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Pilgrim: The Greatest Crusade
Hardcover; first edition; clipped dust jacket; very good condition. Very minor edgewear to jacket, small indentation to cover board upper edge, small mark to leading edge of title page. No other notable flaws. AD
475 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2009
5 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
James Jackson
12 books16 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Previous books published under the name of James H. Jackson.
James Jackson has a postgraduate degree in Military Studies and is a consultant in military risk. He is the author of The Counter-Terrorist Handbook and lives in London.
Previous books published under the name of James H. Jackson.
James Jackson has a postgraduate degree in Military Studies and is a consultant in military risk. He is the author of The Counter-Terrorist Handbook and lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 3, 2012
I had big expectations about this book. The plot seemed interesting, the language exquisite, my favourite time-line, yadda yadda, puuuurrfect.
But seriously. Jackson has apparently never met a person under twenty years in his life, because his children talk like somebody with a Ph.D. in linguistics. All of them, all the time. I have a high respect for the author's vocabulary, it's magnificent, but it's magnificent for an epic poem or a discussion on Freud - not for a book in which the majority of characters are under ten. Even when the book is written for adult readers.
The other thing was his portrayal of good versus evil. There are no gray shades in Pilgrim; people are either absolutely good or messengers of hell. The outcome is clear from the beginning, the good will prevail, the baddies will suffer, etc etc. But people are never like that, and they weren't like that a thousand years ago either, I'm sure. The thirst for chaos is a bad excuse for the main antagonist, and revenge often has no believable cause in the others.
I stopped reading after a third of the book and just skipped to the end to see what happened - there was an unexpected twist which I liked and that's what the second star is for, but everything else was predictable. If this book was rewritten with characters with more depth and children who did not make lengthy speeches at all times instead of talking like human beings talk, then it could be a remarkable book, but alas, it is not. I admire the way Jackson spins his words and plays with the English language, but Pilgrim is not the right place for that kind of language - let children talk like children, or at least like average adults, and let adults talk like average adults, too.
But seriously. Jackson has apparently never met a person under twenty years in his life, because his children talk like somebody with a Ph.D. in linguistics. All of them, all the time. I have a high respect for the author's vocabulary, it's magnificent, but it's magnificent for an epic poem or a discussion on Freud - not for a book in which the majority of characters are under ten. Even when the book is written for adult readers.
The other thing was his portrayal of good versus evil. There are no gray shades in Pilgrim; people are either absolutely good or messengers of hell. The outcome is clear from the beginning, the good will prevail, the baddies will suffer, etc etc. But people are never like that, and they weren't like that a thousand years ago either, I'm sure. The thirst for chaos is a bad excuse for the main antagonist, and revenge often has no believable cause in the others.
I stopped reading after a third of the book and just skipped to the end to see what happened - there was an unexpected twist which I liked and that's what the second star is for, but everything else was predictable. If this book was rewritten with characters with more depth and children who did not make lengthy speeches at all times instead of talking like human beings talk, then it could be a remarkable book, but alas, it is not. I admire the way Jackson spins his words and plays with the English language, but Pilgrim is not the right place for that kind of language - let children talk like children, or at least like average adults, and let adults talk like average adults, too.
August 13, 2017
an enjoyable historical read.
August 8, 2025
An engaging adventure but the end does feel a bit of a letdown compared to what I was expecting.
August 17, 2014
Over pretentious wording and almost as pompous scenery, this sets out trying to be a Ken Follett novel and just kind of feels a bit too smug for it's own good.
July 9, 2025
Not quite the epic quest I admired as a teenager. The ending feels rushed and the fact that the children all speak as archaically as the adults doesn’t help. Still, a good read for people looking for historical Crusader fiction that feels as critical of Christianity as it humanizes Islam.
February 28, 2015
Expecting more about a children's crusade, what I wasn't expecting was how graphically violent and sexual this book would be.
OK, so arguably more violent times, I get that, but why the need for such gratuitous, gory violence on such a large scale? And why such explicit sex scenes? Sometimes less really is more and I think the author could have credited his readers with a bit of imagination rather than laying out certain acts in such detail.
With the potential to be a really good read Pilgrim was let down by just about every facet you care to mention. Dubious historical details, poorly drawn characters, appalling dialogue and yet it wasn't this that bothered me the most. Unforgivable lazy and stereotypical writing at best, downright offensive at worst. Given the culture at the time I could understand one of the characters describing a Jewish banker/money lender as such but for the author to write '.... the old Jew would not anticipate anything beyond the scope of his hook nose and basic greed'? As I said lazy and stereotypical characterisation if nothing else.
Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.
OK, so arguably more violent times, I get that, but why the need for such gratuitous, gory violence on such a large scale? And why such explicit sex scenes? Sometimes less really is more and I think the author could have credited his readers with a bit of imagination rather than laying out certain acts in such detail.
With the potential to be a really good read Pilgrim was let down by just about every facet you care to mention. Dubious historical details, poorly drawn characters, appalling dialogue and yet it wasn't this that bothered me the most. Unforgivable lazy and stereotypical writing at best, downright offensive at worst. Given the culture at the time I could understand one of the characters describing a Jewish banker/money lender as such but for the author to write '.... the old Jew would not anticipate anything beyond the scope of his hook nose and basic greed'? As I said lazy and stereotypical characterisation if nothing else.
Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.
August 8, 2015
Excellent! Suffice it to say, this is an era in history which will receive much more investigating on my part. As I was reading the book, I found myself doing online searches of historical figures and locations they traveled through to get a deeper sense of the magnitude of this journey. Incredible take on what may have happened and good perspective on the various players involved in this time in history, i.e. Templars, Hospitallers, Cathars (the Perfects), Saracens and Assassins (Muslim sect), etc.
February 22, 2016
Excellent! Suffice it to say, this is an era in history which will receive much more investigating on my part. As I was reading the book, I found myself doing online searches of historical figures and locations they traveled through to get a deeper sense of the magnitude of this journey. Incredible take on what may have happened and good perspective on the various players involved in this time in history, i.e. Templars, Hospitallers, Cathars (the Perfects), Saracens and Assassins (Muslim sect), etc.
June 4, 2009
An epic novel by James Jackson! I can honestly say that this is the best book I've read so far. The endless and unique twists entwine amazingly with the characters, making you almost literally feel upset for them at times.
This book is a classic tale of the Crusades, and James Jackson sinks his fiction in with fact better than anybody else I've read.
This book is a classic tale of the Crusades, and James Jackson sinks his fiction in with fact better than anybody else I've read.
September 20, 2013
Some how done with it!
The story is very dragging ans the language seems vague.When I picked this up I was expecting a adventurous story with dark and sinister plots,but there is no valorous fights or adventurous in it.Neither there is any twist or gripping events in it.I am happy I finished it.
I am rating it 1/5
February 26, 2016
This book really dragged for me. I found the narration style uneven, the characters one-dimensional, and the plot long and dull. There were also too many cliches (drugged Assassins, innocent children, evil heretics).
July 18, 2015
A heart wrenching story of the children's crusade.
August 8, 2019
Stilted dialogue, two dimensional characters, rubbish story.
The only interest is in the details concerning the Children's Crusade, and their travel across Europe towards Palestine.
The only interest is in the details concerning the Children's Crusade, and their travel across Europe towards Palestine.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews