Physician

An orphan leaves Dark Ages London to study medicine in Persia in this "e;adventurous and inspiring"e; historical novel from a New York Times-bestselling author (Library Journal). "e;Rich in incident and vivid in historical detail, [The Physician] is a pleasure."e; (The New York Times). A child holds the hand of his dying mother and is terrified, aware something is taking her. Orphaned and given to an itinerant barber-surgeon, Rob Cole becomes a fast-talking swindler, peddling a worthless medicine. But as he matures, his strange gift an acute sensitivity to impending death never leaves him, and he yearns to become a healer. Arab madrassas are the only authentic medical schools, and he makes his perilous way to Persia. Christians are barred from Muslim schools, but claiming he is a Jew, he studies under the world's most renowned physician, Avicenna. How the woman who is his great love struggles against her only rival medicine makes a riveting modern classic. The Physician is the first book in New York Times bestselling author Noah Gordon's Cole trilogy, which continues with Shaman and concludes with Matters of Choice. "e;[Gordon's] narrative is fast-paced, one engrossing scene unfolding into another."e; Seattle Post-Intelligencer