This is the seventh book that I’ve read regarding the mythical Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid. This is an excellent scholarly book regarding El Cid, which I think the author job gives the reader a clear view of era during the time of El Cid’s existence. Practically half of the book is laying the political and cultural setting of the Iberian world just before the coming of if El Cid. This to give a clear meaning of this character’s world and how he ended up changing it. Taking any mythical or legendary and just focusing on the real life events of El Cid.

Overall I think the author takes a complex topic and writes it in an easy to understand manner. While in other scholarly books, it’s easy to drown in a sea of names, in this book we only get to know the most important people that Rodrigo was involved with. I would highly recommend this book to any medievalist.