Relics

Brother Petroc #1

by Pip Vaughan-Hughes

'Pip Vaughan-Hughes has given us a monk, a corpse, a sinister Templar and a terrific adventure that romps across mediaeval Christendom. A great read!' Bernard Cornwell England, 1235, and Brother Petroc is living a simple life as a novice monk. Struggling to keep his soul fairly clean and worrying most about resisting the local girls, he inadvertently stumbles headlong into vicious trap. Framed by a sinister Templar Knight for a brutal murder of a church official and accused of the theft of a priceless relic, he is forced to run for his life. But when his best friend Will is killed by the chasing knight, Petroc's flight becomes a quest for restitution. Trusting his fate to an enigmatic relic-hunter and scoundrel, he must dodge the long arm of the church and somehow get to the bottom of everything that has happened to him. He must find out how his fate is entwined with that of the sacred object and get revenge on the man who wrecked his life - all the while avoiding the pitfalls and perils of love for a beautiful Greek princess...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Adventure, Medieval, Crime

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Pip grew up in South Devon. He studied medieval history at London University and later worked as a reader for a literary agency when he wasn't dabbling as a bike messenger, saxophonist, food critic, gardener and restaurant owner. He now lives in Vermont with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, will this be the last book of this year for me? It was a good one. I like to read historic books and this is a good solid and entertaining historic read. Discovered there are sequels too and I'll certainly continue to read about Brother Petroc.

Thou shall not Steal...
England, 1235. Young brother Petroc is living a simple life as a novice, struggling to keep his soul fairly clean and worrying about resisting the local girls. Then one evening, he stumbles into a vicious trap and finds himself on the run, framed by a sinister Templar knight for murder and theft. When his best friend is killed by the knight, Petroc's flight becomes a quest for restitution. Trusting his fate to an enigmatic and sympathetic relic-hunter and captain of a sea-going ship, Petroc is determined to get revenge on the man who wrecked his life....

For those who like to read historic fiction, this is a good read!

[Keith Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a rollocking adventure story featuring pirates, captive princesses, lapsed holy men, evil one-eyed Templar knights, murder, thievery, deception and lots of mayhem. Its Thirteenth Century setting is well imagined with visits to England, Greenland, France, Italy and an imaginary Greek island. The characters are varied with the heroes attractive and the villains suitably wicked. The impetus of the plot is sustained right to the end with a conclusion that is violent, shocking and very funny all at the same time – quite a feat for the first in a series of four books featuring the central characters. Well done! I intend to read the rest.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

RELICS (Suspense/Adventure/Historical-Brother Petroc-Europe-1235) – VG+
Vaughan-Hughes, Pip – 1st in series
Orion, 2006, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 0752868616

First Sentence: Every drunk is a magician.

Petroc is an 18-years old novice monk. He is waylaid by Sir Hugh de Kerveze and taken to the Cathedral where he is instructed to remove the relic of the hand of Saint Euphemia. Sir Hugh murders a priest, who comes across them in the Cathedral. He blames the murder on Petroc who runs to save his life. Thus also begins the adventure of his life.

Talk about a fascinating book. This one kept me reading straight through; one day, beginning to end. It’s not really a mystery, but it is a wonderful coming-of-age, adventure in a hard way. Vaughan-Hughes excels at description places, emotions and people. The only reason I didn’t give it an excellent is that the pacing is uneven. There is profanity and violence, but it is appropriate for the period and characters. You go from high suspense and excitement, to stretches of exposition. Even that, I found fascinating as it dealt with Petroc’s travels, learning to sail, his emotions and falling in love. I always look for what I may have learned from a book and, in this case, it was a lot; certainly about life during that period, reliquary and a bit about the Cathars. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am really looking forward to the next in the series.

[Venetia Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaughan-Hughes certainly knows his medieval history - this story is drenched in it, to a very convincing and readable degree. Perhaps there were a few instances in which I might quibble over a detail or two (so much blue-water sailing in the 13th century? cross-bow bolts fired off every few seconds?) most of the medieval detail was wonderful and yet did not distract from the story.

I wasn't entirely convinced by the hero Petroc's emotional trajectory. It struck me as more modern than medieval. Would a young man of the 13th century slip from devout monk to outright disbelief in so straightforward a manner? I can accept aetheism as a medieval possiblity, but surely it would be arrived at more gradually and after much soul-searching and guilt?

Finally, while the story ranged from Greenland to the Aegean Sea and encompassed all sorts of action in between, it frequently lacked narrative drive. I wasn't sure what was driving Petroc on at many points - in fact, he seemed simply to drift into (admittedly interesting) situations, leaving me to drift a little in my reading too. A major flaw? I'm not sure. Maybe a novel doesn't have to have a strong narrative drive if it compensates in other ways. Like great dialogue, lovely medieval detail, and an intriguing approach to relics - all of which Relics overflows with.

[André Bernhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ganz selten kaufe ich ein Buch einfach mal so: Ohne Recherche, ohne Weiterleitung aus einem anderen Titel, ohne Empfehlung eines Dritten, wie gesagt, ganz einfach so. So wollte ich zum Beispiel etwas über Reliquienhandel lernen und beim "Reliquienhändler" ließ der Titel vermuten, es würde im Buch darum gehen und wäre es dann auch so, ich wäre glücklich gewesen.
Stattdessen bekam ich ein lauwarmes "20.000 Meilen unter dem Meer" im Mittelalter serviert. In schwülstiger Sprache folgte ich den Abenteuern eines Mönches in Europa und ganz am Rande ging es dann auch wenig um Reliquienhandel. Liebelei, Kampf, Fehden, Prinzessinne, Abenteuer, alles wird einem geboten, aber es ist nicht fesselnd und man kann nichts weiteres daraus ziehen.
Eben das ist in meinen Augen der Vorteil guter Literatur, man steigt in einen Dialog mit dem Autor und lernt im bestenfall etwas über den Autor und über sich selbst. Beim Reliquienhändler lernt man nichts, sondern vertändelt nur seine Zeit. Er ist das Weißbrot unter den Romanen, denn der "Genuss" erfordert keinen Aufwand, dafür fehlen dann auch jedwede Ballaststoffe.
Gut, ich war selber Schuld; Freund*innen des Genres können dem sicherlich mehr abgewinnen.

[Asha Stark · Rating 2 out of 5]

So like, ten? years ago I picked up what turned out to be #2 in this series at a secondhand shop for a dollar or something. It took me that long to get around to reading this one and hoo boy the disappointment was real.

It had everything I like in a story, but something just didn't gel and it was a slog to finish.

[Dorian · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at page 123

I stopped reading purely because the sequels are out of print, and I’d like to get my hands on them before I finish this one. It’s very well written and interesting, but I worry that it’ll have a cliffhanger and I’ll end up waiting years to find out what happens.

[Brian Paterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished the first chapter. Found I had no interest in the character or the story. It was an experiment- I wanted to see if first person male narrators ever say anything interesting. Fortunately, the $2 I forked out at the charity shop went to a good cause.

[Feathzzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.6

[Outlander · Rating 1 out of 5]

How can I put this in a positive way ? If your bag is for lurid descriptions of fights then this is for you, but it's not for me.

[Charlie Durell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Fast paced page turner.
I enjoyed the first half more.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read. I hope to have my hands on book 2 soon :) Want to know what else await for Petroc:)

[Sevim Tezel Aydın · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining story of adventure, historical fiction and coming-of-age which features monks, knights, pirates, captive princesses…
Brother Petroc is a young and naive novice monk who lives a simple life in rural medieval England. His main worries are to keep his soul fairly clean and to resist the local girls. But the fate prepares a different path for him, he falls into a vicious trap of an evil Templar Knight who frames him for a brutal murder, hence Petroc is forced to run for his life. He makes alliance with a charismatic relic-hunter and captain of a pirate ship. Petroc and the captain have one strong determination in common; to get revenge on the sinister Templar Knight.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to this series. Petroc, a young trainee monk has to flee his home, after becoming embroiled in the machinations of a relic hunter and thug. He is sent to join another relic seeker by the librarian at his former monastery,who often has "respectable" dealings with the mysterious Jean de Sol, and his former pirate crew! The first novel follows his adaaptation from trainee momk to sailor and bounty hunter-quite a career change!

The author excels in descriptive narrative-whether documenting his flight through the Devonian countryside, learning maritime or defensive arts-or simply describing the vast and intriguing array of characters, there is never a dull moment :the narrative brings all to life. It's more of an adventure tale rather than a murder/mystery, although both classifications would apply, as there are certainly quite a few murders, and more than a little mystery.

To date there are a further four novels in the series-and I'm hoping they will be as good as the first.There is huge potential for Petroc and co to have many more adventures along this line, so I will be very interested to see how the series shapes up overall.Highly recommended.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I only gave this three stars I did actually really enjoy many things about this book, the text was easy to read, the characters were both believable, likable and not so likable. It has many of the classic elements of historical fiction thrown in, a Monk ,a Knight, a Bishop, some pirates a Holy Relic or two and even a Princess. Relic is the first book of a series (three books so far), a tale that begins in England 1235.
Brother Petroc, both young and nieve is set up for the murder of a Deacon by a rouge ex Templar Knight. The tale is of his search for answers, first to the motivation for such violence and then the reason for his own involvement. It would probably be best discribed as action/adventure/historical/fiction/fluff. It was a goodread not a greatread, it was solid but not packed with what you would call history. I would and will read the next installment when I'm looking for something easy & fun!

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Relics starts in England in 1235. Brother Petroc, who tells the story, is living a simple life as a novice, struggling to keep his soul fairly clean and worrying about resisting the local girls. Then one evening he stumbles into a vicious trap - and finds himself on the run, framed by Sir Hugh de Kerveze, a sinister Knight Templar, and accused of murder and the theft of a precious relic (the hand of Saint Euphemia)."

A thoroughly enjoyable book if you haven't got anything more important to do. I did find the ending to be lengthy, but the outcome was satisfactory. There are another 3 books in this series and I will be trying to get my hands on them all.

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

More adventure story than anything else, although there is murder and mystery involved. Petroc, or Patch, is setup by the Templar, Kervezey, & must run for his life. He turns to an old friend who sends him in search of the trader Monsieur de Sol. Patch finds himself a member of a fierce band of "traders", sailing the world, & in de Sol he finds a man who is also an enemy of Kervezey. Lots of fighting, adventure & camaraderie, and even a love interest for Patch.

Not the sort of thing I usually read, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Rated 7/10 at http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1....

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable first novel from this author and I look forward to reading the sequels. Tons of action and suspense, some colourful characters, a good villain or two and even a bit of love interest - plenty to keep you interested. The author certainly has good knowledge of the medieval era and writes well.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys their medieval history seasoned with more than a dash of swordplay and a bit of blood-letting!

[Richard Tod · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that was reasonably well written but had some annoying illogical parts in the plot and too much 'padding out' with unnecessary detail to fill up the pages

In saying all that I will read his other books as the story was enjoyable.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it took me a while to get into this book, but thanks to Goodreads I now know there are further more in a series. It was a pleasant read, religious historical action, and a crazy librarian - ships, relics and saints. A good aeroplane book, happy to recommend it!

[Ross Williams]

A very disappointing read, not at all what I expected after reading the back cover. The concept was a good idea; unfortunately the writing just didn’t deliver. Use your time to read something else!

[Linda Murray]

I quite liked this book which kept my attention until the end. Judging by the ending there is a sequel. This novel is more fun than serious history,and you need to suspend belief in reality.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still reading this book. Ok so far, editing could be better - many typos.

[Velvetink · Rating 3 out of 5]

1 of 21 books for $10. 2/10/12

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed Brother Petroc

[Michael Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like this a lot. Well written and entertaining.

[Alon Hirsch]

Loved it!
Thrilling and very well crafted.
Couldn't put the book down.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

very enjoyable, will look out for the others in the series.

[Thelma Gabbett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed with this book the storyline in the back cover didn't match with the nove. The writing was very childlike at times

[Chad Malone · Rating 3 out of 5]

really good something different