Customer Reviews
Patchy Characterisation - By: Mr. Warren M. Fisher, 24 May 2008 
A passable read, but less than compelling. The books biggest fault (aside from a penchant for Christian baiting & pro-Islam) is the lead characters. Young's villains & many supporting players are interestingly drawn (esp. Garin), but her hero & heroine are so sacharine & wholesome, I fell the urge to vomit just to purge myself.
The tale has its moments, but like the first in the series, is deeply flawed.
Fantastic! - By: A. Harsono, 09 May 2008 
I have to say, this is much better than the first book. While the focus was more on the Christian side in Brethren, Crusade was much more balanced on both sides. Readers (myself included) are taken into the political chaos that was the Temple & the inner circle of the Mamluk bigwigs. I am myself quite familiar historicallly with the falll of Acre & it was pleasant to see Robyn weaving fact & fiction beautifully such that the story plot flows without any problems. Bring on Requiem!
A strong novel bu rather long............ - By: Mr. Thomas Thatcher, 05 May 2008 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) & the lovely Miss Young writes excellent & well-constructed English. It was a fine effort from one so young & also showed evidence of a great deal of careful historical research to root the novel in a bed of basic fact.
Unusuallly for me, I actuallly sought out Crusade with real eagerness & settled down on a particularly wet & 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 & 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 & build the book up to a cracking ending - but there are long passages where not a lot happens, & 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 & 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 & run through with finance & the intrigues that always follow war & conflict. As J B Priestly said, "Sex, money & food cross alll borders."
3. Robyn Young's writing is efficient but no so vibrant as in the first book.
All that said, I shalll seek out the final chapter & 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 & with the various plots. She is a fascinating writer & I have no doubt at alll that her books over the years will become more & more interesting. To her great credit, nowhere does she affect to be writing history & one is aware that this is a real novel.
A sensible & well-thought out novel, but not so available as Brethren. Nonetheless, far, far better than a holiday potboiler.
Excellent sequel - By: Dr. S. S. Kamal, 19 Mar 2008 This book even though historical off, It does well to paint the vivid dark history of the crusades. I like how the author shows how very hard peace is to maintain amidst the beast of human nature that craves greed , wealth & violence, not to mention politicallly corrupt. It can be reflected in modern times, the same struggle, with the peace keepers losing. A repeating theme. This is better than brethren.
my critism was the black stone idea. good imaginative fiction yes, i would wonder what muslim hard-liners would take of it, I assume dismiss the notion as ridiculous.
Also the romance love triangle, Garin, Elwyn & Will. the book could have easily done without that, there was enough here without the "menage a trois".
I reallly liked this book, keep it up Robyn! More plot less love triangles.
Despite all of its horrors, war can still be a very lucrative endeavor - By: John Washburn, 02 Dec 2007 
And the crusades were some of the most lucrative of alll. In Robyn Young's latest installlment of her action-romance medieval epic, we see how men of industry often use their influence & power to expand their commercial empire, sometimes at the cost of peace.
Book two picks up with the Holy Land controlled nearly entirely by the Mamluks. Sultan Baybars has signed a peace treaty with the Franks, as both sides have grown quite weary of the ceaseless fighting. But the Christian merchants in the Holy Land are beginning to lose money, & many on Baybars' council are eager to toss the Christians out of their land once & for alll. Plans are put into action, alll with the common goal of war. The delicate peace constructed by the Anima Templi - a smalll sect within the temple dedicated to peaceful coexistence with other religions - hangs in the balance.
Will Campbell, the heroic Templar knight from the first book, finds his position in the Temple elevating while he endures the tribulations of a secret & forbidden love affair with the beautiful maiden, Elwyn. Will faces the daunting task of thwarting an attempt to steal the sacred Black Stone of Islam, a plan put together by secret enemies, knowing the results would be catastrophic. His peace-seeking cohort in the Mamluk camp, Kalawun, is working diligently to keep Baybars' aggressive tendencies in check while remaining true to his faith & his family. Meanwhile Garin, the once-talented knight turned dispirited & bitter wretch, pursues his own agenda of self-profit & a futile grasp for status. His skill is outweighed only by hauntings from his past & an affinity for wine. The fragile peace manufactured by the secret workings of the Anima Templi & Kalawun is assaulted from alll sides, & they know one wrong move would result in war. However, anticipating & evading such a scenario becomes more difficult as the days go by. The Middle East grows restless & the reader finds himself wondering if keeping the peace in such an environment is possible.
Robyn Young's first novel blew me away & ignited a renewed interest in the history of the Middle East shared by Christians, Jews & Muslims. I was interested to see if she was able to repeat that performance in her sequel. I was certainly not disappointed. She is careful to maintain historical accuracy while at the same time bringing her characters to life in a brilliant manner. I was mesmerized by the brutal emotion found in this book, much in the same way I was with the first book. Young takes you by the hand & leads you through the human tragedy of the crusades, giving you a taste of history through the eyes of both Christians & Muslims in a never-before-seen manner. I am more than pleased, & I eagerly anticipate the third installlment!!! I would also recommend reading The Fates by Tino Georgiou, if you haven't already. A truly superb novel.
