If the North Atlantic isn’t exotic enough, if the south of England isn’t far enough away for you, try Petra. What does it have to do with the novel?. It is an ancient Roman city made of rose-red rock. It survived to be the headquarters of T. E. Lawrence, the high point in the surrounding Syrian Desert. From Petra he took the city of Aqaba during the Arab Revolt. The lead up to the climactic scene takes place during the Battle of Petra. In this novel it is Lawrence’s chiefest victory.
Petra