The Templar Knight - (Crusades Trilogy) by Jan Guillou (Paperback)

About the Book

[Guillou] has a remarkable grasp of the mind-set of the period and always puts the emphasis where it would be for the people involved at that time, rather than ours. Some readers may find that disorienting, but a capacity for disturbing readers assumptions is even more a hallmark of good historical fiction than the inclusion of the Knights Templar. Diana Gabaldon, Washington Post

Jan Guillou follows up the highly acclaimed The Road to Jerusalem with the second book in his Knights Templar trilogy. Readers of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, and Stephen Saylor will find many page-turning thrills in The Templar Knight."

Book Synopsis

Swedish author Jan Guillou follows up the highly acclaimed The Road to Jerusalem with the second book in his Knights Templar trilogy.

The Knight Templar follows Arn's adventures in the Holy Land, where he discovers that the infidel Saracens aren't as brutish and uncivilised as he had been led to believe, and that in fact there is another, darker side to the teaching of the Cistercians.

From the Back Cover

A knight in the Holy Land.
A woman in the frozen north.
A war that kept them apart...

Among the last bastion of God's holy warriors determined to save Jerusalem from the Muslims, Arn Magnusson of the Knights Templar is renowned as a man of compassion, strength, and faith, even among the enemy Saracens-Saladin and his Muslim followers. Yet, neither time nor distance can lessen Arn's pain of separation from his beloved Cecilia; confined to a cloister back home in western Götaland, his betrothed, the mother of their newborn son, is a pawn in a war between clans vying for control of the crown.

And when an accident of fate brings together Arn and Saladin, an unlikely friendship is forged that will alter the course of the Templar knight's life, and the history of Jerusalem itself.

Review Quotes

"The prose style is reminiscent of ancient sagas and the battle scenes are grand. A fine second volume in an original trilogy." - Kirkus Reviews
"A great . . .beautifully constructed book. . . . Despite the intricate plot, The Road to Jerusalem is a surprisingly understated book overall. Skillfully written and translated, it's detailed, but sparingly so. . . . [Guillou] has a remarkable grasp of the mind-set of the period and always puts the emphasis where it would be for the people involved at that time, rather than ours. Some readers may find that disorienting, but a capacity for disturbing readers' assumptions is even more a hallmark of good historical fiction than the inclusion of the Knights Templar." - Diana Gabaldon, Washington Post
"Fascinating. . . . Guillou handles the tales of both Arn and Ceclia masterfully by ending each chapter with a cliffhanger and alternating between the protagonists. All of the people, including minor characters and real-life individuals such as Saladin and King Baldwin IV, are memorable and realistic as they move the plot along. . . . A real page-turner. . . . I highly recommend this series." - Historical Novels Review, Editor's Choice
"[An] exquisite installment in medieval heroic epic. . . . The author accomplishes what so few can do with such a controversial medieval topic as the Crusades. He develops both sides of the divide with a wonderful richness and depth without resorting to the kinds of simplistic caricature often seen. . . . A sense of the tragic builds throughout the novel as fate brings these two men together in a war that pits them against one another, keeping a reader on the edge of his/her seat. . . . Medievalist or not, if you love tales of arms, religion and romance, this trilogy is not to be missed. . . . OUTSTANDING!" - Medieval Book Reviews
"Guillou tells a magnificent story while the reader is swept along in the slow rhythm, the kind of literary adagios, of the text. The setting is superbly depicted, and the novels portray the great seductive ability of the Scandinavian universe." - El Periodico (Spain)
"This book tells of a Shakespearian quest for power that becomes a metaphor for what is happening in our day and age." - Corriere della Sera (Italy)
"Destined to become a classic, The Road to Jerusalem is a brilliant, dramatic recreation of the medieval world, offering suspense, intrigue, a touching love story, and an extremely appealing young hero. I cannot recommend this book highly enough." - Sharon Kay Penman, New York Times bestselling author of Devil's Brood