THE PRINCE OF OMEYA

by Anthony Fon Eisen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 24, 1964

An epic in the tradition of 19th century romantic novels, this follows the career of Abderahman, the only survivor of the Syrian Ommiad dynasty. A rival caliph had put Abderahman's kinsmen to slaughter by luring them to Damascus. Abderahman's natural aristocracy, his ability to lead and command trust, is established from the start when a friend risks everything to help his escape. He sets out into the desert to hide with the Bedouins equipped with the universal trappings of the hero tale--a eweled scimitar, a white Arabian mare faster than any other horse, a little gold and lot of courage. The desert interlude brings the 19-year-old Aderahman into close touch with both a gypsy tribe and a Bedouin sheik. He had followed the code of the desert that obtained even during the 7th century and rescued a dying gypsy. His stay with the Bedouins was a long idyll in which he married the sheik's daughter, but soon he must flee alone for his enemies are once again riding after him. His escape across an almost waterless desert is aided by the gypsy tribe whose patriarch had bscurely predicted his flight to Spain. Through his mother's tribe and the persuasion of exiled tribes to become their leader, Abderahman invades Spain. His warriors have the courage of desperation and he has the grace of an almost guileless victor. The combination brings him to a series of triumphs and the establishment of the aliphate of Spain. The author pays his debt to Washington Irving's Spanish Papers for the story's inspiration. The lore of the desert and Arabic custom is a vivid, integral part of Abderahman's story. The dialogue, which is consistently flowery and declamatory and histrionic in effect, provides the flavor of the Middle East in the Middle Ages and should serve to sate the appetite for high romance.

Pub Date: Aug. 24, 1964

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: World

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1964

Categories: FICTION