Iron Men and Saints

By: Harold Lamb

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

The first crusade of 1096 unleashed a wave of impassioned, personally felt, deeply pious Christian fury that was expressed in a mass movement centered in France and spreading to other European kingdoms, including Flanders, German speaking principalities, and Italy. Master historian Harold Lamb tells the incredible story of how Pope Urban II fanned the sparks of Christian anger into a mighty conflagration of righteous indignation with his speech of 1095 in Clermont. It was a speech that would occupy the hearts and minds of Europeans for over 200 years.

Tens of thousands of peasants, both men and women, simply left their fields and workshops and joined knights and monks on a journey to take back holy Jerusalem from the infidel Muslims. A river of humanity, often hostile and destructive, flowed across Europe and into Byzantium and Asia. Led by baronial leaders like Godfrey of Bouillon, Baldwin of Flanders, Raymond of Toulouse, Robert of Normandy, and the mighty Bohemond of Taranto, their confrontation with Islamic armies would soon follow. The results of those armed clashes produced some of the most amazing stories you will ever hear.

Be sure to listen to Volume 2 in this series by Harold Lamb: The Flame of Islam.

©1930 Estate of Harold Lamb (P)2012 Audio Connoisseur

An Epic Journey

This was entertaining and interesting to listen to. I felt that I was transported to a different world. Lamb is one of those authors who can bring the past to life with his vivid descriptions of people, places, and events. The narrator had a rich, resonant voice and was a pleasure to listen to. Highly recommended.

campy python esq presentor - prima nocture real?

What did you like best about Iron Men and Saints? What did you like least?

the reader reminds me of a Monty Python sketch - hard to take seriously - reverb behind some passages simply amplifies this affect - and prima nocture is NOT real - they say it IS

What was one of the most memorable moments of Iron Men and Saints?

the stories of the first crusades as they raped and sacked so many European communities en route to the "HOLY land"..... to rid it of godless people...

Was Iron Men and Saints worth the listening time?

sure.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the story and the feeling of a tale around a campfire infuses this performance for me - not sure how factually accurate it is - of course I will have to follow up.

Its just campy....and I still enjoyed it

Quite a story!

This book begins with the background leading up to the First Crusade. The bulk of the story is the incredible journey of the First Crusade, with a few chapters detailing the aftermath, including the later Crusades about a century later.
I enjoyed listening to it.

Not bad but really dated

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This is the first book by Lamb i had listened too and while it tells a compelling story, half the information is really dated. Lamb mentions that only the strongest warriors could even swing a long-sword. Long-swords are not that heavy and even a child could lift one. He then also speaks of chivalry which is anachronistic to say the least as that concept had not developed in the period of the first crusade. I don't even want to get started on the concept of luxurious eastern despotism. If you know nothing about the Crusades and are looking for a starter by all means this is a great resource as long as you take it with a grain of salt, However; if you already have a bit a knowledge on the area stay away.

What other book might you compare Iron Men and Saints to and why?

"The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" is a better telling and more factual than Lambs book and i would highly recommend it.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Charlton Griffin?

He regularly massacres foreign names, but honestly hes a great narrator if you can get passed that one thing.

tedious, but we'll referenced

this is precisely the first crusade, the other crusades are sumarrized at the end. the narrator is droning but that is relaxing to me