The Lions of Al-Rassan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lions of Al-Rassan is a work of historical fantasy by Guy Gavriel Kay. It is set in a peninsula of the same world in which The Sarantine Mosaic and The Last Light of the Sun are set, and is based upon Moorish Spain. The novel concentrates on the relationships between the three peoples: the Kindath (based on the Jews), the Asharites (based on the Muslims), and the Jaddites (based on the Christians).
The three protagonists in the novel are from each of these three races and religions: Jehane bet Ishak, a Kindath physician in Fezana; Rodrigo Belmonte, a Jaddite captain of a company of cavalry (based on El Cid); and Ammar ibn Khairan, an Asharite poet, mercenary, and advisor to King Almalik of Cartada.
[edit] Plot
Like most of Kay's novels, this contains a large amount of political intrigue and religious strife. The penninsula of Al-Rassan is split between Jaddite and Asharite kingdomes.
When Asharite King Almalik betrays Ammar, Ammar joins forces with the king's heir and assassinates the father. The new king then exiles Ammar from Cartada. Elsewhere, Jehane unwittingly prevents one of her patients, a merchant, from being executed by the King. By giving the merchant shelter when the danger is revealed, she puts her life in danger. As a result, she flees Cartada for her life. Also happening at that time, Jaddite commander Rodrigo Belmonte and his company have come to Al-Rassan for their parias gold - regular contribution given to the Jaddite kingdomes. The three are brought together in the court of Ragosa, where Ammar and Rodrigo are hired as mercenaries, and where Jehane is hired as a physician. They form a close connection which forms the heart of the story. Jehane becomes the focus of the attentions of the two men, with a love triangle of sorts forming and becoming more convoluted by the fact that Belmonte is already happily married.
The admiration of the two men for each other is obvious, as they are the 'best' each nation has to offer. However, their eventual conflict becomes inevitable and the two meet on the battlefield at the head of each opposing armies. They duel and Rodrigo is killed. Despite this, the Jaddite kingdomes recapture Al-Rassan (mirroring the Reconquista), while Jehane and Ammar marry.
[edit] Influence
It was announced in January 2005 that the novel is set to be adapted into a movie with a screenplay by Vera Blasi and directed by Edward Zwick. The release date is tentatively set for 2008.
