This is an enjoyable enough adventure story, but somewhat dated in outlook. It's broadly pro-Richard and Guy: Raymond of Tripoli is shown to have been right about Hattin, but is not presented sympathetically. I was sorry that the author decided to use Hattin to kill off some of the more interesting characters, such as the dandified but heroic young polein knight Joscelin, whom I rather liked: the surviving leads are a tad bland. Gretchen drew the book to my attention because of yet another misrepresentation of poor Conrad:

[Philip D'Aubigny] bowed politely to Conrad de Montferrat, a sleek cat of a man, olive of complexion, and long of face, with white, fluttering hands, and a silky voice that reminded Philip for a moment of the Old Man of the Mountains. Conrad made much of Philip. He needed every supporter he could win for his struggle with Guy of Lusignan for the throne of Jerusalem. Philip knew Conrad's motives. He had often heard Sir Hugo discuss the man, and now that he had met the count himself, Philip could understand his father's scathing remarks.