BookBrowse Reviews The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman

BookBrowse:

The Land Beyond the Sea, Sharon Kay Penman's latest work of historical fiction, explores the political landscape of the Holy Land during the Crusades.

Sharon Kay Penman is well-known for her meticulously researched sagas about the medieval rulers of Wales, England and France. Her latest novel and the first of a series, The Land Beyond the Sea, shifts away from Europe and focuses on the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the larger surrounding region known as Outremer (see Beyond the Book). Set between the Second and Third Crusades (1147-1150 and 1189-1192 CE, respectively), the book chronicles the reign of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem from just before his ascension to the throne in 1174 to just after his death in 1185.

The author's account of this time period is fascinating on a number of levels. First and foremost is her portrayal of Baldwin himself, who was just 13 when he became ruler over a large number of fractious nobles, including members of his own family. Overshadowing his youth was the suspicion that he might have leprosy—something which did, indeed, end up being the case. He led soldiers into battle and was well-respected as both a ruler and a fighter, but as he was forbidden to wed he could not produce an heir, which led to much maneuvering and infighting as those around him sought to control the realm. As his condition worsened and the armies of the Muslim leader, Saladin, sought to retake the lands of Outremer, the political landscape became increasingly complex.

The surrounding history, too, is interesting; I, for one, didn't have any knowledge of this part of the world during this time period. As with her other novels, Penman painstakingly reproduces the era, imparting knowledge to her readers and transporting them to a different time and place. She also nimbly transitions the action from court to battlefield, with both types of encounter being equally entertaining.

Penman's expertise in the historical fiction genre is evident as she deftly sorts out the participants, giving them clear motivations and individual personalities. The cast is huge, but the author excels at her craft to such an extent that I never once had to refer to the list of characters she gives at the start of the book; each figure is truly unique and difficult to confuse with another. The downside of Penman's characters is that, although most are finely drawn, they tend to be a bit simplistic; for example, Baldwin and Balian (another prominent character) are consistently portrayed as heroic figures—the "nice guys"—while Baldwin's mother Agnes and her allies are always shown as mean-spirited. A more nuanced depiction of these individuals would likely have been more realistic, but may have made the plot more difficult to follow. Their consistent reactions aid the reader in keeping track of who's who, particularly when it might be many pages before a person reappears in the narrative. And these characters felt real enough that I mourned for those who died and cheered on those who thrived; it's quite a testament to an author's skill when you feel like you know someone who's been dead nearly a thousand years!

My only real (and minor) gripe is that at times the book slips into language that feels too modern. One woman refers to Agnes as "the greatest bitch in all Christendom" and there are references to her "cuddling" with her husband later in the novel; another character is said to have gotten a "raw deal." I looked up these (and other) phrases and their origins appear to be much later than their supposed context. I'm no linguistic scholar, and most of the people in this setting would have been speaking an Old French dialect, but I was still taken aback each time I encountered a phrase that felt incongruous with the time period.

That quibble aside, The Land Beyond the Sea is a big, sprawling work of historical fiction sure to please Penman's existing devotees, and this latest opus will likely attract new readers to her oeuvre. In spite of the book's length and complexity, it is an easy, captivating read—not quite a page-turner, but close. Historical fiction aficionados looking for a book to engage their time and attention need look no further.

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in May 2020, and has been updated for the March 2021 edition. Click here to go to this issue.