In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire, (Paperback)

from BrianHostad

What should be an interesting read, was actually a very hard slog. Too many characters and a style which I found hard work.

from 4bonasa

In depth and well documented telling of the origins of the Religions of Abraham. However, the authors style is circumspect and at time difficult to preserver. This is not a book for someone who's memory of 'Ancient History' has faded. Nonetheless, worth the effort.

from DinadansFriend

Mr. Holland presents us with his take on the rise of Islam and an image of the world of the 500 - 600's CE that somehow mirrors some aspects of our own times. His writing style slips back and forth between the lively and the sensational and provides an entertaining survey of the period. The end o...

from Luftwaffe_Flak

Very good look at not only the rise of Islam but also of the state of the Christian, Pagan, and Jewish religions at the time period and how they all intertwined and mingled with each other more than their prospective religious leaders would have liked. Holland does a good job of presenting the co...

from Opinionated

This history of the birth of Islam and the parallel decline of the Persian and Roman Empires is an ambitious project. Basically Holland is attempting to track monotheism from cult to the norm across the known world of the time. And its a worthy effort - particularly some of the lesser known (to m...