The Book of the Lion Analysis

The setting is really important because it gives us a real framework for the story. Edmund's tale is all about the Crusades, which was a very exciting time in history, complete with an eye-for-an-e...

The camera rolls through Edmund's eyes in this book from the very first sentence: "The hammering woke me—a fist pounding on the door" (1.1). We never get any of the other characters' views, thoug...

Young Adult LiteratureThis is definitely a book geared toward teenagers. It stars a teenage protagonist and features a plot that really moves along, snatching readers up and refusing to let them go...

So we did a little bit of snooping about to figure out just what is up with this title. Turns out that Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a "Book of the Lion" as part of his Canterbury Tales way back in t...

What is up with the ending? It totally leaves us hanging, wondering what Edmund does next. Will he go home to Elvira? Will he continue on with King Richard? As far as the ending goes, we truly have...

The plot's a tiny bit tough to keep up with at times (probably because we're blinded by all that bright and shiny Crusader-garb), and the story also calls for a bit of background history. For insta...

The Coiner's ApprenticeEdmund is the coiner's apprentice. Unfortunately, Otto (the coiner) is found guilty of hoarding the king's silver. Yikes. And since this is the Middle Ages, Edmund's guilty...

You know how Edmund's such a team player? Well, the first word Michael Cadnum could read was "we." (Source.) When King Richard died, his little brother became king… after plotting against him for...

Surprisingly enough, this is kind of like Game of Thrones for kids. Not only are there graphic accounts of war and violence (blood and guts abound), but there are also more than a few mentions...

Robin Hood (5.25)Richard the Lionheart (throughout)Saladin (throughout)The Siege of Acre (throughout)The Battle of Arsuf (throughout)