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The Fall of the Templars
Brethren trilogy book 3
(aka Requiem in the UK)

by Robyn Young

     

After enjoying heaping praise for her first two novels, Robyn Young released the conclusion to her amazing trilogy to great anticipation, at least from this particular reader.  Brethren and Crusade captured my deep interest, making them toughs acts to follow.  Every great story must have an ending and so we have Fall of the Templars, the final tale of Will Campbell and the Templar Knights.

The Crusades have ended and the Europeans have been dealt major defeats.  Acre is lost and Jerusalem could not be taken.  The cause has failed and so they return to Europe in defeat and find a dramatic change in the cultural and political landscapes of their homelands.  The crusaders are greeted with a lukewarm welcome and waning respect as the ruling class is hesitant to embrace warriors who return in defeat.  Europe’s monarchs are gripped in a power struggle and their willingness to submit to Papal authority is shrinking.  Among them is King Philippe of France, who has devised a plan to take English lands.  He allies himself with Scotland and pledges to support the Scots efforts in hope they will sufficiently divert King Edward’s interest while he pursues his own agenda.  England and Scotland are soon engaged in war that will shape Will’s future and tear at his loyalties.

Hoping to defuse the situation, Will and other Templar leaders meet with King Edward.  A worst case scenario follows as the Templar Knights join with Edward in his campaign against the rebellious Scots, forcing Will into a decision.  His allegiance to his homeland is strong.  He resigns his position within the Temple and joins Scotland’s struggle for independence in a fight which lasts for years.

As turmoil erupts throughout Europe, the Templars are eventually reduced to nothing more than tools manipulated by individual rulers to serve selfish interests.  The influence of the Vatican is waning in the face of royal ambition.  Will finds his ideological battles have become more personal, with his own future and that of his beloved daughter at stake.

Young set the bar quite high with Brethren and Crusade, so she had some lofty expectations to meet with this novel.  Even though it is a sequel, The Fall of the Templars is significantly different than its predecessors in substantive ways.  This is a tale of personal journey and discovery as her main character becomes even more developed than before.  The battle scenes that brought so much action to the first two novels aren’t quite as common here and the parallel is evident with Will’s personal evolution.  Without the Crusades playing a central role, the contrasting dual-viewpoint of this historical period that added so much to her prior work is missing as well.  This made The Fall of the Templars a more difficult story to tell, but Young’s style remains true.  In light of that, this is a different novel but still quite good.  Young is very gifted in the historical fiction genre and Will Campbell is a masterfully crafted hero.  I look forward to more from her.

The Book

Dutton Adult
January 22, 2009
Hardcover
0525950680 / 978-0525950684
Historical Fiction / early 14th century Europe
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

John Washburn
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer John Washburn is the author of When Evil Prospers.
© 2009 MyShelf.com