Brethren [Import] [Hardcover]

Robin Young (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Dutton; First Printing edition (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340839694
• ISBN-13: 978-0340839690
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A first-rate peice of historical fiction, July 17, 2006

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brethren: An Epic Adventure of the Knights Templar (Hardcover)

Be warned.

To open BRETHREN is to become trapped. From the beautiful excerpt of THE BOOK OF THE GRAIL in the Prologue, to the barbaric grandeur of the Mamluk-Mongol clash in Ayn Jalut in Chapter One, to the chase and murder in Saint-Martin's Gate of Paris in Chapter Two, Robyn Young's debut novel will ensnare you and will not let go until the final page is turned. As a work of historical fiction, it succeeds in being both an educational read and one that simply bears a very compelling story.

Will Campbell is a young man who is sworn to the Temple and eagerly wants to be knighted. He and his friend, Garin, who tend to find themselves in more trouble than they should, each follow a rough path toward knighthood. Will's father has gone to the Holy Land and is raised and mastered by Owein, who is tough but fair. Garin is mastered by Jacques, who is tough and seems to hold to the belief that to spare the rod is to spoil the child.

Jacques and Owein grow more concerned when they learn that the Book of the Grail has been stolen. Within that tome lies secrets that could unravel all that the Templars have worked for and expose something they've hidden that could change the world itself. Of equal concern is the movement of the Mamluk army of Kutuz, who has successfully defeated the Mongols and driven them back from the Holy Land. The need for a new Crusade is growing more obvious, yet the one thing standing in their way is dwindling coffers. King Henry III has been borrowing from the Templars but has yet to repay.

Yet all of our concern is not for Will and the defenders of Christianity. Young deftly shifts the viewpoint to that of Baybars and the Mamluk army and gives us insight into their motion, their motives and their own problems. Baybars, a victorious general for Kutuz, is angered when he is denied a requested reward for his service. Paying off members of the army, Baybars assassinates Kutuz and proclaims himself Sultan. This done, he turns his attention toward the remaining Christian strongholds in the Holy Land and begins to undo years of tentative peace.

That Young can so easily maneuver readers from one army and one view to the next without pulling them out of the story is a great testament to her ability as a storyteller. Her characters, those of historical fact and those of her own design, are so perfectly crafted and so unique in presentation that they seem to act out on the page instead of being mere words strung together. Following Will on his quest to achieve his knighthood --- including his failures, his anguish, and his friendships with Garin and Elwin --- is intensely personal, and being able to connect with him, which is vital, is an easy success. Baybars, as the enemy of the Christians and the murderer of his own Sultan, does not come across as a mere cookie-cutter villain. He is a fully developed character, and while we would love to hate him, we come to understand his views and his desire as the story is told from his side. While we may not agree with him or his ideology, it makes us less able to hate.

In a historical novel of such epic scope as this, one would fear falling into the trap of being buried beneath a tidal wave of facts. Another great credit to Young is the strength of her narrative, which continues to read at a quick and heart rate-inducing pace; while giving historical knowledge it does not do so at the expense of advancing her chosen story. There are some moments of an overload of information. One in particular takes place during a conversation between Jacques and Hasan, where conversation is used as historical bookending to make a point, but the comments Jacques makes would not need to be done were the two engaged in true conversation. It is information Hasan would no doubt have known. Readers do gain information but it seems dumped upon us in that moment. These moments are extremely few and easily can be forgiven considering the strength of the remainder of the work.

Approximately 12 years pass over the course of BRETHREN, incorporating the time up to and including the Ninth and final Crusade. The majesty, brutality and romanticism of that time are so beautifully painted on the page that it is often difficult to separate the fact from the fiction, and we as readers are dropped into the very center of history to experience the events from within. A last acknowledgment to the quality of BRETHREN is in its power to encourage investigation. While engrossed in the book, it came as no surprise to find time also being spent in reading up on the Ninth Crusade over coffee, broadening the knowledge of the time, widening the canvas Young began painting, and giving a fuller appreciation for all she accomplished in putting together this incredible tale.

--- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "War only profits the victor, but peace can profit all.", July 14, 2006

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brethren: An Epic Adventure of the Knights Templar (Hardcover)

Robyn Young's epic novel of the Knights Templar, "Brethren," is the first part of a trilogy. It spans the years from 1260 to 1272 AD. The settings include London, Paris, and various locales throughout the Middle East. Young utilizes an old-fashioned storytelling style, with an omniscient narrator providing much of the background information. The central figure is Will Campbell, an apprentice in the Knights Templar, an order that was formed in the twelfth century after the First Crusade. According to Young's notes, the knights "followed both a religious rule and a strict military code." Although their initial mission was to protect Christians visiting the Holy Land, the Knights Templar evolved into "one of the wealthiest and most powerful organizations of their day," wielding great political, economic, and religious influence.

Will is a troubled young man who has had a serious rift with his father, James. Will's father leaves abruptly to wage war against Baybars Bundukdari, the Muslim leader of the Mamluk Empire. Baybars is a fierce, brilliant, and uncompromising warrior, a man who wishes to rid the Middle East of all Christians. Will longs to become a knight and fight side-by-side with his father, but his desires are thwarted time and again. He falls in love with a beautiful and courageous young woman named Elwen, but they have many obstacles to overcome before they can be together.

"Brethren" is a thoroughly researched and sweeping tale about an era that eerily resembles ours. Islamic fundamentalists declare Jihad against their Western enemies. Clashing armies cruelly cut one another's soldier's down in bloody confrontations. Powerful men engage in conspiracies, betray one another, and resort to violence to achieve their aims. Not much has changed since the thirteenth century, it seems. For fans of historical fiction, "Brethren" is a primer about knighthood, royalty, and Christianity in the years before the Last Crusade. The battle scenes are spectacularly exciting and gory. Young certainly knows her weaponry and it is horrifying to read about the cruelty with which Baybars and his men dispatch their enemies.

However, does Young succeed as a writer of compelling fiction? Although she has the history part down pat, she is less skilled at creating three-dimensional characters. Her villains are predictably dastardly, her young heroes are stereotypically callow and long-suffering, and the dialogue that they speak is stilted and artificial. Although a whole spectrum of human emotions is on display, including selfishness, venality, ambition, altruism, and fanaticism, the members of the novel's large cast are mostly "types" rather than realistic individuals. At almost five hundred pages, the book meanders a bit and the finale takes a long time to play out.

Still, Young's central theme is as relevant today as it was back then: many horrific acts are carried out in the name of religious and nationalistic causes. Many leaders are quick to wage war but reluctant to make peace with those who do not share their beliefs and customs. For readers who are eager to learn what lies ahead for Will and his fellow knights, the sequel, "Crusade," is scheduled for publication in 2007.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars They Needed Dr. Phil in Acre, May 9, 2009

By 

Rathko (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brethren: An Epic Adventure of the Knights Templar (Paperback)

While Robyn Young may have rigorously researched exactly who was where during the 1260s, she failed to invest similar efforts in researching the medieval mind. It doesn't really bother me when authors switch events around and monkey with chronology for the sake of a good story. What drives me insane is having characters raised on misery, disease, the Church and death, communicate with each other as though they'd just left their therapist's couch. The idea that all these knights were running around Outremer giving vent to their daddy issues and frustrated gay crushes, pining over whores with hearts of gold and crying about how they've never been loved is ridiculous. It's the very worst of touchy-feely revisionist history - trying to enforce twentieth century values on thirteenth century heroes to make them more palatable - and it's laughable.