last in Tom Holland's In the Shadow of the Sword, they finally have it (David Frum)
All stars
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Not quite as well written as dominion, however it’s still a fabulous book about parts of time which are rarely told to British audiences. Very interesting.

Very interesting narrative of early and developing Islamic world

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excellent and detailed insight into the collapsing classical world and the power of religion taking shape amongst the waring peoples

superb

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Tom Holland never lets me down and this is another classic. I like most of all his writing style; portentous and grand without becoming hackneyed. Jonathon Keeble as narrator is the cherry on the top. I first encountered him reading Jonathon Strange and his innate gravitas lends itself well to Holland’s writing. Brilliant.

Absolutely solid as usual.

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this book is a fascinating journey through the origins of Islam, and because the muslim sources are so few in regard of the actual birth of Islam, the author looks to the other civilizations surrounding it's cradle at the time to find clues as to what is true and what is fictional addition from later periods.



great narrator, thorough research. An intricate narrative that fits the complex cultural currents clashing at that time in that place.



highly recommend it!

enlightening!

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Would you consider the audio edition of In the Shadow of the Sword to be better than the print version?

I've got the hardback copy too, which is a joy to read but because of the length of it and my busy schedule it got the audio version to help me along..

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, its long and demands all of your attention but its definitely worth it.

Any additional comments?

I've been a fan of Tom Holland for a while and this book has only cemented my admiration of his qualities as a historian and writer even further.

I didn't want it to end

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I had long suspected much of what was written about Islam. It is apparent from reading the Quran and a knowledge of the contemporary history. In an eloquent well researched and never insulting manner this book expands this history. You will delight in the weaving of middle eastern and tribal history to make the development of Islam contemporary and not as mysteriously isolated as it seems.Listened to this book twice.

Worthwhile listen

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Ad ever a joy and it opened my eye to a new way of looking at political and cultural change .

The research and the thinking about the reality of the times

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An epic and ambotious tome that is able to cover the whole scope of the Roman Empire, Christian Roman Empire, Persian Empires, Islam, Christianity and some Judaism all into one monumental. It zooms out to the epic conflicts and then hones in on intricate debates on Islamic historiography, Jewish roots of Christianity including the Nazarenes, and the ground-breaking insights into the cross-fertilisation that gave rise to Islam. It is simply epic.

Epic

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Hats off before this opus magnus! What a feat of scholarly mastery. The complexities and ambiguity of the Islamic history explored and explained through a dizzying array of facts, stories and speculations.

Masterfully woven

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If you want to learn about late Roman empire or the pre Islamic Persian empire, this book will tell it to you via a great story.

Very good history of Roman and Persian empires

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