The Black Rood (The Celtic Crusades #2) [Paperback]

Stephen R. Lawhead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

In the second book in the exciting Celtic Crusades series, Murdo and his family search for a piece of the cross of Christ.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Celtic Crusades is a trilogy of stories about a noble Scottish family whose successive generations venture to the Holy Land at the time of the Crusades to retrieve sacred relics. In the first book, The Iron Lance, Murdo Ranulfson went to Jerusalem and brought back the iron lance used at the crucifixion. Now Duncan, Murdo's son, must find and preserve the Black Rood--a piece of the true cross. As in The Iron Lance, the main narrative is framed by the memoirs of Gordon Murray, nineteenth century scion of the ancient Scottish clan and member of a Christian secret society whose mission is to bring the world back to the true path.

This middle volume follows a format familiar to fantasy readers: an unformed youth leaves home to find himself and fulfill his destiny. In his travels through distant and dangerous lands, our hero rescues and is rescued by a series of quirky characters who join his quest, encountering divine visions, politics in the court of the Caliph, and cult assassins. He returns from his adventures older and wiser, triumphantly clutching the Black Rood, and accompanied, as an added bonus, by a new and beautiful wife.

Lawhead sprinkles his tale with delicious hints about revelations regarding the potential offspring of Jesus, which, if expanded upon in the final volume, threaten to elevate this fiction from competent to genuinely intriguing. --Luc Duplessis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The second volume of the historical fantasy Celtic Crusades trilogy finds Magnus Ranulfsson's eldest son, Duncan, taking up his father's quest for relics of the CrucifixionAin this case, the last remaining traceable piece of the True Cross, the Black Rood. He does not go alone. Padraig, an unconventional priest of the Celtic Cele De, accompanies him, and on their bandit-troubled passage through France they are joined by Prince Roupen of Armenia, who is trying to return to his homeland. When the three reach the Mediterranean, their worries multiply, as the Knights Templars are less friendly than they seem, some Christians are openly at war with one another and the Moslems (particularly the Seljuq Turks) are ready to take advantage of the intrigues. Duncan finds himself up to his sword belt in those plottings, dealing with friends where he expected enemies and vice versa The narrative is framed by the diary of a turn-of-the-century Scots physician, a member of a secret order keeping Celtic wisdom alive. Coincidences are so numerous as to be jarring, and the sheer abundance of historical detail slows the pacing. Those same details also bring the setting to robust life, however; they do no harm to the characterizations and include such treasures as the cult of the Black Mary (Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus) and a gruesomely vivid narrative of the Crucifixion. With this novel, Lawhead likely will win no converts, but nor will he alienate his faithful. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310217830
• ISBN-13: 978-0310217831
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen R. Lawhead is a prolific and bestselling author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. He is best known for his King Raven trilogy, a re-telling of the Robin Hood legend, and Pendragon Cycle, centering on the King Arthur legend. Other notable works include the Song of Albion, Celtic Crusades and Dragon King Trilogies, Byzantium, Patrick, Avalon, and the works of science-fiction Dream Thief and Empyrion saga. Lawhead makes his home in Oxford, England, with his wife.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy sequel, June 11, 2000

By 

N. Bernadsky "ski429" (Conway, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Black Rood (The Celtic Crusades #2) (Hardcover)

Lawhead has done it again in proving his mastery of book series. Rarely have I seen the plots of several books tied together so well as in the Pendragon Cycle, and the Celtic Crusades is shaping up to be just as well done.

Contrary to previous reviewers, I had no trouble picking the story line right up despite the lack of reference to the previous book, The Iron Lance. I don't remember there being any "backtracking" in the Pendragon Cycle either. The history of the story seems to come out in bits and pieces as Duncan follows his father, Murdo's, footsteps through the Holy Land, then branches off into his own travels. If you have read the previous book, you know the history, and memory is refreshed in a way that saves the reader the redundancy that is often hard to avoid, there is no wasting of a lot of space and time covering what is already known. If you have not read The Iron Lance, as much history as is logical is presented to you as Duncan learns of it, in a way, you discover Duncan's past with him.

I agree in that a few of the characters could have been a little more "fleshed out", and I found this a rare lapse in Lawhead's prose. Usually we come to know each character intimately, to the point that they feel like old friends, but the only character I really felt that with in this book was Duncan. I would have liked to hear more from Padraig and Sydoni, as I found them fascinating and was left without getting to know them as well as I would have liked.

The plot, however, is well-paced, dialogue easy to read, and overall very believeable. It reminded me at times of Byzantium, a very extensive work by Lawhead, and a high recommendation on my part.

Overall, I would recommend The Black Rood to new and old readers of Lawhead alike, though I would caution new readers to buy The Iron Lance first, if only for continuity.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A travelogue of days gone by, May 18, 2000

By 

Donald J. Mulder (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Black Rood (The Celtic Crusades #2) (Hardcover)

This is the second novel from Lawhead about the crusades, lost relics, dangerous liasons, and the family Murdo. All-in-all, a very nice piece of mystery and suspense.

Our main character is named Duncan. Like his father, Murdo, he is pulled from his native Scotland into a web of intrigue and suspense that lands him in the heat of the conflict of the crusades, political tangles, and all over the middle-eastern map. In some sense, these books continue to suggest the sort of roaming and travelogue storylines of an "Indian Jones"-type story. But Lawhead grounds his characters in their faith, their families and an earthy sense of history as it could have happened.

I think the one thing I most appreciated was the fact that Lawhead really pulls us into the landscape, allowing us to feel the grit in our snadals, smell the soup boiling, and view whole cities with luxurious color and details.

My only major complaint is that a few of the characters seem a bit wooden. Duncan's friend Padraig, his "anam cara", seems to play the part of Duncan's conscience instead of his friend. The relationship never becomes anything more than a role. I would have liked to have seen or known more of this friendship. Other characters also seem to be bit-players, used mainly for what they have to offer the plotline. The real character here is Duncan, which seems to be most appropriate, as it is a diary of sorts.

This book has a few startling scenes, but nothing like we saw in the "The Iron Lance"--for better or for worse. Lawhead has toned back the violence somewhat and instead focuses on the landscape, giving us a rich travelogue of color and history. Probably most poignant is the last phrase of the book which reminds us that we are all indeed tied together and tied throughout history.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vivid Settings, Muddied Motivations, December 22, 2000

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Black Rood (The Celtic Crusades #2) (Hardcover)

Our small town library finally added "The Black Rood" to their collection, and I was the first to check it out. This has been one of my most anticipated reads in a while; I loved "The Iron Lance."

Once again, Lawhead creates a vivid setting for his characters, replete with mouth-watering food, colorful garb, and back-breaking responsibilities. Once again, he transports us from Scotland to the lands of the Crusades. This time, it's Murdo's son, Duncan, who sets off on his own quest. This time, Duncan is the first-person narrator, telling the story of his travels to his daughter Caitriona. (My guess is that she will be the protagonist of his next book in the series, to be titled "The Mystic Rose.")

Though I read the book quickly--after the initial twenty pages, which seemed a bit muddied--I missed Murdo's cynicism and spiritual encounters from the first book. Here, Duncan has no real cross to bear; basically, he just wants a part of the adventure his father had. Even his personal tragedy early in the book has no real influence on his decision-making later. His motivations seem not as strong, and--in fact--I found it a bit difficult to swallow that he leaves behind his daughter after what they had experienced. (I can't go into detail without giving things away.) If Lawhead had described even a brief farewell scene, I might've made this jump easier.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Not as much as "The Iron Lance," but still a vivid and memorable experience. The search of the Caliph's treasure house and the ensuing escape were heart-pounding adventure at its finest. While I don't always understand the motivations of some Lawhead characters, Lawhead always manages to bring a grace and dignity and honor to his people which I appreciate.

"The Mystic Rose," when it comes out, will sit high on my list.