...in that I think of ancient Phoenicia, while in fact this plays in only in the main character's background. Essentially a victorian romantic novel, ala Sir Walter Scott, this instead chronicles several generations of English history through the eyes of the eponymous hero. The story is somewhat convoluted, with unresolved threads and underdeveloped characters. Nevertheless, there are portions that are real gems--and the illustrations alone are almost worth the price of the book.