Amin Maalouf's fiction includes Leo the African, Rock of Tanios, which won the 1993 Prix Goncourt, Samarkand and Ports of Call. He is also the author of an acclaimed scholarly work, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, as well as the much admired essay, On Identity
His is a voice which Europe cannot afford to ignore. * Guardian * His observation of human nature in all its facets is wonderfully accurate. * Sunday Telegraph * One of Maalouf's most subtle books, and without doubt one of his most accomplished. * Le Point * Sparkling and erudite, this is a wonderful novel. * Independent * A splendid book that should be read in the way one looks at a highly coloured fresco, allowing oneself to be transported by the breeze that wafts Balthasar on the most unexpected journeys. -- Josette Alia * Nouvel Observateur * Terrific * Sunday Times * Indeed, if you want to understand what's going on in the world at this moment, you could certainly do worse than to read Maalouf on the past * Guardian * A fine, unusual and rich book * Independent on Sunday * [A] wonderful tale-its bewildered and worldly hero, facing a chaotic universe, makes this meticulously researched historical novel uniquely relevant * Scotland on Sunday *