Heart of the World by Cecelia Holland
When the Mongols sack Baghdad in the year 1258, the renegade Templar Knight Rikart al-Shah'b--Rikart the Ghost--escapes the city. He tries to save two others as well--the Arab boy Daud and Dinah, the teenage daughter of a Jewish scholar--but they are separated in the chaos. Rikart and Daud make their escape separately, but Dinah is captured by the Mongols. In the time that follows, as the Mongols continue to overwhelm Heart of the World--what a later age would call the Middle East--Rikart tries to persuade whichever Muslim or Christian leaders he encounters to unite against the invaders from the steppes. Eventually, he and Daud are reunited and together they liberate a captive Egyptian Mameluke leader whom they believe could lead the needed resistance. Dinah, meanwhile, has been taken into the household of the wife of Hulegu Khan, brother of the Mongol emperor and leader of the Mongol army. Over time, a love affair develops between her and Nikola, one of the great khan's sons. All of their lives will come back together at the great battle of Ain Jalut, where the Mamelukes and their allies make a desperate stand against the mighty forces from Central Asia who seek to conquer Heart of the World.
Cecelia Holland has been writing since she was 12, and spends a good deal of every day writing. She chose to write historical fiction, because, being 12, she had precious few stories of her own, and history seemed to her then, as it still does, an endless fund of material.
She was encouraged to write by the poet William Meredith and the short story writer David Jackson. Her first novel was The Firedrake, and it was published by Atheneum in 1966. Since then, Cecelia has written a lot, read a lot, and raised three daughters. She lived in northern California, in the country. Once a week, she teaches creative writing at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, and, every day, she takes care of a small menagerie of little animals.
She was encouraged to write by the poet William Meredith and the short story writer David Jackson. Her first novel was The Firedrake, and it was published by Atheneum in 1966. Since then, Cecelia has written a lot, read a lot, and raised three daughters. She lived in northern California, in the country. Once a week, she teaches creative writing at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, and, every day, she takes care of a small menagerie of little animals.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781611879087 |
| ISBN 10 | 1611879086 |
| Title | Heart of the World |
| Author | Cecelia Holland |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Histria Fiction |
| Year published | 2023-12-02 |
| Number of pages | 261 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |