The Temple and the Stone

Knights Templar #1

by Katherine Kurtz, Deborah Turner Harris

The Knights Templar was a military order founded during the time of the crusades to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Legend endows the Templars with magical powers with which they are said to have altered the course of history. "The Temple and the Crown" picks up in 1306 with the crowning of Robert Bruce in Scotland. Bruce immediately faces a challenge to his throne, and Pope Clement and King Philip of France, jealous of the Knights' magical powers, wealth, and charm, have them arrested on trumped-up charges of black magic, blasphemy, and consorting with the Devil. The Templars' only hope is to flee as fugitives and seek a new home...and a safe haven for the mystical treasures they guard.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Mystery

560 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Katherine Kurtz is an American fantasy novel writer. She is best known for her Deryni series. She currently lives in Virginia.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good read, if you like Scottish history with a slight touch of fantasy thru pray and Christian ritual .

Good believable characters you can get to love.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise and strong original characters interact with historical figures in a very well-researched if slightly dry and plodding tale. Not so good that it didn't take a bit of effort to get through, but not so bad that I'm unwilling to try the conclusion.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the author. She takes me away to a different world. I wish there were more female characters but this story really doesn't lend itself well to females. This is definitely a man's world.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Deryni books early on, sometime in the early '70's when I was in my late teens. I loved those books so much. I even thought that if I ever had a son someday, I'd name him Alaric Anthony Morgan. Sheez, what planet was I on at that time?

Anyway, I picked up Two Crowns for America awhile back and really didn't care for it at all; it seems the years have not been kind to my opinion of this author.

All that being said, I picked up this book at a book sale or some such thing and read it despite the disappointment in 'Two Crowns' and I have to say, it isn't half bad. An interesting thing about Kurtz is that she can include a whole lot of Christian mysticism in her books (this one in particular) and for some reason, I don't mind it (normally anything in a fantasy smacking of blatant Christianity really gets my back up.) I think it's because she 1) doesn't hit you over the head with it and 2) incorporates it into a whole bunch of really, really interesting historical background/events, where it wouldn't make sense to NOT include it.

I think the writing style could be a turn off for younger folks, as it is very much in the vein of "lots of guys larking about in armor and having each other's backs" - in other words, it feels pretty dated. Despite that, I enjoyed this quite a bit if only for the historical aspect, and have the second book on order from Biblio.com.

I would recommend this to folks interested in the history aspect and who aren't real persnickety about a fantasy book sounding a tad dated. I expect that some younger/more sophisticated readers (sophisticated about the fantasy genre, that is) would find it a crashing bore. For me, it was a very nice visit with an author who is an old favorite.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arnault de Saint Clair is a Knight Templar and a member of the Circle--the esoteric inner group with magical connections. He has a protege, Torquil Lennox, a Scots Templar. Together they get involved in Scotland's struggle for freedom from England. In the process, they fight dark magic as well. Protecting the Stone of Scone, they revitalize it using William Wallace as a sacrifice--the Uncrowned King. Robert the Bruce is crowned king at the end. Scotland also looks to be a place of Templar refuge--the Fifth Temple--as things are getting dicey in France.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't keep myself as interested in this one as the previous Kurtz novel, read a little more like a history book for me.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 1 out of 5]

Research history regurgitation. Vision of black evil. More history. Vision of angel. Repeat.
Slow. Couldn't finish.

[Carol Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved her Deryni series and was excited to see this (Book 1 in a series). But I found it very slow moving. Perhaps I needed to brush up on my Crusader history – and in fact I did so, to see what background facts were true.
I found it slow, and didn’t finish it. It tries to blend action in Crusader times, as the Crusaders are being pushed back, with a deeper evil. So the Knights are to defend the faith and within the Order is a secret society charged with protecting relics and stopping demonic activity. There appears to be ‘magic’ coming somewhere in the story, but I read about halfway and gave up, which I rarely do with a book.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was very good. Although it was a fantasy, the historical details seemed accurate to me. I even looked up some information about William Wallace because this book made me curious about the real person. I would recommend it to reader's who enjoy historical fiction.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seems too cliché. Too much like a Derynii book but simply with the Templers.

[Mary G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok to good.

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Knights Templar are always a good read. This is an alternate reality version by two great fantasy writers. Fans of the genre should love this book.

[Louise Pronovost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical fiction with some supernatural elements.