The Dagger and the Cross is the sequel to Alamut, taking place ten years later. At the end of Alamut, Prince Aidan vowed to marry Morgiana in Jerusalem in front of the Patriarch. However, neither will renounce their faith, so a papal dispensation is necessary for the marriage to be sanctioned and recognized by Christian authorities, thanks to the cultus disparatus policy. This book opens with the arrival of the Rhiyanan fleet carrying King Gwydion and the papal legate with the necessary paperwork. As the wedding preparations go ahead, so does a conspiracy to foil the marriage. In the midst of this personal turmoil, various political and military incidents lead to the imminent invasion of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by Saladin. Prince Aidan and Morgiana quarrel (because he's an ass) and proceed to serve the Christian and Muslim kings, respectively, during the ensuing battle.

The book goes on from there, involving a few subplots with a host of supporting characters. Judith Tarr loves the romantic storylines. In this one it involves Princess Elen, the mortal grandniece of Gwydion and Aidan, who is mourning the death of her husband. And then there's Aidan's daughter, the product of his brief affair with Joanna during her estrangement from her husband in Alamut. Ysabel takes after her unacknowledged father and is a rebellious ten-year-old who doesn't get along with her older brother Aimery (the reason for that early estrangement), who hero-worships Prince Aidan. Once again, the details of the real historical figures and events and daily life are excellent. It is a charming story that will bear rereading and clearly foreshadows the events in The Hound and Falcon trilogy, most particularly the final book, The Hounds of God. It is also the book that most clearly explores the role of women in both Christian and Muslim medieval society and the expectations placed on them. ( )

This sequel to Alamut picks up the story of Prince Aiden and Morgiana the Assassin 10 years after the end of that novel. It is set in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem during the reign of Guy de Lusignan and offers a vivid and rich description of what life might have been like for the European nobility trying to cling to their Kingdom under the Muslim onslaughts led by Saladin.

This book focuses on the intrigues that destroy the wedding of Prince Aiden and Morgiana as well as introducing some of Aiden's kin - his twin brother King Gwydion and niece Elen. They are drawn into the exotic world of the Crusader Kingdom and become involved in its struggle to survive - both an inept king and the marauding Muslims.

I also got a clearer understanding of how obligations can prevent us from following what we know is the correct path and extracting ourselves from a no-win situation. The intrigues of those around King Guy as well as his own inability to rule doomed Jerusalem and the Crusader Kingdom.

Even though some of the characters eventually find happiness by the end of the story, we know that the dream of Christian rule of Jerusalem is dead and we mourn its loss as well as the loss of those who chose to remain behind. ( )

Like all of Tarr's books in my experience, it takes a while to get into but is well worth the effort. ( )