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Back: Through a Field of Stars
Hunted by the seven deadly sins, two unsuspecting heroes must deliver a secret message for the Knights Templar across the Camino de Santiago before it's too late. Faced with unthinkable trials and life-altering lessons, this adventure is filled with mystery, humor, and self-discovery.
In this sequel to the award-winning novel, The Way: Through a Field of Stars, Princess Isabella of France must convince her father to give up his quest for the Knight Templars' most valued treasure and make amends with her enemy, Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, to save those she loves.
With Isabella and Molay both trapped in Paris, the weight of the world hangs on the shoulders of two unsuspecting nuns who are caught up in a game of control for the medieval world. Sister Fransie and Sister Caroline must flee France and smuggle the key to the Templars' greatest secret across the Camino de Santiago.
On their pilgrimage, the sisters are forced to face the seven deadly sins, which have taken on a physical form and threaten to stop them at every turn. Will the wisdom they learn on the Camino be enough for them to succeed? Or, will they fail to deliver their message before time runs out for the Templars?
Even though this novel is a work of fiction, if you visit the Camino de Santiago today, you can still see the symbols and runes that inspired the secret Templar code, as well as the towns, cathedrals, and castles from the story.
In this sequel to the award-winning novel, The Way: Through a Field of Stars, Princess Isabella of France must convince her father to give up his quest for the Knight Templars' most valued treasure and make amends with her enemy, Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, to save those she loves.
With Isabella and Molay both trapped in Paris, the weight of the world hangs on the shoulders of two unsuspecting nuns who are caught up in a game of control for the medieval world. Sister Fransie and Sister Caroline must flee France and smuggle the key to the Templars' greatest secret across the Camino de Santiago.
On their pilgrimage, the sisters are forced to face the seven deadly sins, which have taken on a physical form and threaten to stop them at every turn. Will the wisdom they learn on the Camino be enough for them to succeed? Or, will they fail to deliver their message before time runs out for the Templars?
Even though this novel is a work of fiction, if you visit the Camino de Santiago today, you can still see the symbols and runes that inspired the secret Templar code, as well as the towns, cathedrals, and castles from the story.
274 pages, Hardcover
Published November 18, 2021
4 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Brian John Skillen
9 books55 followersI believe we are all called to adventure. Whether we answer this call by traveling around the world or by living vicariously through our favorite characters—we are born to explore.
In all my adventures around the world, nothing has affected me more than my pilgrimages along the Camino de Santiago. It was here that I was first told about a secret code of the Knights Templar on the Camino. This code inspired the Through a Field of Stars series. Since my first pilgrimage in 2017, I have walked over 1,000 miles across Spain doing research for the series.
I have traveled the miles that my characters have traveled and learned the lessons they have learned. I write in the hopes that my books will inspire you to have a life-changing adventure on the Camino de Santiago.
B.J.S.
But now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you a bit about my books in the THROUGH A FIELD OF STARS SERIES:
book one - THE WAY: THROUGH A FIELD OF STARS
There is a secret code of the Knights Templar on the Camino de Santiago...
Sent by her father to locate the Knights Templar's greatest treasure—and save her kingdom from ruin—Princess Isabella of France finds one of seven secret doors that unlocks the Templars' mysterious treasure. With this discovery, she expects the mission to be easy. But when she is ambushed on the Camino de Santiago, Isabella is not only forced to seek refuge with the exact company she was sent to steal from, but she's unexpectedly reunited with her one true love, Etienne.
It's not long before the past catches up to them. Now they must both decide: to love again, or to remain loyal? Etienne is tied to his vow as a Templar, and Isabella to the will of her father. As Isabella and her unlikely companions' journey across Spain, they unlock the Templars' secret codes, face immortal shadows, and discover the wisdom of the Camino de Santiago.
Isabella's quest leads her to love, friendship, and self-discovery-but if she's not careful, it could also lead to the destruction of the world.
book two - BACK: THROUGH A FIELD OF STARS
Hunted by the seven deadly sins, two unlikely heroes must deliver a secret message for the Knights Templar across the Camino de Santiago before it’s too late. Faced with unthinkable trials and life-altering lessons, this adventure is filled with mystery, humor, and self-discovery.
In all my adventures around the world, nothing has affected me more than my pilgrimages along the Camino de Santiago. It was here that I was first told about a secret code of the Knights Templar on the Camino. This code inspired the Through a Field of Stars series. Since my first pilgrimage in 2017, I have walked over 1,000 miles across Spain doing research for the series.
I have traveled the miles that my characters have traveled and learned the lessons they have learned. I write in the hopes that my books will inspire you to have a life-changing adventure on the Camino de Santiago.
B.J.S.
But now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you a bit about my books in the THROUGH A FIELD OF STARS SERIES:
book one - THE WAY: THROUGH A FIELD OF STARS
There is a secret code of the Knights Templar on the Camino de Santiago...
Sent by her father to locate the Knights Templar's greatest treasure—and save her kingdom from ruin—Princess Isabella of France finds one of seven secret doors that unlocks the Templars' mysterious treasure. With this discovery, she expects the mission to be easy. But when she is ambushed on the Camino de Santiago, Isabella is not only forced to seek refuge with the exact company she was sent to steal from, but she's unexpectedly reunited with her one true love, Etienne.
It's not long before the past catches up to them. Now they must both decide: to love again, or to remain loyal? Etienne is tied to his vow as a Templar, and Isabella to the will of her father. As Isabella and her unlikely companions' journey across Spain, they unlock the Templars' secret codes, face immortal shadows, and discover the wisdom of the Camino de Santiago.
Isabella's quest leads her to love, friendship, and self-discovery-but if she's not careful, it could also lead to the destruction of the world.
book two - BACK: THROUGH A FIELD OF STARS
Hunted by the seven deadly sins, two unlikely heroes must deliver a secret message for the Knights Templar across the Camino de Santiago before it’s too late. Faced with unthinkable trials and life-altering lessons, this adventure is filled with mystery, humor, and self-discovery.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 20, 2021
Through a Field of Stars is such a unique series because it combines history, fiction, action, spirituality, mystery, and humor all into one. Both books are a super quick reads - Back especially has some unexpected twist that I never saw coming. The book takes place on the Camino de Santiago- having walked the Camino myself- it was so fun to know the places and relate to some of the experiences that the characters go through. If you are new to the series, I’d start at book #1 The Way: Through a Field of Stars. ✨✨✨ Looking forward to the next novel in the series!
November 20, 2021
Loved this book! It continues the adventure of The Way: Through a Field of Stars and has more twists and turns than a mountain highway! I really enjoyed how the depth of each character came forward through challenges. I can hardly wait for the next one in the series! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about the Camino de Santiago.
November 20, 2021
This is a great book. It is well written and a fun adventure. It makes me want to walk the Camino and search for all the signs that are hidden in plain sight. Really enjoyed reading it.
February 17, 2024
Overall, very intriguing and enjoyable. It kept me on my toes, guessing at what would happen next. Each interaction with one of the Seven Deadly Sins was interesting and inspired me to look into how I treat my own sin. It ended with many things unresolved that I can’t wait to see in the third book.
I’m also excited because I have a Camino trip planned for the coming summer where I’m excited to see different locations mentioned in the book.
I’m also excited because I have a Camino trip planned for the coming summer where I’m excited to see different locations mentioned in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2022
This is a great sequel to The Way: Through a Field of Stars. I would recommend reading that novel at first. The love that the author has for the historic Camino of St James is evident through these two novels. There are literally hundreds of memoirs written about the Camino of St James in Spain, but not very many historical novels. The Camino of St James is a huge part of my life and my faith. I have hike the Camino on five different occasions, the first of which was in 2003 where there was little information available about the Camino. With more pilgrims hiking the Camino each year on pilgrimage, from the United and from all over the world, books like this provide a lot of great background information. I read the Kindle version of this book, which was very well laid out. I love how he includes historical figures in the novel, such as Princess Isabella, King Philip IV of France, the Knight Templar and its leader Jacques de Molay. Legends like the Fisher King and secret codes also are important parts of this novel. I also love the different towns and villages on the Camino that play big roles throughout the development of the novel. I had planned to go on the Camino on January 23 this year, my first time back in five years. I was so excited about going back again. I had cancelled my trip several weeks before that. However, ironically, on that day I planned to leave I came down with COVID, sick enough to keep me bedridden for a good part of a week due to a number of underlying health issues that are a carryover from my days as a missionary overseas. Thank you Brian John Skillen for a wonderful book. I know you have a lot of big fans in the pilgrimage community.
November 20, 2021
This second book in the series was a page turner. It had all of the characters I love from the first book and some exciting new ones. It had the puzzles, the mystery, the beautifully imaginative world and the deep philosophical and spiritual journey that made the first one great and in addition I could not even put the book down. I literally had to set a timer and only read a little chunk at a time or I would have read the whole thing in one sitting. I look forward to the third novel and seeing how it all goes together. If you have not read the first you MUST! One because it is amazing, and two because you will be lost and not as connected to the characters without doing so. Once you read the first, you will crave reading this one. It is well worth the wait!
November 20, 2021
I love historical novels, and ones that combine history with today's love for the Camino are a marvellous fusion of thriller and romance - just like this second book of the series. I read the first book and had no idea it was to be a series..imagine my delight when I saw that a new book had been published with the same case of characters, and on the Camino.
If you love history, walking and just a good story, you will love this book! It shines brightly in the firmament of books to read.
If you love history, walking and just a good story, you will love this book! It shines brightly in the firmament of books to read.
November 21, 2021
This is a sequel to “The Way: Through a Field of Stars”. It is beautifully written and blends history with my own personal journey on the Camino de Santiago. This book is filled with adventure and mystery and self discovery. I highly recommend it!
December 31, 2021
This book disappeared from my booklist before even getting halfway through it, luckily I was able to retrieve it from my list of downloads. As a matter of fact, it is part of a trilogy, so I was still unable to reach the end. However, bit is possible to get a better se se than before on where the writer was trying to go with this. To begin with, it started out as a medieval romance/thriller. The heroine, Princess Isabella, is the daughter of a king who stands thoroughly on the side of might and right and the church of Rome, whilst Isabella has a mission to complete on behalf of her beloved, Etienne, who is one of the Knights Templar - an organisation that is now a treasonous for in the King's eyes. Isabella is placed under house arrest in the medieval equivalent of the Tower of London. Two of her loyal nuns set out to complete the mission, Fransie and Caroline. And it is the character of Fransie rather than Isabella who becomes the heroine of this tale. It is here that instead of being a thriller, things now devolve into a kind of dungeons-and-dragons mystic quest, as occult/kabbalistic sigils manifest in doorways and within churches to lead the nuns and templars to crack the code. Strange animals become familiars to help prevent the followers from falling foul to the Seven deadly sins. One character, on falling victim to the sin of gluttony, grows an insatiable and murderous maw in his abdomen, consuming one of the main characters, pride, wrath and envy trap the others at various points in the telling. It is not clear if the time frame is set during the time of the templars, as some of the characters have what to this reader seemed to be rather inconsistently modern names. It seems that the main heroes and heroines have to assemble seven treasures before the bad guys do. These treasures maypossibly be related to seven heavenly virtues, though Dante does not really figure here, but rather the sacred path of the Kabbala and the tetragrammaton, with its asserted links to Fibonacci's golden ratio. These forms of esoterica seem to be close to the writer's heart, a pilgrim's progress behind the entertaining action. The pacing is fast, with a wide range of characters, some of whom get killed off often and sometimes gruesomely. The idea of the trilogy is no doubt aimed to keep the reader gasping for more. Readers can judge for themselves if this might be their thing or not.
February 15, 2023
I really wanted (and still want) to like this story. From the interactions I've had with the author, Brian is genuine and has really spent time immersing himself in the Camino and these legends to bring the trillogy to life.
The first book read well as a historical fiction/fantasy tale. This one felt very scattered. Characters were disperced and each short chapter jumped from one character/location to another. This made it hard to situate where (and sometimes when) I was while I was reading. And the number or interwoven legends and religious mythology included in the symbols and experiences throughout the book felt extreme and became disorienting. Unfortunately, what I was most disappointed in was how hard it was to experience anything camino-related in the story, though the symbols in the churches along the path were certainly connections to "The Way."
I'll be happy to read the final book in the series, as that may bring the story back together. But this one was a bit of a slog.
The first book read well as a historical fiction/fantasy tale. This one felt very scattered. Characters were disperced and each short chapter jumped from one character/location to another. This made it hard to situate where (and sometimes when) I was while I was reading. And the number or interwoven legends and religious mythology included in the symbols and experiences throughout the book felt extreme and became disorienting. Unfortunately, what I was most disappointed in was how hard it was to experience anything camino-related in the story, though the symbols in the churches along the path were certainly connections to "The Way."
I'll be happy to read the final book in the series, as that may bring the story back together. But this one was a bit of a slog.
March 24, 2025
Cyphers. Crisis of faith. Betrayal. Love. Combat...this book has it all!
Even though it is heavy on the Christian/Catholic lore, this book delivers twists and turns without coming across as preachy or too sugary. The trials and tribulations of the characters are spot on, getting us closer to the conclusion of the story while forcing to see what's inside our own hearts and thoughts.
It's a simple, yet powerful, account of what true friendship, dedication and belief can achieve when we choose the road less traveled - when we become one with our environment and needs rather than resorting to people pleasing and capricious behaviors.
Brian is a sweetheart and his passion for el Camino shines through every page. I'm grateful for the journey into this magical mystical world, and excited about book 3.
Even though it is heavy on the Christian/Catholic lore, this book delivers twists and turns without coming across as preachy or too sugary. The trials and tribulations of the characters are spot on, getting us closer to the conclusion of the story while forcing to see what's inside our own hearts and thoughts.
It's a simple, yet powerful, account of what true friendship, dedication and belief can achieve when we choose the road less traveled - when we become one with our environment and needs rather than resorting to people pleasing and capricious behaviors.
Brian is a sweetheart and his passion for el Camino shines through every page. I'm grateful for the journey into this magical mystical world, and excited about book 3.
December 27, 2021
Just read Back Through a Field of Stars. It was compelling and, once started and engrossed, it was difficult to put down. It was good enough that I read it in three days. It helps to read the first book in the series. This is book two and the third book of the trilogy should be coming out soon. I'm looking forward to that one, too, and recommend this book, and book one as well, without hesitation. Happy Reading and much success to the author (Brian John Skillen) and his amazing first editor (Chelsea Goss).
November 21, 2021
I have read books 1 and 2, The Way and Back (Through a Field of Stars) It is a great spiritual fantasy: Lots of characters with intriguing personalities. Battles and beings that haunt the journey as they travel the Camino. Spiritual shortcoming that are graphically depicted. Brian Skillen is a gifted writer. I particularly liked his depiction of the seven deadly sins. Plus there’s a captivating love affair. And it’s fun to read.
Carol W. G.
Carol W. G.
December 11, 2022
I really enjoyed this action packed story! I enjoyed the suspense of the nuns having to face the seven deadly sins! There were many enjoyable twists and turns that it took me only a few nights (if anyone works during the day and reads at night you can relate how easy it is to fall asleep even when you love the book!) to finish it. This was the sign that it kept my attention. I'm looking forward to reading the last of the trilogy!
December 29, 2023
After completing The Way: Through a field of stars, I couldn't wait to continue my journey on the Camino de Santiago with my newest friends. Back: Through a Field of Stars did not disappoint! I absolutely loved this book!
July 31, 2025
Fantastic continuation of the engrossing series Through a Field of Stars. The depth of details of characters an history keeps you with them on this journey. Just starting the last of the trilogy, and whishing the saga wouldn't end. A great read.
November 20, 2021
I loved the first book Through a field of starts and this one has even more adventure. The characters jump off the page and you really feel like you are right there with them on the camino.
November 20, 2021
Such a good story that kept me musing on my own spiritual journey for days!
November 20, 2021
I am so excited that this book is finally out! The adventure. The character development. If this book is anything like the first, it will be well worth the read.
May 5, 2023
I did not expect to like this book as much as the first….. but it was just as good. Some chapters literally had jaw dropping moments! Highly recommend. Can’t wait to read the 3rd one!
June 3, 2023
An extremely well written novel set back in the time of the Templers, full of intrigue, mystery and adventure.
April 10, 2023
I loved writing this book. It was inspired by my second pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. I never know what to expect when I am writing this series. I really didn't expect the use of sacred geometry with the secret code, but it is found everywhere on the Camino.
Writing these books was a way to keep my Camino experience alive after the pilgrimage was finished. I had so many life-changing experiences and met so many amazing people on the Camino that I couldn't help but share them with the world!
I hope this book inspires you to take your own adventure on the Camino de Santiago!
Writing these books was a way to keep my Camino experience alive after the pilgrimage was finished. I had so many life-changing experiences and met so many amazing people on the Camino that I couldn't help but share them with the world!
I hope this book inspires you to take your own adventure on the Camino de Santiago!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews