The Talisman

Published in 1825, The Talisman is the finale of Scott's novels set during the crusades but this one features the dying dog days of the Third Crusade. Set in 12th century Palestine, during the Third Crusade, it features Richard I of England (the Lion-heart) and figures both historical and fictional that surrounded him at that time. This Crusade eventually broke up without having achieved its goal of capturing Jerusalem from the Muslims, largely because of squabbling among the various European princes who chafed at what they perceived as slights to their honor as they could not agree to a functional hierarchy among themselves. The Talisman is a wonderfully enjoyable historical fiction. The style is verbose, the dialogue is infuriating in its deliberate stiltedness, and its plot is thin and melodramatic.