Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "crusades"

The Queen of Knights by David Wind - 5/5 stars

Queen of Knights

Much of the focus of this story seems to be in England, and is based on the love between the Lady Gwendolyn and the Knight Miles Delong, whose fates are determined by mystical powers. However there is a lot of stimulating rivalry later on...

This novel is woven with many myths and fantasy elements, which I enjoyed. Much of the beginning is like a romantic dream, with vibrant colours and beautiful settings combined to create a scene that is memorable both to the characters and the reader.

It starts at a steady pace, but it picks up in style when we are introduced to the hulking cruel bull of a Knight Morgan of Guildswood, who is prepared to kill anybody who stands in the way of his marriage to Gwendolyn. When Gwendolyn falls in love with Miles Delong a rivalry begins. Expect very well-described and exciting battles in melees; and classic confrontations between good and evil. These battles were the highlights for me, and the author provided plenty of this type of excitement, which continued throughout.

The last third is concerned with the Crusades. The scene the author paints is vivid and yet again proves his descriptive skill. Is it Richard the Lionheart versus Saladin? Yes, to an extent. However, the overarching conflict in this section seems to be between Gwendolyn and Saladin, the latter who is depicted as a magnanimous ruler whose oath restricts his moral choices.

Overall this was a magnificent well-rounded read, interspersed with battles, excitement, love, history, myth, and fantasy. I respect the author for a lengthy novel that never disappointed.