I would not have read this book if it wasn't for class. While the author does clearly state her thesis (multiple times), she does clearly make the connection between the Crusades and modern history. As a former-nun, she is very anti-Christian at the moment which impacts her ability to have a triple-vision, and is VERY biased towards the Muslims.

I have noticed that many who review karen armstrong's book & this one in specific, generally expect a complete christian victory & anything that balances the view is considered biased & untrue.
It is not a matter of who invaded the other first but what practices did the invader indulge in. Neither Islam nor Christianity condone invasions so we are dealing with a profane subject, a human trait not a religious one. Europeans simply used religion in their invasion of the levant & started a 2 century conflict that does resonate till today in the middle eastern pysche, though it should move on from that point, but obviously there are readers who are displeased to read that during the crusades the muslims were actually more civil than the christians. facts are hard sometimes & some cannot handle it, like some muslims today who think they are right on everything. karen Armstrong always writes with eloquence & clarity, her writings till now are very balanced no matter what some may say.

Erudition, understanding, compassion for the meak, weak and (deliberately?) misunderstood.Historiography as it should always be.

Enjoyable reading, concise, and direct. I forgot to mention informative. I have read four other books and each I treasure.

Karen Armstrong's "Holy War" is the first history of the Crusades I've read. (Disclaimer: I'm interested in history, but I'm not an academic.) I learned a lot from "Holy War" but I felt a need for other perspectives about this subject. Naturally I turned to Amazon to see what other reviewers suggest. I found a copy of "The Crusades - A History" by Jonathan Riley-Smith, a recommended author. I cannot believe these two authors are writing about the same subject.

Ms. Armstrong may have certain biases, and she needs a good editor to re-organize the contents of "Holy War". But when she writes about historical characters and events, they come alive. Mr. Riley's descriptions of the same characters and events are as dry and dusty as the arid hills near Hittin (or Hattin) just before the battle of 1187.

I'm still looking for an engaging history of the Crusades to complement Ms. Armstrong's fascinating (if flawed) book.

P.S. In my Anchor Books edition of "Holy War", Vasco Da Gama sailed around Cape Horn(!) to reach India. The relevance of Vasco Da Gama to the Crusades is debatable; his actual route around the Cape of Good Hope is not.