Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1375687 in Books
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

Customer Reviews

Lots of detail, but great read
Book 2 of Robyn Youngs crusade trilogy carries on perfectly from the first book. The same comments can be made as the first, a lot of time is covered and a lot of detail on the characters and story. It is clear she does a lot of research into this time period, you really feel you are there. The characters as well, you feel like you know them inside and out by the end of the book, feeling their pains and pleasures with them. If you are a fan of the first, you will really enjoy this, however I can see how some people may find this a little heavy going. The book itself is actually split into 3, so you almost get 3 for the price of 1 with these, some more unscrupulous authors may have even made 3 out of this for more money. Great read, great story and great characters, for me a good new historical fiction authors, just got book 3 for Christmas, can't wait to tuck in!

A strong novel bu rather long............
For what it's worth, I thought that Brethren, the first in this yet-to-be-completed trilogy, was very good - the characters had depth, the storyline had credibility, it was a page-turner (never a bad thing if one has had to endure the hideous gloom of Thomas Hardy in one's youth) and the lovely Miss Young writes excellent and well-constructed English. It was a fine effort from one so young and also showed evidence of a great deal of careful historical research to root the novel in a bed of basic fact.

Unusually for me, I actually sought out Crusade with real eagerness and settled down on a particularly wet and horrible weekend (which also featured much Gordon Brown on the tele - that's how bad a weekend it was) to enjoy it. Enjoy it I did, but with some reservations and it seems unkind to criticise adversely because Miss Young has achieved a great deal. Here, again for what it's worth, are some of my reservations:

1. The novel is about 150 pages too long. There is no doubt that the author wanted to cram in as much as possible and build the book up to a cracking ending - but there are long passages where not a lot happens, and more by circumstance than by style, they plod.
2. The characters have become a little formulaic. The Sultan's evil advisor never talks, he hisses. Will's girlfriend is such an unspeakable drip that one is surprised she hasn't dissolved by the 4th chapter. The wronged friend who betrays his old mate and yet comes good at the end is tiresome. Yet I have to say that once again Robyn's depiction of life in Acre during the Crusades is good - hot, miserable, disease-ridden and run through with finance and the intrigues that always follow war and conflict. As J B Priestly said, "Sex, money and food cross all borders."
3. Robyn Young's writing is efficient but no so vibrant as in the first book.

All that said, I shall seek out the final chapter and no doubt read it with pleasure. Whenever I have tried to write a novel I have run out of ideas by page three so I have no right to judge Miss Young. I do hope, though, that she is economical with the story and with the various plots. She is a fascinating writer and I have no doubt at all that her books over the years will become more and more interesting. To her great credit, nowhere does she affect to be writing history and one is aware that this is a real novel.

A sensible and well-thought out novel, but not so available as Brethren. Nonetheless, far, far better than a holiday potboiler.

Mills and Boon meets historical fiction.
I wrote a review on the first in this series (Brethren) and ended wishing for hopes that the second installment imporved on the first. The reality is I read these novels hoping to meet an author of historical fiction, someone who could weave research and detail into a great plot and rich characters.

What I should have appreciated is that this is not historical fiction (no matter what it says of the fly sleeve). The opening chapters introduce us to characters carved out of the C20th and dropped into the middle ages. This is a good yarn but it's like reading about a re-enactment society; eveyone's dressed up in 'ye olde clothes' but thinking, speaking and acting like the us.

Sorry to disappoint, it's not a bad book - it's just not "historical" - I want to be immersed into the period not shown the costumes.