Lions of Al-Rassan is a standalone novel written by Guy Gavriel Kay, set in a fictional rendition of medieval Spain, inspired by the history of El Cid. This is the second of Kay's works that I've read, and while it didn't inspire the same awe in me that Under Heaven did, it's still a book that I greatly appreciated reading. First things first: the Kindath are Jews, the Jaddites Christians, the Asharites Muslims. Remember this when you read this review, and hopefully when you read the book itself. I was confused by the terminology and names, but having this in mind helped me to navigate through the religious conflicts and references in this book. The story of Lions of Al-Rassan is spearheaded by three characters, who all come from vastly different backgrounds; Jehane, a Kindath medic, Rodrigo Belmonte, a renowned Jaddite mercenary, and Ammar Ibn Khairan, an Asharite, the man who killed the last Khalif of Al-Rassan. One of the tale's many highlights was in seeing ho