Based upon an eleventh century epic poem, this fictional adaptation of the background behind a major battle between the Franks under the rule of Charlemagne and the Muslim realm in Spain, a campaign that praises the heroic actions of Roland, Charlemagne’s nephew and the head of the rear guard. The tale delves into interfamily loyalty, competition, and betrayal within Charlemagne’s empire, as it battles other realms for growth and power. The authors have done a good job of building the characters and underlining suspenseful storylines leading up to the main battle, keeping avid readers of medieval historical fiction enticed along the journey. The novel encouraged me to actually research the original epic poem in Wikipedia, where I discovered this novel has earned a paragraph at the end of the webpage. Kudos. ( )

Taking the French epic poem "Chanson de Roland" as its source, this novel has given us a retelling, with much added -- backstory of the various characters and much detail. The authors have used the germ of the original story, which concentrated mainly on the climactic battle at Ronceveaux Pass [from France to Spain], deaths of Roland and his friend Oliver after their heroic stand at their own "Thermopylae", and aftermath with Charlemagne whose army has been saved.

The authors impressed their own original stamp on it with much more description, motivations, and additional characters: e.g., the Byzantines, the ghost of Roland's dead father who appears to Roland several times and an extra son of the Saracen emir, Saleem. There is character development and a subplot of intrigue. There are more battles: the defense of Barcelona and battle at Carcassonne, both of which are pretty gory. The story is bookended by Duke William of Normandy's bard recounting the tale before Hastings to motivate his men and William's blowing Roland's silver horn [the Oliphant] to proclaim his victory at the battle.

An exciting treat and very readable. Recommended. ( )