The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, worshipping the stars, their warrior blood fierce and pure. But over the centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, that stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings.King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, adding city after city to his realm. Cartada is threatened by forces both within and without. However, rival kings and outlaws, fanatical religious leaders, and the conquered Jaddites of the far north, are as eager to destroy each other as to regain the country they have lost, for their sun-god.In a magnificent setting, hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, The Lions of Al-Rassan is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply moving story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake - or destroy - a world. Read Less