Book Review: Tom Holland “In the Shadow of the Sword”.

This book shouldn’t be controversial, but it is. Published in 2012, it appears that the watermark of what can be said about the three Abrahamic religions has changed again, interestingly, making the book an even more salient addition to your living room library. What doesn’t change is how history is a great teacher, and it rhymes from time to time.

In many ways, this book felt like seeing into the future disguised as peering into the past. 

Let’s run down what the book is about, and what we thought. 

The Synopsis. 

Tom Holland, not Spiderman, but the historian and presenter of the world-famous The Rest Is History podcast, explores one of the most important developments in global history, in a land that is still today subject to conflict: the holy land. The Shadow of the Sword sets out to explore the influences, origins and early history of the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and – most importantly for the book – Islam. 

The book skillfully brushes sand and soil from the roots that anchor the origins of each religion’s beliefs. From the fall of the “new” Roman Byzantine Empire to the last throws of the mighty fire-praying Persian empire at the end of an Arab sword; persecuted jews spread to the winds and making new homes in Mesopotamia; Christianity’s fascinating obsession with pilgrimages, holy trinkets and saints living atop poles; and Arab tribes marching across sand and sea to Spain, followed by the distinct smell of camel shit. 

As we scan the stories of empires and peoples of the holy lands, we see what laid the fertile ground for new ideas and ways of life. The pressure between the two mighty tectonic plates of imperial armour and steel provided the ideal furnace for an age of spirit and faith that still shapes the world today. 

The book looks at how each religion came to be, where it draws its influences and whether the claimed histories are indeed factual; Holland’s assertions are backed by a forensic body of evidence. 

The Review

In the beginning, I found the book quite hard to read but once I got used to the style in which Holland writes, I found myself unable to put the book down. Unlike his later book, Dominion, The Shadow of the Sword is academic and at times heavy going. There was a moment in the beginning where I thought I wouldn’t be able to get through it, but what kept me reading was the storytelling. 

Holland has a skill for leading the reader in with a compelling story and blending in academic passages where they are required. It keeps you both engaged and correctly informed. 

As I say, later Tom Holland books are much easier to access and feel quite a bit less dense. 

Otherwise, I loved this book. It’s witty, clever, insightful and surprising in so many ways. The reward of finishing this book (other than making it through 600 odd pages) was the desire to read it again. 

I also strongly believe that this is one of the most important books of our time; it is a cold look at the true origins of faiths that have been shrouded in a blend of selective memory or metaphysical storytelling. It’s more so a human story, exposing what caught our ancestors’ imaginations and why each ethos is still a source of fierce debate today. 

Now, that rivalries between religions are brewing once more, the book can give an onlooker a much deeper understanding of the differences between each body of belief, but – much, much more importantly – what similarities we share. 

Would I recommend The Shadow of the Sword? 

To avid readers and history buffs, I would recommend this book. It is a fascinating origin story of both people and faith, so, if this is up your alley, it’s for you. 

It can be a heavy read, and at points a slog, so keep this for a long winter’s day next to a fire.