This is the second book in the Celtic Crusades. I thought it was well-written and moves at a good pace; it introduces the reader to other elements living in the Holy Land during the time of the Crusades [both Christian and non-Christian]. It follows the pilgrimage of Murdo's only son Duncan after the family discovers the True Cross has been discovered and then desecrated by the Crusaders in their mad bid to gain complete control of the Holy Land. Most of the novel is told in first-person in the form of Duncan writing down his experiences in a journal to his sole child and heir, his daughter Kait.Duncan's uncle [and only surviving brother of Murdo] arrives in Caithness, having barely survived his adventures in the Holy Land. He has come home to die; his arrival shocks everybody. It especially shocks Murdo, who believed his brothers to both be long dead by this point. Torf tells of how the One True Cross was discovered and is believed to have helped the Crusaders win an important battle. As a result, the cross is separated into four pieces because no Crusader army is willing to march without this new talisman to lead them. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, it does not always work. Two pieces have been either destroyed or captured by the Muslims; one [I believe] is in control of the Emperor, and the final piece is in Bohemond's control. Duncan believes he has been called on a Holy Mission by God to rescue one of the surviving pieces of the One True Cross and bring it to a safe harbor where it cannot be misused by selfish men with small, petty plans contrary to God's will. He encounters various troubles during his journey as he is forced to take a different path than that taken by his father; he ends up playing delivery boy by delivering some valuable knives to a group of Templars who will be traveling to the Holy Land. During his traveling, he encounters an Armenian prince whom he befriends and offers to help take home to Armenia. Upon reaching the Holy Land, Padraig and Duncan attempt to convince Prince Bohemond it is foolish to attack Antioch as Antioch is held by fellow Christians [who happen to be Armenian]. Bohemond disagrees, and the group is forced to flee for their lives. They flee to Cyprus and encounter some Coptic Christians who offer to help them reach Antioch. The Armenian Prince is gratified to have been returned home; Duncan and Company are well-paid for their efforts. However, an enormous Muslim army has attacked Bohemond and his men, slaughtering the Crusaders and ensuring the balance of power has now been tipped to the Muslim's favor. Duncan is captured trying to flee the Antioch; he then moves from caliph to caliph during a few prisoner exchanges and ends up in Egypt as a prisoner. The Caliph of Egypt's son is causing much trouble, which ends up causing several riots that allow Duncan to escape with the help of another Coptic Christian. He finds Padraig, Sydoni, and her father and the group flees back to Cyprus. Duncan wishes to leave for home right away, but the Faidin attack his host's house and kill several people. He ends up having to stay in Cyprus for several months recovering from being poisoned, but eventually he returns home.This book is only broken up into three sections [as opposed to the first novel's four sections]. Each section begins with a 'future story' where the future descendant is discussing how he and his wife are sent to Greece after he learns Greek in order to translate an ancient document on the Island of Cyprus. He is delighted to learn more about his ancestry through translating Duncan's journal. There is not much to say. I felt it moved at the right pace. It was neither too long nor too short. It was interesting to read it in the journal format - it did not bother me near as much as it has other reviewers. I especially liked how the book showed other cultures and how they went about their daily routine in the Holy Land region. He did a great job in how he went about it. I also liked how he included Christians [as well as non-Christians] from other races and created fairly believable characters while doing so. It was nicely done and kept the book from getting stale.I disliked the lack of development between Sydoni and Duncan. It is great that they fell in love and that they are to be married, but the author really does not do a very good job of describing their 'courtship' throughout the course of the book. I know it would have made the book seem quite a bit longer if he had written more about the courtship, but still. It would have been nice to see some kind of development other than Duncan suddenly realizing how much he loves this woman. Especially considering how little she is actually in the book.Overall, a good book and I enjoyed reading it.
A rather disappointing second installment to the "Celtic Crusades". It was really too long drawn out, with a much less appealing protagonist. The bulk of the narrative came in diary form-which read rather stilted. The journey undertaken by Duncan occupied most of the narrative-with a limited amount of information and action surrounding the quest for the holy relic. It was still a good enough read, and I look forward to the final installment-but hoping it is more balanced than part 2, which failed to live up to the promise of p1. Having said that, there were some fabulous scenes, and tear wrenching episodes, which occurred often enough to keep the pages turning!
What do You think about The Black Rood (2001)?
p. 437 "I am reconfirmed in the realization that not only are the past and present woven of the same thread, the past is neither dead nor distant; it continues to exert a genuine and potent force on both present and future, on all that is and is to come. I have come to believe that we are none of us so estranged from our ancestral heritage that we no longer feel its age-old rhythm in the pulse and flow of the blood through our veins. The lives of previous generations can be traced in the lines of our hands and the meditations of our hearts. For we are not ourselves alone; we are all that has gone before."
—Suzanne
