SONG OF THE EIGHT WINDS: RECONQUISTA - AN EPIC TALE OF MEDIEVAL SPAIN
Book ID/图书代码： 08298013B63903
English Summary/英文概要： From the author of the bestselling Snowball Oranges series of Mallorcan travel books comes a substantial and compelling novel inspired by one of the most momentous and lastingly-celebrated events in the history of this enchanting Spanish island.It’s 1229, the year of the Christian ’Reconquest’ of Mallorca from the Moors, a Muslim people of Afro-Arabic origin who have ruled Spain in cultural splendour for five hundred years. Heading the Christian invasion is King Jaume I, the dashing 21-year-old ruler of the northern Spanish kingdom of Aragon, who sets out for Mallorca with a mighty armada of one hundred and fifty ships carrying some fifteen thousand foot soldiers and fifteen hundred cavalry.
The helmsman of the royal galley is Pedrito Blànes, a strapping Mallorcan peasant of the same age as King Jaume. This is his story…
Set against a backdrop of breathtaking Mediterranean scenery, described in the author’s hallmark style which transports readers right into the heart of the action, an enthralling saga dictated by the vagaries of fate unfolds. The horror and brutality of battle is countered by the tenderness shown to Christian Pedrito in an unexpected encounter with two Muslim women – one older than him, the other younger – which reveals heart-rending aspects of his past and sows the seeds of a forbidden romantic relationship punishable by death.
Yet there are threads of humour woven discreetly into this intense, action-packed yarn – a rare quality that puts Song of the Eight Winds in a niche unique within the genre of historical fiction.
Here, then, is a book that will appeal equally to devotees of Mallorca, who will be fascinated by depictions of familiar locations as they existed in a bygone age, and to those who simply love to read a good story, entertainingly-told.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 本书由最畅销的关于马略卡的雪球橘子系列的旅游书的作者所写，非常有实力和令人信服，灵感来自这个迷人的西班牙岛的历史中一个最重要的和持久的庆祝活动。
这是1229年，是基督教徒穆尔斯对马略卡的“再征服”之年，这位穆斯林人是非洲裔的阿拉伯人，曾统治了西班牙五百年辉煌的文化。带领基督教入侵的是国王海梅一世，一位尽头十足的21岁的西班牙北部王国阿拉贡的统治者，他在马略卡建立了一支拥有一百五十艘载有大约一万五千步兵和十五名骑兵的战舰的强大舰队。
英国皇家邮轮的舵手是佩德罗•布兰斯，一个和国王海梅同年的身材魁梧的马略卡农民。这是他的故事…
故事以激动人心的地中海风光为背景，以作者的标志性风格娓娓道来，将读者带入故事的核心，一个迷人的传奇跟随命运的变化无常徐徐展开。基督教徒佩德罗意外遇到两名穆斯林妇女而后开始反击战争的恐怖和残酷——一位比他年长，另一位比他年轻——揭示了他那令人心碎的过去，播下了被处以死刑的禁止的浪漫关系的种子。
将多条幽默的线索谨慎地编织到这个激烈、包含动作的故事中——是一本不可多得的精品，将历史小说《八风之歌》提升到独一无二的地位。
这本书也同样吸引马略卡的信徒，他们会被对脑海中熟悉的地方的描绘吸引住，当然，那些喜欢听有趣的好故事的人也会爱上这本书。(LNL)
Awards/获奖情况：“克尔用讲故事的才华让历史重现。”——历史小说评论
“一个非常有趣的阅读。”——马略卡每日公报
一个华丽的冒险…一个英雄的故事…一个全面的史
诗。”——邓弗里斯&加洛韦
一个封装动作的故事…有趣而不仅仅是枯燥的历史。”—伊斯特•洛锡安•库里也
“一本迷人的关于基督教徒穆尔斯征服马略卡的历史小说。”（欧元新闻周刊）
“细致的研究。流畅的文笔，以及许多精彩的情节。”——books4spain.com
’History comes to life through Kerr’s skill as a story teller.’ - Historical Novel Review
’A hugely entertaining read.’ - Majorca Daily Bulletin
’A magnificent adventure ... an herioc tale ... a sweeping epic.’ - Dumfries& Galloway Standard
’An action-packed yarn ... entertaining, not just dry history.’ - East Lothian Courier
’An enthralling historical novel (about) the Christian Reconquest of Mallorca from the Moors.’ (Euro Weekly News).
’Researched in meticulous detail. Extremely well written in an easy style, with many exciting sub-plots.’ - Books4Spain.com
About the Author/作者介绍： 苏格兰的彼得•克尔凭借他获奖的“雪球橘子”系列叙事游记已经是畅销书作者了。本书讲述了他的家庭试图以种橘子为生时所发生的一些令人捧腹的经历——一次他们什么都不知道的占领——上世纪80年代西班牙的马略卡岛上山区的一个小农场。这五本书和前传——背景设置在苏格兰的《蓟汤》已经在世界范围内大量出售，并被翻译成多种语言。彼得现在专心写小说，他的故事都包含了他标志性的幽默，从另类的《鲍勃烧伤调查》的神秘，到他的第一本历史小说《八风之歌》，一个西班牙中世纪的史诗故事。在他的冒险中，生活就像坐过山车一样，彼得曾经是公务员执行官（勉强担任了十八个月！），专业的爵士音乐家，唱片制作人，牧场主和马略卡橘子种植新手——即故事发生的地方。他已婚有两个成年的儿子，现在生活在洛锡安东的乡村——“苏格兰花园”。
Scotland’s Peter Kerr became established as a bestselling author via his award-winning ’Snowball Oranges’ series of narrative travelogues. The books recount his family’s often hilarious experiences while attempting to grow oranges for a living - an occupation of which they knew absolutely nothing - on a little farm in the mountains of the Spanish island of Mallorca during the1980s. Those five books and their prequel, the set-in-Scotland ’Thistle Soup’, sell in large numbers worldwide and have been translated into several languages. Now concentrating on writing fiction, Peter’s stories, which all contain his hallmark brand of dry humour, range in theme from the offbeat ’Bob Burns Investigates’ mysteries to his first historical novel, ’Song of the Eight Winds’, an epic tale of Medieval Spain. In his venturesome, roller coaster ride through life, Peter has been a Civil Service Executive Officer (for eighteen reluctant months!), professional jazz musician, record producer, farmer of beef cattle, and rookie Mallorcan orange grower - which is where we came in. Married with two grown-up sons, he now lives back in his home county of East Lothian, ’The Garden of Scotland’.
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Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
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