Harold Lamb 
Durandal 

Durandal – one of the greatest epics of heroic fiction ever written – has been an influence upon and model for many tales of swordplay and adventure. Durandal, of course, is the fabled sword of history and legend which somehow found its way into Africa, and finally into the Near-East, after the death of the warrior-hero Roland, knight of Charlemagne. Durandal is the tale of two crusaders, Sir Hugh of Taranto and the strange Celt, Donn Dera, whose band of 800 has been betrayed and butchered by the Turks of Kai Kosru. In company with Arab adventurers, Sir Hugh and Donn Dera must try to capture the near-impregnable fortress of Kai Kosru. Here, the fabled sword finds its way to Sir Hugh's hand in the throne room of Kai Kosru, and the crusader begins a quest for vengeance.

Here are grim, heroic tales full of incredible battles, betrayals, and treachery. The author is the same Harold Lamb whose marvelous historical biographies of Genghis Khan, Hannibal, and Tamerlane were best sellers.