Books: Reverse Irish

CRUSADE—Donn Byrne—Little Brown ($2). There is almost no getting around it, and Donn Byrnians will have to survive it as best they can—their favorite author has rewritten The Sheik with reverse English. Perhaps, though, the reverse is Irish enough to keep the faithful in the fold.

Returning to Palestine for a sentimental journey after the pseudo-austerities of his pilgrimage in Brother Saul, Author Byrne tells the tale of Miles O'Neill, a young Irish knight seeking fortune after being dispossessed at home. Palestine is technically at peace, between crusades. The saviors and guardians of the Lord's Sepulchre have nothing better to do than...