In The Shadow Of The Sword cover art

In The Shadow Of The Sword

The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

In The Shadow Of The Sword

By: Tom Holland
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Tom Holland
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £12.84

Buy Now for £12.84

In the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two venerable empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on, and one had vanished forever, while the other seemed almost finished. Ruling in their place were the Arabs: an upheaval so profound that it spelt, in effect, the end of the ancient world.
In The Shadow of the Sword, Tom Holland explores how this came about. Spanning Constantinople to the Arabian desert, and starring some of the most remarkable rulers who ever lived, he tells a story vivid with drama, horror and startling achievement.©2012 Tom Holland Ancient Ancient History Middle East Middle Ages Thought-Provoking Imperialism Africa Crusade Iran
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

Holland's new book traces the process by which the world of the first millennium came to be dominated by one God, three religions and an innumerable succession of emperors (Dan Jones)
It is difficult not to be bedazzled by a cast that includes ulcerated Christian holy men, Zoroastrian priests obsessed with dental hygiene, demonic emperors, barbarians with self-inflicted cranial deformities and Arab ambassadors stinking of camel (Richard Miles)
Sweeping and perceptive. His major achievement is to set out just how uncertain is our grasp on the immediate setting of Muhammad's life, and on the formation of the Koran. At this moment in world history above all, it should be required reading
Holland is a restless wanderer across the ancient world, both geographically and intellectually... A dazzling range of characters... Holland is a skilful and energetic narrator, and while he guides us along the more intricate twists and turns of the period, he also keeps our eyes on the bigger story (Anthony Sattin)
Holland leaves almost no aspect of the traditional story of Islam intact as he charts its rise to global power from the ashes of the Roman and Persian empires (Bryan Appleyard)
A work of history, trying to tell the truth, as modern historians understand that fraught concept... A gripping, colourful book (Charles Moore)
A handsome volume, tackling an important question from a novel perspective, backed by useful notes and written in an accessible and fluid style (Michael Scott)
A brave and valuable attempt to train the lens of popular history upon an exceptionally contentious field of study... elegant and entertaining... In the Shadow of the Sword stands as a useful, and sometimes provocative, starting point for anyone interested in approaching the birth of Islam from a historical, rather than devotional, perspective (Thomas Ashbridge)
Elegantly written and refreshingly free from specialist jargon... marshalling its resources with dexterity, it is a veritable tour de force (Malise Ruthven)
Those unwilling to struggle through academic texts have long needed a guide to the story of Islam as it's understood by those with the fullest access to the latest linguistic and archaeological evidence. Now at last in Tom Holland's In the Shadow of the Sword, they finally have it (David Frum)
All stars
Most relevant
As expected of a Tom Holland book, this was a masterpiece. The narrator however ruined it for me. He seemed to get almost every single foreign word's pronunciation horribly wrong. I think narrators should first research their books before narrating them.

Wonderful book, mediocre narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Tom Holland sheds light on the foundations of the early Caliphates, showing how they were forged in a melting pot of Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.

fascinating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A brilliant and very listenable/readable summary of part of the history of mankind. A must for anyone interested in the history of religion and humanity.

Excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I had long suspected much of what was written about Islam. It is apparent from reading the Quran and a knowledge of the contemporary history. In an eloquent well researched and never insulting manner this book expands this history. You will delight in the weaving of middle eastern and tribal history to make the development of Islam contemporary and not as mysteriously isolated as it seems.Listened to this book twice.

Worthwhile listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One does not want to be pedantic, but the narrator's Arabic is a good deal off the mark.

Pronunciation of the Arabic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews