Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Good bedtime read for insomniacs October 9, 2008
M. Shopland
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a poor one dimensional book. It is great to read at bedtime if you cannot relax, as this book will send you to sleep fast. I am persisting with this book on the grounds that it just has to get better! However it is hard to get stuch into more than a few pages at a time.
Both the Templar characters and the Muslim (in particular Muslims) are just so weak! None of the Muslim chracters do anything to enthrall the reader and the Templar ones really are not believable. The title is Crusade, but I am 3/4 the way through and I can see no sign of it happening. The implausable Garin character is a work of pure literary weakness.
Another reviewer said this is Mills and boon meets History, and I think that is rather accurate. I am a Historical fiction reader and other authors do a far better job than this.
 An interesting read July 24, 2008
H. Megerisi
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book was interesting from the depth of research about the period he was writing about would almost be a 5/5.
Unfortunately for me, the book was let down by its story line. The characters were poorly developed, at times aspect of the story line was fantastical, and bore minimal regard to realitiy and a lack of depth. A little staid the story is 3/5.
It didn't captivate. A shame, as it was set in an intersting time, with lots to play with :(
A border line 4/5 only for the historical aspects.
 Patchy Characterisation May 24, 2008
Mr. Warren M. Fisher (East Grinstead, West Sussex United Kingdom)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
A passable read, but less than compelling. The books biggest fault (aside from a penchant for Christian baiting and pro-Islam) is the lead characters. Young's villains and many supporting players are interestingly drawn (esp. Garin), but her hero and heroine are so sacharine and wholesome, I fell the urge to vomit just to purge myself.
The tale has its moments, but like the first in the series, is deeply flawed.
 Fantastic! May 9, 2008
A. Harsono (Sunbury, UK)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have to say, this is much better than the first book. While the focus was more on the Christian side in Brethren, Crusade was much more balanced on both sides. Readers (myself included) are taken into the political chaos that was the Temple and the inner circle of the Mamluk bigwigs. I am myself quite familiar historically with the fall of Acre and it was pleasant to see Robyn weaving fact and fiction beautifully such that the story plot flows without any problems. Bring on Requiem!
A strong novel bu rather long............ May 5, 2008
Mr. Thomas Thatcher (Salisbury, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For what it's worth, I thought that Brethren, the first in this yet-to-be-completed trilogy, was very good - the characters had depth, the storyline had credibility, it was a page-turner (never a bad thing if one has had to endure the hideous gloom of Thomas Hardy in one's youth) and the lovely Miss Young writes excellent and well-constructed English. It was a fine effort from one so young and also showed evidence of a great deal of careful historical research to root the novel in a bed of basic fact.
Unusually for me, I actually sought out Crusade with real eagerness and settled down on a particularly wet and horrible weekend (which also featured much Gordon Brown on the tele - that's how bad a weekend it was) to enjoy it. Enjoy it I did, but with some reservations and it seems unkind to criticise adversely because Miss Young has achieved a great deal. Here, again for what it's worth, are some of my reservations:
1. The novel is about 150 pages too long. There is no doubt that the author wanted to cram in as much as possible and build the book up to a cracking ending - but there are long passages where not a lot happens, and more by circumstance than by style, they plod.
2. The characters have become a little formulaic. The Sultan's evil advisor never talks, he hisses. Will's girlfriend is such an unspeakable drip that one is surprised she hasn't dissolved by the 4th chapter. The wronged friend who betrays his old mate and yet comes good at the end is tiresome. Yet I have to say that once again Robyn's depiction of life in Acre during the Crusades is good - hot, miserable, disease-ridden and run through with finance and the intrigues that always follow war and conflict. As J B Priestly said, "Sex, money and food cross all borders."
3. Robyn Young's writing is efficient but no so vibrant as in the first book.
All that said, I shall seek out the final chapter and no doubt read it with pleasure. Whenever I have tried to write a novel I have run out of ideas by page three so I have no right to judge Miss Young. I do hope, though, that she is economical with the story and with the various plots. She is a fascinating writer and I have no doubt at all that her books over the years will become more and more interesting. To her great credit, nowhere does she affect to be writing history and one is aware that this is a real novel.
A sensible and well-thought out novel, but not so available as Brethren. Nonetheless, far, far better than a holiday potboiler.
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