Where It All Goes Down
The Middle Ages; England, Venice, the Holy Land
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-eye justice system and fighting with shiny metal weapons. It was also a time where really different cultures came in contact with each other, so we've got a great contrast of people and places.
Before we move from the bleak terrain of England to the sunny beaches of the Holy Land, let's take a moment to talk about the historical backdrop.
Our story takes place during the Third Crusade in the late 1100s. England and their European friends are fighting their hardest to take the Holy Land from the Muslims who control it. The word "Crusade" actually comes from the word "cross"—which makes sense, because the Christians of the medieval world considered it a holy war.
But enough with the history lesson. Now that we know the when and where, let's talk specifics.
England
Our first destination is England. But forget about the London Eye and Big Ben—this is England about a thousand years earlier, long before modern technology or ideas about hygiene. Edmund tells us "it was a time of outlaws and traveling beggars, and we were prepared for whatever Heaven brought our way" (1.7). Sounds super unpredictable.
London fails to meet Edmund's expectations—"the real, actual city was at first a little bit of a disappointment" (10.12)—which makes sense since it's pretty much just a loud, dirty, overgrown version of the town he grew up in. Picture the grimy towns in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and you're on the right track.
The rest of Europe has the same kind of feel. As they travel through France, Edmund describes an endless rugged landscape: "Some farms had been blight blasted and abandoned, house and granary burned to the ground. Others flourished" (13.17). So much for a scenic trip.
Venice
Venice is cool because it's kind of the melting pot of different cultures. It's a mixture of the place Edmund is coming from (Western Europe) and the place he's going to (the Middle East). Fittingly, just as Venice is a sort of bridge between where Edmund's coming from and where he's going, he arrives in this location halfway through his journey.
Not that Edmund's thrilled about arriving here. He kind of just sees Venice as a "rambling, sea-moss-encrusted place, surrounded on all sides by water" (16.13). We bet he opted out of the gondola ride.
The Holy Land
Even though it's a place of massive bloodshed, the Holy Land is kind of like a tropical getaway. It's totally different from anything Edmund has known: "the white sand glittered, gently wind-contoured and unmarred by any hoof. Pebbles glittered, not round, like river stones, but jagged, every shade of autumn gold" (22.1). Sounds like somebody's pretty impressed… finally.
The Holy Land embodies the idea of the mysterious and unknown, which is a major theme in The Book of the Lion. (You should swing by the "Themes" section to explore this further.) Edmund confesses that his expectations for the Holy Land were kind of mythical: "I had expected the Holy Land to be a place of miracle, angels at wellheads, saints in caves. It was even better than that. This was a land of wild thyme and date palms" (22.34). Interestingly, Edmund describes this place with adoration—yet this is where all the fighting happens.
Do you think this means Edmund has finally taken to military life? We suppose we'll have to read the next book in the series to find out.