Читать книгу The Sword and the Rose - V. J. Banis - Страница 4

AUTHOR’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. While I have used some actual persons and a few actual events, most of what is written here will not be confirmed by history books.

It is a fact that there was a Third Crusade, that King Richard I the Lionhearted of England did lead it and was accompanied by his queen, Berengaria, and her ladies. The other princes named here were also there, including Conrad of Montserrat, whose animosity toward Richard and the crusade—and whose treachery—are documented. Also factual is the resentment between Richard and Leopold of Austria, who later captured Richard on his way home and held him for considerable ransom. Entirely fictional are Lady Joan and her romance with Prince David.

As to Saladin, who was certainly real, the admiration between that sultan and Richard is documented. There have been many fictional accounts of meetings between these two, but there is no real evidence that they ever met, except on the battlefield. The idea of their meeting in disguise is not original with me, but has been used by other writers, especially Sir Walter Scott, to whom I am grateful for the inspiration.

This novel was written and first published in 1975; in 2010, I wrote a second gay or m/m version of it, which was published as The Knight of the Hawk, available as a Kindle e-book. This original version, however, is reissued here for the intended enjoyment of those less inclined to male on male action. I doubt that the two versions will be in conflict with one another, since they are intended for different audiences, and I mention the alternative version here only for the sake of clarity.