What Western European historians commonly call the “Dark Ages” occurred while Muslims were experiencing their “Golden Age.” Muslims preserved Greek learning and advanced in many intellectual pursuits, including medicine and astronomy. As I looked back at the history, at Saladin and other Muslim examples, I learned quickly that there is a constructive, altruistic side to Islam, historically, and in the present-day.
After Nine-Eleven, I found myself wanting to understand why these fanatic Muslims were so angry with us in the United States, why they were willing to kill so many innocent people and risk bringing down such terrible consequences on themselves.
An understanding that terrorizing innocents has not always been the Muslim way. I will identify three present-day influences I believe shaped The Swords of Faith, and how specifically they affected the book:ġ. Nine-Eleven brought the idea front-and-center. The story of Richard and Saladin fascinated me for a long time, and in the back of my mind, I considered writing about it. I fully admit that the events of Septeminspired me to write this novel. But, why not address the issue now? If nothing else, we can look back years from now and see if the initial comments still make any sense. Only the perspective of time passing allows a fully informed assessment. So how do I think our current times have shaped my novel, The Swords of Faith, due to be released on July 4th? Before I start into this, I need to admit that offering a commentary like this can only be a preliminary assessment because when writers are immersed in their time periods, there are influences swirling around that are not easily identified. This isn’t a criticism-it is a factor present in any literature or art. In my last post, I offered some ideas about how The Talisman was formed by the times of author Sir Walter Scott.
Tags: 2001, Nine-Eleven, religious fanaticism, religious fanatics, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, September 11, September 11th What The Swords of Faith Says About Our Times JPosted by rwf1954 in historical fiction, literary commentary.
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