A definite 5 stars from me. It has to be one of the most thoroughly researched and detailed account of the Moriscos (new Christians or Muslim converts) set in 16th century Spain. I was taken into a world where a defeated Muslim community is forced to chose between survival and their old faith. The main character is a bastard son of a Catholic priest and a Muslim girl who struggle through a civil war and makes it to the higher echelons of Spanish society, only to be unceremoniously chucked out because of his uncertain credentials by a Royal decree. I lived the various dialogues between the very faithful Christians and Muslims in the story. I thought that the era was very nicely captured by the author, though at times the flow is slightly repetitive. It was news for me that the initial Muslim conquest was not really seen as a Muslim victory per se by the vanquished as they thought the Muslims to be another version of the the various Christian sects residing across the pond for about 30 years. I really enjoyed the focus on the ordinary and the downtrodden in the story. This particular method of encapsulating factual history in a story is the best way of enjoying mundane history in my opinion.
I loved the way the whole story climaxes as well, only 960 pages later.........
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