Books › The Talisman
The Talisman
A Romance
740 pages
A sweeping, old-fashioned tale of chivalry and adventure where honor is tested amidst a romanticized vision of the Crusades.
What it feels like
Reading this classic historical adventure feels like stepping into a highly romanticized, slightly fanciful vision of the past. It is a rollicking tale of chivalry, virtue, and deceit, anchored by a steady pace that occasionally pauses for characters to indulge in sweeping song and verse. The narrative tone is earnest and distinctly opinionated, colored by the author's own religious perspectives on the era's conflicts. Yet, beneath the historical liberties and poetic interludes lies a genuinely enjoyable journey of a humble crusader proving his honor. It will delight readers who crave old-fashioned, heroic storytelling, where destiny is hard-won through trials of violence and romance, and who appreciate the foundational roots of historical fiction.
- Mood
- sweeping
- heroic
- fanciful
- old-fashioned
- Tone
- earnest
- adventurous
- opinionated
- romantic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- proving one's honor · discovering destiny · religious conflict · chivalry and virtue
- The writing
- Highly romanticized and occasionally verbose, featuring characters prone to breaking into sweeping song and verse.
- The arc
- A journey from humble beginnings through trials of deceit and violence to the ultimate realization of honor and destiny.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy classic, foundational historical adventures and do not mind a bit of fanciful history mixed with old-fashioned chivalry.
Content notes
- violence
- religious bias
- deceit
About the book
Through a series of adventures, a poor but doughty Scottish crusader known as Sir Kenneth proves his honor and discovers his destiny in Sir Walter Scott's tale of chivalry, violence, virtue, romance, and deceit.
Sir Walter Scott writes wonderfully enjoyable historical fiction. He first ventured into this realm in 1814 with the novel, Waverley which was published anonymously as Scott's first venture into prose fiction and possibly the first-ever historical novel. His subsequent novels came to be called Waverley novels, including this story. The Talisman is the middle in the trilogy about one of England's most popular kings ~~ King Richard I (the Lion-Hearted), which begins with The Betrothed and concludes with Ivanhoe.
There are many times Scott (through his characters) gets a bit carried away in song and verse, but if you can overlook (or skim through!) these, it's a fine adventure story about the Third Crusade. Some might say the history is a bit fanciful, some might even say it's more fantasy than history. Well, never mind, standards were different then. Indeed, Scott rather set the standard as it were. It is true he was a staunch Protestant and thought most of the problems with the period had to do with Roman Catholicism, and could be cured by the Reformation, but we're all entitled to our opinions, especially when it's your book.
All that said, if you haven't read it, it's worth the reading from the perspective of Scott's perspective, even if it weren't a rollicking good tale, which it is!*--booklady (goodreads)*
Description from Open Library.
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