The Last of the Templars

By William Watson

Book Overview

Following the fall of Acre in 1291 and the reconquest of the Holy Land by the Moslems, the last survivors of the Order of the Temple flee the Middle East for Europe. Among the refugees is Beltran, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0002710218
• ISBN13: 9780002710213
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Truly captures the Macabre of the medieval age!

This work of literature will transport you into a dirt and grit of the medieval age without using today's "trashy language". Some works (be advised I am a neophyte fan of historical fiction especially medieval) try to use trashy modern language (i.e. vile cursing, lude references, modern euphemisms) to entertain while delivering the story, but this fine piece of work painstakingly captures the dialog seemingly used in this era. The only complexity of this book is, it seems the author captures the mindset of each character during the same scene. For example, in the same paragraph the author will disclose the thoughts of two separate characters thereby possibly confusing the focus of the character and the differentiation of actual spoken dialog from character reflection. THIS BOOK IS A CHALLENGING READ AND A LITERARY GEM BUY IT NOW!

Pure bloody brilliance!

Where do I begin?William Watson's prose simply *shimmers*... he has a way of capturing the setting and mood of a scene, not simply with metaphor and simile, but in his very writing itself. It's hard to explain, and really has to be read to be appreciated, but somehow, he uses syntax and words with incredible skill and power to directly reflect landscapes and emotions.Nor does he pull his punches with characterization or history, completely ignoring modern myths about the Templars and any romantacization or anachronism: the people in this book in act and think like men of 1300, and moreover, all of them are individuals rather than cyphers, from the contemplative yet straightforward hero to the King of France's amoral and ruthless ministers.In many ways, "The Last of the Templars" is an unashamedly literary novel: some might find it 'difficult', and Beltran, the subtly-drawn central character, is certainly not a stereotypical action hero in armour, but I found it it an immensely rewarding read; and while this is to a degree a philosophical novel, the plot is driven by character and political intrigue, and Watson writes bloody, zesty and utterly convincing battle-scenes.