"Christopher Fee intends the multicultural juxtaposition of medieval heroes to convey a sense of narrative continuity across civilizations and common cultural ancestry. Explicitly claiming its intended audience to be ' nonspecialists ' , the book advances trends towards globalization and internationalism by broadening the popular understanding of ' medieval' to include non-Western European societies. As a reference book, it might be compared to a modernized Bullfinch's Mythology—one with twenty-first-century values and an updated bibliography. Fee's enthusiasm for the material is contagious, and the summaries of medieval tales make for entertaining reading. This book will most likely inspire readers who are new to medieval studies to seek out the primary-source material and read it more closely.

Speculum, A Journal of Medieval Studies

This work will be a useful entrée to this genre, particularly for the lesser-known tales from the Islamic (e.g., Persian, Turkish, and Arabian) world. Summing up: recommended.

Choice

Each exciting and moving hero tale comes through effectively and pointedly without excess or skimping. . . . [I]f you teach or just enjoy hero tales, get a copy of Professor Fee's book for your library and perhaps one for yourself as well: you will be glad to have it, and you will go back to it for ideas for teaching, additional readings, and class discussions.

Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching (SMART)