Brethren

Brethren Trilogy #1

by Robyn Young

The epic first novel in the million-selling Brethren trilogy. In the tradition of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Manda Scott, Brethren brilliantly evokes that extraordinary clash of civilizations known in the West as the Crusades.From the burning plains of Syria to the filthy backstreets of Paris and London, Brethren is the story of Will Campbell, coming of age in a time of conspiracy, passion, politics and war.Will longs to become a Knight Templar, but first he must serve as an apprentice to the foul-tempered scholar Everard, a man of dangerous secrets.Meanwhile, a new star is rising in the east. Amir Baybars has fought his way from slavery to become a fearsome commander, driven by an unquenchable desire to free the Holy Land from the European invaders.A stunning, epic novel of war, savagery and heroism.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Medieval, Fantasy, Adventure, War

676 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Robyn Young is the Sunday Times bestselling author of the BRETHREN and INSURRECTION trilogies and the NEW WORLD RISING series. She also writes crime thrillers as Erin Young.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the Knights Templar is a subject I know very little about, and have an interest in, this book appealed to me. The author has a good reputation for historical fact within the fiction so I thought it would be reliable. It definitely had a strong historical context.
The plot follows a boy named William who is a sergeant that hopes to become a knight. The story is complicated by his love interest, Elwen, and the vows of knighthood which preclude  romantic involvement or marriage.
    The story follows Will and his friend Garin as they progress through the world of the Crusades. It shifts at times to the Saracen perspective and follows the ruthless Baybars. I found the conflict and themes interesting in light of many of our modern day struggles and conflicts both around the world and within our own borders here in America between Islam and Christianity.
    When the story slows down and focuses on specific characters and their individual situations, such as William the would be knight or Baybars the would be conqueror, it grabbed my attention. At times it seemed to skim the surface of events in order to move the story forward, even taking large leaps of time forward and aging characters while summarizing situations. For large scale stories I know this is often a necessity- it’s just not my favorite type of story. The author does make it work in this case; however, I still felt it took a time to pull me back into the plot.
The occasional fast forward style seemed to create space between the world of the characters and the one I live in which reduced the immersive feel of the read for me. Immersiveness is what I really enjoy when I read. Reading is my temporary entry into another world within my mind that allows me a complete escape from the world around me- at least when I find a good author.
This author definitely does do that at times- maybe it is the limitations of the genre that force the situational detachment I felt, or maybe it was just me. She does manage to pull me back in time and time again, sometimes quickly and sometimes not for a few dozen pages.
The ending left me wondering what will happen to both the individual characters as well as the groups and organizations that are involved in the story. There is treachery, murder, savagery and a little bit of mayhem now and again interspersed at various intervals. Nothing really intense or overwhelming- there is just enough to remind the reader that the world the characters live in is unpredictable and violent. I struggled with rating it 3 stars or 4, but settled on 4 because ultimately I did like it and I want to stick with it.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**

Read this book in 2007, and its the 1st volume of the "Brethren" trilogy, by the author, Robyn Young.

Its about the last Crusade that will start in the year AD 1260, and there we'll see two figures fighting for their respective causes.

For the Crusaders, there's Will Campbell, who wants to become a Knight Templar, but must forst prove himself as an apprentice to the sinister Everard, a man with secrets, and besides that he will retrieve for the Brethren the Book of the Grails, with hidden heretical plans of a secret society within the Knights Templar.

On the other side there's former slave but now Amir Baybars Bundukdari, and this man and his army have taken Syria and Egypt, and is now looking planning a Holy War against the European invaders.

A tale with a lot of conspiracies and intrigue in Europe, and great battle scenes between the Crusaders and Muslims will feature in this book about the clash between the invading West and the defending East.

What is to follow is an intriguing historical tale with at its centre a thrilling mystery, and in this warlike and treacherous world Will Campbell must find his way in a bid to become a Knight Templar, with all its benefits but also with the setbacks that will surely follow.

Highly recommended, for this is a wonderful first outing to this brillant trilogy, and that's why I like to call this episode: "An Intriguing Brethren Begin"!

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has taken me a long time to read book one in this Brethren trilogy. Which is unusual for me, seeing as Robyn Young is one of my favourite authors and I loved her Insurrection trilogy and I really enjoyed book one, Sons of the Blood, in her new trilogy, New World Rising.

I think I avoided Brethren for so many years because of regular comments from fellow readers on it being more romance based than the trilogies mentioned above. Having now read Brethren, I am surprised that people say this. I did not find it romance heavy at all. Not to the stage where it would put off a reader who does not enjoy romance. There is a relationship between two young characters that develops into something stronger as they grow up, but I never found it ‘romancy’ nor melodramatic.

It took me a while to get into the read due to maybe a third of the book being consumed by characters as children and young adults. Now this, of course, is personal taste. It is neither a negative about the book or a fatal story wrecker, it is just that, no matter how much I like or love the author’s work, I never like hanging around in the child or young adult phases and I felt Brethren dwelled there too long. I prefer stories set around adults; doing adult things, viewing life through an adult’s eyes, talking in adult voices.

This is not going to be my favourite Young novel, I mean, how can this strong debut ever compare to the beauty of the Insurrection trilogy? It just cannot, for the simple fact that it is indeed a debut. By a younger Robyn Young. With Insurrection, the author was older, wiser, more experienced as a writer. She had obviously learned a lot about herself. Learned how she wanted to write and in what voice her stories should be told. Brethren is Robyn Young in training wheels. She was not quite ready for aerial flips, tyre grabs and tailwhips.

Still, it is a decent, solid read. It had its moments where I maybe didn’t want to pick it up, and then it had its moments where I could not wait to pick it up.

With a tale split between the Templars in the west and the Mamluks in the east, and then the coming together of both medieval super powers, it is drawn out as a very detailed and intelligently done plot with sub plot aplenty.

It had a lot of promise and I look forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy, Crusade and Requiem. I’ve heard good things about them both and I will try to slot them into my reading schedule this year or early next year.

[Beorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could and should have been so much better. All the necessary elements seem to be there for a great memorable story only for it to disappoint and frustrate far more than invigorate or appeal. To use an analogy, imagine having all the right ingredients for a delicious cake, mix them together, bake and getting an undercooked barely edible biscuit instead.
The author manages the notable feat of taking five hundred long pages to achieve less than what others have in two-thirds as many pages. Young seems to prefer maintaining a meandering non-committal approach throughout the story than actually giving the reader something to energise & intrigue them, or someone to connect or at the very least empathise with.
As it stands, the most interesting character in the book is actually the main antagonist, Baybars, who hardly has an chapters dedicated to him in comparison to the hero whom you're supposed to care about.

The book is decidedly overlong, to the extent that it becomes a chore to even care any more about even finishing the story by around 3/4s of the way through with another 100+ pages still to go.

There's also some pretty lazy storytelling and plot manoeuvres to contend with - such as at height of danger hero gets supposed message from heroine to meet her in place she'd never go, which neatly delivers him into the hands of the villains, or telling notable chunks of the story in hazy recollections in passing rather than actually include them in the action, especially when some of them are the most interesting parts of the story.

Overall very disappointing as there's a tangible sense that this could have been so much better if the author had only cut out more of the dead wood and, well, got on with it.
It's not been bad enough to put me off trying again with the series but episode 2 will have to seriously pick up it's game for me to stay with it.

[Lubna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brethern was a good book. I don't particularly find it amusing to read historical fiction books but I loved this book because actual events from history are also included. I loved the writing, it did not bore me one single bit even though it was detailed. Despite the fact that it's been written by a Christian author, the events are actually accurate and I did not see -for the most part- any bias, which really amused me. I even went as far as comparing the events to my own historical references and to my surprise they agreed with the majority of the events of the book.
Again I am noting that the book is both fiction mixed with non-fiction, and the non-fiction part is what I am saying is accurate, the non-fiction part though I was not very keen about and did not really care for the characters or what was going on with them, but I like how everything was put together by the end of the book. (:

[S.J.A. Turney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't really sure what to expect from Brethren as I hadn't read a synopsis beforehand. Sometimes I find that adds to the book as it means I go into it with an open mind. Also, given my very rigid list of books to read, Brethren sneaked in by simply being "I quite fancy a read of that" as I walked past the bookshelf. That, for me, is quite rare. All I knew was that it involved the Knights Templar and the crusades.

I was fascinated, then, to discover that the book is not simply an 'us-and-them' Templars and Muslim thing. It also falls blessedly short of the almost inevitable (these days) Dan-Browning of the Templars. There is a tendency now to see them as a mystical, secretive, barely-Christian bunch with demon worship etc. Since I personally believe that they were likely mostly good-hearted and pious men who also happened to be shrewd business managers, the whole 'creepy' thing just annoys me.

Robyn has built up, instead, a secret sect within the Templars, using the mysteries surrounding the order and its eventual fall, to create secrets within secrets while still avoiding the pit-trap of Templar weirdness and demon worship. The Templars in Brethren are like an onion, layers within layers, and (as you would expect) it is only toward the end of the book when you start to get a glimpse of what is at the heart of this sect. I was most pleased to find that what could have been said demon worship, weirdness and even supernatural guff was, instead, exactly what I've always thought could have been the case: a deep level of understanding and acceptance that goes far beyond the simple Christian message.

I will try to give nothing away. Some reviews I've seen on the book say that the writing style is rigid and slow, the book too protracted and the characters a little wooden. I found the writing to be easy enough and flow well, myself. I suspect the style eases into the second book. It is, after all, a debut, and any writer's style only settles with a second book, but I had no issue with the style.

I did find some of the characters' traits a little obvious or expected. I wouldn't say they were wooden or one-dimensional or anything like that, but one of the other reviewers said they are a tad under-developed and I can see where they have come up with this decision. I assume, though, that this is a facet of this being the first book in a trilogy and that the characters will continue to grow and deepen.

I did find the book a long one to go at, I have to say, not that it was a problem. I enjoyed every page of the story.

I will certainly be reading the rest of the series.

[C.W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

BRETHREN, the first entry in Robyn Young's acclaimed epic trilogy about the travails of a young man on the path to becoming a Templar knight during the disastrous end of the Crusades, is full of interesting details and twisting plot-lines. Will Campbell, the hero of the story, is a youth damaged by a tragic event which has torn his family apart. As he struggles to gain his knighthood in the Templar Order, where he's been assigned by his father, who's taken Templar vows and left for service in the besieged Holy Land, Will befriends a fellow knight-in-training, Gavin, as well as a mysterious young woman named Elwen. These fateful friendships, combined with a stolen secret book and the raging vengeance of the Mamluk sultan, Baybars, who has determined to wrest all Christian holdings in Palestine, begin as separate plot threads that are slowly woven into a story that is part-thriller and part-historical adventure, and, despite its daunting length, quite entertaining.

Though its "Da Vinci Code" blurbs advertise the book's mass-commercial appeal, in truth there is little similarity between Brown's ubiquitous contemporary novel and Ms Young's meticulously researched account of the final years of the Crusades as seen through both Christian and Muslim eyes. The ploy of the secret book drives the plot far less than the historical events surrounding it, and while the story is male-focused (Young knows how to write a battle scene), there is plenty here to interest readers of both sexes. Her portrayal of Baybars, in particular, is mesmerizing; from the star-shaped defect in the sultan's eye to his intense drive to avenge his race, he captures our awe and even empathy in spite of his savagery. Other characters are equally well drawn, including some memorable walk-ons from a suave, predatory Prince Edward, son of Henry III, and the crotchety, sage old priest who holds the secret of the Brethren. There is even a tantalizing hint of controversy in the stable groom Simon's unrequited friendship with Will.

Being the first of three books, BRETHREN leaves us hanging, and eager to start the second installment, CRUSADE.

[Isabel Batista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comecei este livro com boas expectativas pois sempre me senti muito curiosa sobre as cruzadas e os templários.

Gostei da forma como a narrativa foi sendo tecida e da mesma ter vários pontos de vista oscilando entre Londres, Paris e a Palestina de forma a dar-nos uma visão o mais completa e global possível. Quanto às personagens vale a pena referir William, um jovem escocês que serve como sargento templário em New Temple; Everand um padre algo temperamental que oculta um segredo que pode trazer muitos problemas à Ordem e Baibars, um antigo escravo que se tornou general, cujo objectivo é expulsar dos cristãos da Palestina. Estes três personagens conseguiram cada um à sua maneira conquistar-me.

"A Irmandade" foi sem dúvida um livro entusiasmante recheado de intriga, guerra, fanatismo que ainda nos reserva várias surpresas.

[Simona Stoica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una dintre seriile mele preferate. Te distruge, incet.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I bemoan the fact that I have too many books to read which means that it takes me a while to get to them all. I bought Brethren months ago but only recently did it rise to the top of my to be read pile. Once I started reading it I was chagrined that I hadn’t read it sooner. This is one terrific tale of the 13th century and the turmoil between East and West, between Christian and Muslim and between the various knight orders especially of the Templars and Hospitallers. It seems that everyone wants to bring the Templars down and they all go to great lengths to pursue that agenda. The author has put together what I think is a microcosm of what secular and religious powers are at their worst and has wrapped that up in a drama filled, emotionally tense story. The characters are all too human, some are even, well let’s say subhuman and the plot and twists are sublime. Now that I have the first book under my belt I will for sure be tackling the rest of the series with great anticipation. 5 stars.

About the author:

Robyn Young was born in Oxford and grew up in the Midlands and a fishing village in Devon, during which time she won awards for poetry and edited a regular page in a regional newspaper. After hitchhiking to Brighton at 19, she worked as a festival organiser, a music promoter and a financial advisor. She wrote two novels before gaining a Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Sussex.

Her first published novel, BRETHREN, went straight into the Sunday Times top ten, where it remained for five weeks, becoming the bestselling hardback debut of the year. It entered the New York Times top twenty on publication in the US and was named book of the year by German newspaper Bild. Her second novel, CRUSADE, reached number 2 and REQUIEM completed the trilogy. In 2007, Robyn was named one of Waterstone’s twenty-five ‘authors of the future’, judged by a panel of one hundred industry insiders who were asked to nominate the authors they believed would contribute the greatest body of work over the next quarter century.

The inspiration for Robyn’s new bestselling trilogy, which began in 2010 with INSURRECTION and continued in 2012 with RENEGADE, was inspired by a research trip to Scotland and is based on the life of Robert Bruce. The third novel, KINGDOM, will be published in 2014 in the month of the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.

Alongside writing novels, Robyn has collaborated on a WWII screenplay. Her novels have been published in 22 countries in 19 languages and together have sold almost 2 million copies.

[Ursula · Rating 2 out of 5]

The historical research done by this author is obvious in the story and she should be given credit for doing a great job on it however, I just could not connect with the characters. The main character was too weak and the conversations between him and his other teenage friends sounded more like modern day teenagers. While most of the chapters started with beautiful description of the landscape etc., sometimes they just seem out of place. It was like a mix match of scenery and characters. This was my first book by this author so am not sure whether I am rating her too harshly and need to read her other books to change my mind.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing read about a period I know very little about - the Last Crusade of the 1260s and 70s.

[Laura Tenfingers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brethren is a good read about the Templars during their decline in Outremer from around 1267 to 1272 and about the Mamluks who were rising in turn.

The main overarching story of Outremer and Christians vs Muslims is told from the perspective of both camps, which I enjoyed. It was well laid out and had well developed characters. We spend time in France, England and Outremer and learn a fair bit about life as a Knight and what was going on at the time.

There were also a few storylines embedded in the main arc, dealing with some teenagers training to be Templars and a couple of friends associated with them. Unfortunately for me, this part of the story was riddled with YA tropes that mildly annoyed me. The weren't deal-breakers, but when these tropes got going I did put the book down and read something else for a couple of days.

The teenage storyline had a Quest, of course, and our teenagers were the main players in both the evil and heroic aspects of said Quest. As one would expect, the good guys are conveniently thwarted at just the critical moment a few times in a row. And we couldn't be without the boy and girl professing their love for eachother only moments before they're torn apart by acts of villains, the villains of course being very villainous and the heroes being very honourable. I did get a bit annoyed.

Thankfully I liked our teenage main character enough that I wasn't turned away. I'll definitely keep reading the series, in part because I don't know much about this time and place, but also I admit I want to know what happens next!

It seems Young was great at writing the part based on history and which had adult protagonists but the part that was fiction and populated with teenagers felt forced and not very believable.

I would still recommend it.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 65%. The first third was fascinating and I found myself really getting invested in this epic, but after that it slowed to a slog and I just wasn't interested anymore. Instead of focusing on the time period and the inner workings of the Knights Templar, we got a story about a scribe sergeant, an aging priest, a blood-thirsty sultan and a pathetic king. There are some good moments, but they are mired down by politics, dirty deals and the addition of unimportant characters. For some reason, even though this should have been exciting and interesting, it just wasn't. I found myself dreading returning to this doorstop and I just couldn't bring myself to do it one more time. This might be a grand adventure for some, but it wasn't for me, sadly.

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in period between the Seventh and Ninth Crusades, Brethren purports to tell the story if the Crusades from both the East's and the West's points of view. The West's version is told through the tale of Will, training to follow in his father's footsteps as a Knight in the Order of the Templar, while the East's view is depicted through the tale of Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, Baybars.

The Templars, as usual the subject of speculation and rumours of secret societies, are here given a secret Order within and Order, the Brethren of the title, who's existence, and the existence of the while Templar order, is threatened by the theft of a book, the recovery of which is behind the main plot lines in the book.

The premise is a good idea imperfectly executed. The story itself feels overlong; when the 'hero' gets into yet another scrape, it begins to feel unnecessary, the plot being held back rather than moved forward. Having said that, there also appear to be sudden halts in narrative, tales half-told then rushed to a conclusion by moving the time of several months at the turn of a page and recounting events in the meantime in a few paragraphs; leaving me feeling short-changed. Perhaps it is not that the book is overly long, but the decisions regarding what should be left in and what taken out were poorly made.

Adding to the feeling of unnecessary length are frequent passages of superfluous detail. It is important to set a scene, and sometimes Young does this beautifully, but at others, her words do not add anything to the scene. Again, poor editing decisions.

I also had difficulty relating to the lead character. I feel he is poorly drawn, his motivation not fully explored, making his actions at time seem odd. Other Westerners are similarly hollow, almost caricature, with thought and feeling eluded to but never fully explored - Simon the groom is a prime example.

The one character who did have substance was Baybars. It is unfortunate that the balance of the book is favoured towards the West, as I would have liked to have read more of this character. Perhaps he gets more airtime in the later books in this trilogy

[Miriam · Rating 1 out of 5]

As the author is a creative writing teacher I was expecting more. (Didn't Dutton assign her an editor?)

I (almost) always finish any book I start reading. This story of 475 pages only paid out in the LAST SEVEN PAGES. The premise is intriguing: two stories told alternating between the Crusaders point of view and the point of view of Baybars, the Mameluke slave who became sultan and a great general. I was pulling for the Saracens. All the Crusaders and the English King Henry and his son, Edward, come across as jerks. The Crusader hero of the story, Will Campbell, is just starting to redeem himself as the story ends. All the characters have serious personality flaws. Maybe the author was basing the story so much on history that she decided not to turn out a story about romantic Crusaders. None the less, her writing style has serious flaws. Who am I to judge? She got it printed in hardback!

The story is intriguing and would make an excellent movie. A script writer would improve the dialogue.

[Terence M [on a brief semi-hiatus] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook - 21:31 hours - Narrated By Christopher Scott
I listened to about 20% of this gory novel of fiction before chucking it on the DNF shelf.

My profile clearly exposes my attitude towards all religions - I identify as a Secular Humanist - and try as I might, I can find no joy or entertainment from listening to or reading about the horrors that Christians and Muslims inflicted upon their own kind, and each other, and innocent secular citizens, in the name of the same God, in the times of the Crusades or in the past and current centuries.

I was greatly inspired by the following book during my journey from Christianity to Secular Humanism:
"god is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything"
by Christopher Hitchens

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled between 3 and 4 stars.
I liked the book very much; didn't love it.
Lots of intrigue and inter-personal stuff.
Not as much action as I would have liked.
I will finish the trilogy.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ayan Jalut The Pools of Goliath-The Battle of Ain Jalut , the "Spring of Goliath") took place on 3 September 1260 between Mamluks and the Mongols in the southeastern Galilee, in the Jezreel Valley, north of Jerusalem The battle marked the high-water point of Mongol conquests, and was the first time a Mongol advance had ever been permanently beaten back in direct combat on the battlefield

Mamluk- slave warriors of Egypt , from Syria

Genghis Khan Mongol's-- founder died 1227
Mongols invaded Syria in 1240 took slaves and sold them to Egyptians for the army

Kutuz--master of the Mamluks and sultanof Egypt

Wives and children fought in the Mongol armies--disarming site for the Mamluks

Merlan--Templar prison in France
The Seven Offices: Matins,Prime,Terse, Sext,Nones,, Vespers, Compline
1260- The english king was Henry III (King John's son) and Eleanor(sister to Margaurite, wife of Louis IX of France). Son was Edward.
Henry's brother in law, the earl of Leichester was Simon de Montfort, who plotted to overthrow him. Edward escaped and fought the rebels at Evesham, killed de Montfort himself and freed his father , from Kenilworth. Daughter was Margarite who married the king of Scotland at age 10.

Mongols attacked Aleppa, Damascus and Bagdad and the Mamluks attempted to push them back

Mu'izziyya--The sultan's Royal Guard

Teutonic Knights from Germany
al firinjah-the Franks

King Louis- captured at Mansurah

Kumiz-fermented mare's milk

Order of the Assassins- founded in Persia, just before the first crusade- mandate was to destroy enemies of the faith shi'ah branch. Dagger weapon of murder thatthey used

Knights of Saint John-founders of the pilgrim hospitals Founded 20 years before the Templars.

Knights-vows of chastity, poverty and obedience
Black mantle--color of human sin. Could only wear white mantle when vow of chastity was taken.The white of a templar

Cathars-France.Recognized two Gods. One of supreme goodness and one of absolute evil.Purged by Rome

Hounds of God--inquisitors founded by St Dominic to root out the Cathars

Antioch--one of the five most holy sees of Christendom. First worship led by St Peter, himself.

Pierre de Pont Evesque

Templars answered to the Pope alone and stood outside the laws of kings and courts.

Paternoster-From at least as early as A.D. 1000, rosaries, paternosters or similar strings of prayer beads have been a common accessory carried by men and women, old and young.
Indeed, the small round objects we know in English as “beads” were named from this practice; the root of the English word bead is the same as for the word bid, and originally meant “to pray or request.”


Baybars-The Crossbow. head of Mamluks Baybars I, also spelled Baibars (born 1223, north of the Black Sea—died July 1, 1277, Damascus, Syria), most eminent of the Mamlūk sultans of Egypt and Syria, which he ruled from 1260 to 1277. He is noted both for his military campaigns against Mongols and crusaders and for his internal administrative reforms. The Sirat Baybars, a folk account purporting to be his life story, is still popular in the Arabic-speaking world.a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. He was one of the commanders of the forces which inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France and he led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260,which marked the first substantial defeat of the Mongol army and is considered a turning point in history.His reign marked the start of an age of Mamluk dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean and solidified the durability of their military system. He managed to pave the way for the end of the Crusader presence in Syria and to unite Egypt and Syria into one powerful state that was able to fend off threats from both Crusaders and Mongols.

-Plain of Sharon-fertile, between Joppa and Mount Carmel

Opinicus-a heraldic beast composed of a lion a camel and a dragon,

1095-Pope Urban II--called for first crusade

1099 took Jerusalem

1244-Saresens took Jerusalem back, the Korezminians---Khorezm, the most powerful Muslim state in the east

1244 Sultan Ayyab asked the Khorezminians to help him take back Palestine

Safed-the jewel of the Templars. a fortress within a fortress.In the Jordan Valley. Guarded the road from Acre to Damascus

Abbey of Saint Denis--necropolis of the kings of France

Knights Trophy-two knights astride a single horse


Animi Templi-the soul of the temple. members called the Brethern. Fiction
Perceval---Grail Romances---Perceval, the Story of the Grail is the unfinished fifth romance of Chrétien de Troyes. Probably written between 1181 and 1191, it is dedicated to Chrétien's patron Philip, Count of Flanders.[1] It is said by some scholars that during the time Chretien was writing Perceval, there was a political crisis taking place between the aristocracy, which included his patron, Phillipe de Flandre, and the monarchy, which may have influenced Chretien’s work.
Chrétien claimed to be working from a source given to him by Philip. The poem relates the adventures and growing pains of the young knight Perceval but the story breaks off, there follows an adventure of Gawain of similar length that also remains incomplete: there are some 9,000 lines in total, whereas Chretien's other romances seldom exceed 7,000 lines.
Later authors added 54,000 more lines in what are known collectively as the Four Continuations.Perceval is the earliest recorded account of what was to become the Quest for the Grail but describes only "a" golden grail (a serving dish) in the central scene and does not call it "holy" but treats a lance, appearing at the same time, as equally significant.


Leper-when diagnosed was forced to stand in an open grave and the requiem maswas said over them

Shahada-the statement of faith that was to be said into the Muslim's ear upon death" There is no God but God. Mohammed is his prophet."??????????

1250- seventh crusade, led by Louis--mansurah. His ransom paid by his wife, maurgarite.

Lambswool- a drink made of apples, nutmeg,ale and sugar.

Samite--was a luxurious and heavy silk fabric worn in the Middle Ages, of a twill-type weave, often including gold or silver thread

Antioch- walls built by Emperor Justinian. 18 mile long perimeter

Jabal bahra Mountains-strong hold of the assissins (at masyaf)

Remplars-at one time owned 40 bases in Outremer.

Leonardie-disease Richard the Lionheart had. Resembled scurvey. Wasting of body and loss of hair

. The Children's Crusade is the name given to a disastrous Crusade by Christian children to expel Muslims from the Holy Land said to have taken place in 1212.The Children's Crusade
The Children's Crusade is one of the more unusual events in Medieval England. The Children's Crusade took place after the Fourth Crusade. By the end of the Fourth Crusade (1202 to 1204), it was clear that the Christian crusaders had gained no long term success. In fact, the Fourth Crusade had been a disaster for the Christians as many crusaders had not even got to the Holy Land let alone fight for Jerusalem and many Christians had used the crusade as a means to plunder valuable goods from abroad. The Children's Crusade seemed to put some Christian belief back into crusading.
Two groups appeared in 1212 which seemed to indicate that the beliefs of the First Crusade were still alive.
In 1212, two groups - one from France, the other from Germany - set off on a crusade to the Holy Land. There was nothing unusual about this as many 'armies' had gathered before to fight the Muslims. The major difference about these two groups was that they were composed entirely of young children. These children became convinced that they would be protected by God and that because of this protection they would get to the Holy Land and take Jerusalem for the Christians.
Not a great deal is known about the Children's Crusade other than it was a disaster. The person who seemed to be in charge was a boy called Stephen of Cloyes. We know very little about him. We know that he was a shepherd and that in 1212 he was 12 years of age. With a peasant's background, he would not have been able to read or write and at his age he would have done very basic work around a farm.
In May 1212, it is said that he turned up at the court of King Philip of France and told him that he had a letter from Christ ordering him to organise a crusade. Not surprisingly, King Philip was not impressed by the 12 year old and told him to go away and come back when he was older!!
Regardless of this rejection, Stephen went around preaching to children about his letter from Jesus and his desire to go to the Holy Land to capture Jerusalem. He told his followers that crossing the Mediterranean or any other waterways was easy as the waters would part and they would walk across as they were protected by God. By June 1212, Stephen is said to have gathered 30,000 followers around him - all children.
As they marched south through France, they clearly had no idea of what to expect. Adults cheered them along the route. It was as if their innocence shone through and made their success a certainty.
The Roman Catholic Church was not so sure. The Children's Crusade was never officially a crusade as it was never blessed by the pope. However, this did not deter the children. The Church could not bless a 'crusade' that was doomed to failure but the Church also did not stop it. Why ? It is possible that the Church believed that the actions of the children might shame kings and emperors into getting a proper crusade going to capture Jerusalem.
The Children's Crusade was doomed to failure. Many of the children had never walked such distances before and for many the effort proved too much. The journey from Vendome to Marseilles caused many children to drop out. Some even died of exhaustion. The sea did not part as Stephen had said and they had to cross the Mediterranean Sea by boat.
The children boarded seven boats in Marseilles and that was the last anything was heard of them.
However many years later a priest returned from traveling around northern Africa and he claimed to have met some of the surviving children (now adults). He claimed that two of the seven ships had sunk killing all on board and that pirates had captured the other five ships and the children were sold into slavery. White skinned children were considered to be a valuable prize in Algerian and Egyptian slave markets.
There is no proof that any of this is true as none of the children who left Marseilles ever returned. As a priest, it is unlikely that he would have knowingly told a lie as Catholic priests would have believed that God is omnipresent (everywhere) and omnipotent (all powerful). Therefore if he told a lie, God would know and he would have been condemned to Hell. However, he may have been told incorrect information and told this story in good faith not knowing if it was incorrect. As historians, we just do not know.
A German Children's Crusade also took place in 1212. This was lead by a boy called Nicholas and he had 20,000 followers. His dream was exactly the same as Stephen's - take Jerusalem for Christianity. This crusade also included religious men and unmarried women so it was not fully a Children's Crusade. Their journey south from Germany to Italy included a very dangerous crossing of the Alps and many died of the cold here. Those that survived pushed onto to Rome in Italy.
Here, they met the pope. He praised their bravery but told them that they were too young to take on such a venture. With this, they returned to Germany but a great many of them did not survive the journey back. A few stopped off at the Italian port of Pisa and boarded a ship for the Holy Land. No-one knows what happened to them.
Therefore both crusades can be seen as a disaster but they are also an indication of how important Jerusalem was to Christians.




Cilicia--In antiquity, Cilicia Turkish: was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire

Sadeek means friend

[Asia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nie mam zielonego pojęcia jakim cudem zabrnęłam w lekturę o templariuszach
i do tej pory tego nie wiem bo okres średniowiecza nie należy do moich ulubionych okresów historycznych w książkach acz ostatnio łapię się na tym, że coraz więcej buszuję w powieściach właśnie z tego przedziału. W przypadku tego tytułu przez chwilę żałowałam, że się tego podjęłam bo książka z początku niesamowicie mi się dłużyła i nie potrafiłam w ogóle "załapać' klimatu. Na dodatek mieszały mi się postaci - mameluków brałam za Mongołów, a templariuszy myliłam z joannitami(🙈) - i musiałam sobie parę rzeczy w łebku poukładać. Jak już sobie to wszystko poukładałam i przywykłam do stylu autorki, książka zaczęła mnie wciągać aż miło. Barwne charakterologicznie postaci, plastyczne opisy składają się na bardzo interesującą i wciągającą powieść historyczną, jedną z lepszych jakie przeczytałam.

No kto by pomyślał, że znienawidzone średniowiecze mnie tak wciągnie....🙄 Wcześniej to ani myślałam o kontynuacji, a teraz chcę część drugą i trzecią ... 🙄

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The crusades are not a period of history I know an awful lot about but it was refreshing to hear a story from both sides rather than just the western Christians. The only thing that bugged me was the descriptions of eyes. One woman is said to have violet eyes and this is used a lot in fan fiction to denote that this woman is not like other women but honestly, have you ever seen someone with purple eyes?

I found this book interesting and I may check out the next instalment in the series.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Γραφη και πλοκη που σε κρατανε σε εγρηγορση και ενδιαφερον παρα τις πολλες τιυ σελιδες. Μια μιξη μυθοπλασιας και ιστορικων γεγονοτων. Χτισμενοι χαρακτηρες με τις αδυναμιες καθημερινων ανθρωπων. Καποιες σκηνες μαχων μπορει να σε κανουν να ανακατευτεις, αλλα δε νομιζω οτι απεχουν καθολου απο την πραγματικοτητα του πολεμου...

[Tove R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the 13th century during the Crusades. The first book in a trilogy. Two men on opposite sides will have their destinies tied together. Will, a young knight, ends up in a lot of trouble looking for the Book of the Grail. Baybars, a former slave, wants to take down the crusaders with his army. It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed the story and the characters.

[Diane Smoak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting tale of the Knights Templar saga, with enough historical details to make it believable. I enjoyed it enough to start the second book in the trilogy.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Brethren Trilogy is historical fiction, covering the Knights Templar and the last crusade. All three books have been published, but I am waiting to read the third one; I don't want to purchase the hardcover edition, especially since the paperback form will be released in January.

This, the first, was far superior to the second, though neither were precisely bad. The series is centered on a young sergeant hoping to someday be a templar. His name is Will Campbell and he is from a low born family, whose father has only recently become a templar. In his adolescence, which is his age early in the series, Will is rebellious and wild, a trait that to some extent stays with him as he matures into an adult. He soon becomes embroiled in a hunt for a mysterious book that could theoretically prove politically disastrous to a small sect within the Knights Templar, if not the Templars as a whole. What makes the novels memorable, however, is simply this: the templars are not the only story Young tells us. She also tells us of Baybars Bundukdari, a general in the Mamluk army that has taken control of much of the middle east. Former slaves, the Mamluks rebelled and now rule the region, and Baybars is one of the key figures in their army.

There are several traits that make Brethren a memorable novel, some of which also apply to Crusade, and others of which don't. First, Will and those he knows (including close friends Garin De Lyons and Simon) are compelling child characters who have a certain depth, an innocence and ignorance that fits their age, and understandable motivations. By the end of the series these children become middle aged adults (Will is nearly forty at the close of Crusade), and their maturation is beautifully handled and easily accepted. Moreover, Young's depth of knowledge concering the era, the crusades, the Templars, the Mamluks, politics and so forth is overwhelming and obvious; I am now reading historical fiction precisely because I want to learn as I'm entertained, and Young does not disappoint. But with all of those strengths in mind, two traits make this first novel truly memorable. First, Young mixes fictional and historical figures so well that there were many times I wondered if a fictitious character had actually lived and acted in the ways Young portrayed them. Moreover, the historical characters, including Baybars, are characterized believably and judiciously, based on available information about them. The second and more significant reason the novel is worth reading is that Young seamlessly alternates between two enemies' perspectives without villainizing or herofying anyone. Baybars can be cold, malicious and ruthless, but he is can also be gentle, honorable and deeply loyal. One could probably say all of the same things about Will. Young, in other words, takes a truly objective perspective and in so doing crafts a believable tale.

So what is wrong with the novel? Truthfully, the first one doesn't have many flaws. It could be paced better (the end feels rushed and some of the beginning feels too slow). Many of the minor characters, whether Mamluks or Templars, blend into each other so that they all feel like more or less one person with different names. Even the main characters could be developed a bit better, but Young masterfully characterizes the period while delivering a compelling tale about the horrors of war, the nature of nationalism and the consequences (good or bad) of ambition. If I could, I'd give Brethren 4.5 stars.

[Paula Lofting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will Campbell has to serve as an apprentice to a foul-tempered Templar priest before he can achieve his dream of knighthood amongst the fierce Templars, God's Warrior monks. For longer than he should have, Will was forced to remain a sergeant in the service of Everard, a man of dangerous secrets. Amir Baybars has dragged himself out of slavery to become his people's leader, driven by an unquenchable desire to rid his land of the European invaders. As the story builds to a crescendo, the two men's destinies collide in an extraordinary clash of civilisations known as the Crusades.

This book seems to be well researched and the author appears to know her era of choice and the events around it very well. She has latched onto a pretty good concept in the plot and although the book got off to a slow start, it picked up about half way through and I felt myself wanting to read more and more. Alas, often the build up to a defining moment in the book was more exciting than the outcome. It rarely seemed to go anywhere. Overall this book was very much a decent read akthough the writing style was sometimes a little jarring, with sudden changes of Point of View from one character to another and on one occasion there was a piece where the author decided to go into a flashback which occurred without any links to the previous passage or the one after it.

The characters were quite dull most of the time and had little or no development throughout the book and often it was hard to get into their worlds. Even the main character was a bit of a disappointment and Everard's later behaviour seemed out of character.

On the whole, after a bad start, I did eventually enjoy this book and would definitely read the next in the trilogy. As this was Robyn Young's first book, I reckon that she shows promise in becoming one of the book worlds best writers

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

It didn't take me long to read the first part of the Brethren Trilogy called Brethren. You can always tell when I like a book very much because I tend to start reading and not stop until its finished or I fall asleep.

Besides the story which is all about the coming of age of two very powerful people, and the side story which is about the mystery of a missing book, and the Knights Templars; the book has a lot to recommend it.

The historical detail that the author put into the book was amazing. She stuck to the historical time line very well, and not just from the western point of view. I found her knowledge of eastern history very refreshing. You do not get the idea that she is prejudiced against the Arabs nor the Christians she is just telling you the history as close to how it was as possible, except for the times when she needed to further her story along and those were very few.

The characters are very well written and very believable, and the battle scenes are amazing. The reader has the feeling that he/she is watching a movie rather then actually reading a book. The ending gives you the feeling that you need to get to the second installment which is a sign of a good book that has a sequel.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is subtitled "An Epic Adventure" and it is indeed that! Young Will Campbell is training to be a Templar knight when he becomes involved in intrigue and conspiracy. Prince Edward has one agenda, the Templars have another, and there is yet another circle within the Templars that have yet another. Wheels within wheels within wheels. While it does not rise to Game of Thrones type machinations, it is very, very, good intrigue with plenty of violence and leaving out the gratuitous sex.

On top of that, there is plenty of battle and action. A really decent novel offers very good period theme and demonstrates a thorough knowledge of ancient warfare, ancient weapons, and some of the operations of the Templar order itself. The author appears to have done a really decent job of research and recreating the period.

A crackerjack story-- showing both the viewpoints of the Crusaders and the Moslems. I highly recommend it. It is a long book, winding its way through a period of YEARS, but I enjoyed and relished pretty much every page. I never felt that the author was stuffing the pages with filler material, but every page moved the story forward.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just re read this (debut) book and the beginning of the trilogy.

Full of incredible detail and many keenly made points/ observations on the nature of the times both past and the parallels that can be drawn with modern events/ attitudes.

It's a brilliant read and is full of well written characters, what proves this more than anything is that really not a lot happens, yet it still holds your attention.

When I say not a lot happens, this is obviously not true, it's full of friendships & loves gained and lost, full of political machinations and religious conflict, yet unlike most Historical fiction of this particular genre, there are not big set pieces every 20 pages, which to be honest is refreshing! It keeps the scenes that are included sharp and interesting rather than formulaic and as I've mentioned already, it keeps the focus on the character
development!
All in all this is a masterful debut and proof that great writing is possible from the get go!

I may have to re read the Crusade & Requiem now, just because reading this has re kindled my interest.

[Elspeth Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been lying on my bedside table now for about a year, and the bookmark hasn't moved from page 121 in all that time.

I struggled to get into it. Her research, from what I could tell, is thorough and detailed, and she sets a scene well, but hand on heart I could not make myself care about any of the characters, so they all seemed to blend together. Something was off with the pacing too. Perhaps I didn't give it a fair chance, as at the time I was only able to read in short bursts, but it was easy to put down if interrupted and only willpower made me pick it up again.

This is hugely disappointing on several levels. I'm interested in the Templars and outside of fantasy nothing suits me better than a swashbuckling historical adventure. I'd heard good things about the book and thought it would be right up my alley, but it was not to be. I hate leaving a book unfinished, and will usually soldier on to the end, even if I'm inwardly screaming at the author, so maybe I'll blow the dust off and give Brethren another go sometime.