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MWSA Review
A Lion’s Share, Brotherhood of the Mamluks, Book Two by Brad Graft is a well written story of 13th Century Middle East warriors who are developed from abducted and enslaved nomadic youth into well trained and highly prized military units. The book is set during the 7th Crusade and is told from the perspective of three warriors who operate at different levels of the Egyptian Sultan’s army. Each man’s security is dependent upon the ability and the survival of the Sultan, for when one Sultan dies, his troops must find another home. There is much royal family in-fighting, which complicates the lives of their men. The Mamluks are well trained in the weaponry of their era as well as military tactics. The main characters are well developed and illuminate the world at the top, the middle, and the lower level of leadership. Weak leaders place not only themselves but also their troops in mortal danger. Rewards given by one Sultan may be taken away by a subsequent Sultan. With the death of a Sultan, rivalries between units cause further danger.
The three main characters are Leander, a former French Crusader with unusual linguistic skills; Cenk, a combat veteran who becomes adviser to the Mamluk Sultan who succeeds the beloved Sultan as-Salih; and Ox, a soldier who is often passed over for promotion. Viewing the events through each of the eyes offers a well-developed story.
Book Two includes not only wonderful maps of the region but also a striking cover that clearly shows the uniforms of the Crusaders and the Mamluks and Leander’s two military careers.
Those who have lived through basic training and the rigors of military life will relate to the experiences of these characters. All readers will enjoy a well told story.
Review by Nancy Kauffman (June 2020)
Author's Synopsis
A Lion's Share is the second book in the Brotherhood of the Mamluks trilogy. The story is set in the 13th Century Middle East, during the Seventh Crusade. Told from the Egyptian perspective, it is a rare view of life among the Mamluks--elite Muslim warriors largely unheralded in the West--whose ranks ousted the Crusaders and Mongols from the Levant, preserving Islam.
On the eve of a historic battle, Leander, a disenchanted Crusader, surrenders to Muslim amirs with the intent of joining the revered Bahri Mamluks. His move seems fated. The young Frenchman avoids the mass slaughter suffered by the Christian alliance and earns himself a place with the elite cavalry regiment, serving the Sultan of Egypt. Yet once King Louis IX of France seeks vengeance and sets Cairo as the objective of his campaign, Leander is faced with warfare against his native people as he defends his new home, comrades, and religion.
When the Bahri's adored sultan dies and Leander becomes tangled in forbidden love with an Egyptian woman, his world unravels further. As the Mamluks seize rule for themselves, a rivalry between opposing regiments turns bloody and the newly-formed Mamluk Sultanate tumbles into chaos, with Leander and his mates scrambling not only for position within the realigned empire, but also for their lives.
ISBN/ASIN: 13: 978-1-950154-05-0, 10:1-950154-05-x
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 335