"If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend," said E. M. Forster, "I hope I should have the guts to betray my country." Marron, a new recruit in the Sanctuary Land of Outremer, soon comes to believe that he has a gift for betrayal. Inwardly he questions the brutality which makes the first action of his troop the destruction of an undefended village; outwardly he becomes separated from his brothers to serve as squire to the mysterious Sieur Anton; and then he must lie to his knight as well, if he is to help the jongleur Rudel rescue his friend from torture.But Marron is not the only character who must choose where his loyalties lie; Julianne is instructed by a djinni - a living tornado of sand and spirit - to "go where you are sent, and marry where you must", an apparent command to obedience which turns out to be nothing of the sort. Fortunately, Julianne has the support of her new friend Elisande (unless Elisande's secrets hide betrayals of her own...).
Meanwhile, the Sharai tribes are gathering, hoping to expel the invaders from the land that was once theirs. Can the charismatic Hasan hold their alliance together, or will differences between the tribes destroy them, before the invaders are themselves destroyed by their own internal dissention? For the reader, as for the characters, there is no easy loyalty, only sympathy for the very believable characters caught in this dilemma.
Outremer is a splendid invention; based on a fascinating historical period, offering all the pleasures of recognition to anyone who knows the medieval background, yet fresh and alive. The use of magic is both appropriate to the traditions of the area, with djinni and 'ifrit playing their part in the story, not to mention the country that isn't there, the folded land of Surayo
