Very interesting narrative of early and developing Islamic world

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.

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superb

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

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Epic

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.

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Masterfully woven

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.

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Islam unrolled

complex history of the rise of Muslims well told.
Clear as possible, with some horrific moments
Not for the squeamish.

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Wonderful book, mediocre narration.

As expected of a Tom Holland book, this was a masterpiece. The narrator however ruined it for me. He seemed to get almost every single foreign word's pronunciation horribly wrong. I think narrators should first research their books before narrating them.

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Great book

Great book. Tremendous research. Narrator's voice is great too. My only crticism is the narrator's pronunciation of Arabic names and words could have been better. That's it.

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enlightening!

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!

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12 people found this helpful

I didn't want it to end

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.

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10 people found this helpful

Worthwhile listen

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.

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