24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Young finishes out the Brethren trilogy nicely, February 25, 2009
Young's trilogy is a fine retelling of the Templars' last decades. The first novel,
Brethren, was by far the best of the 3 as it told the tale of the Templars in Outremer, the Middle-East. The telling of the story also from the point of view of the Assassins, Mamluks and Saracens (the Muslims fighting against the West) made for an intriguing new spin on this oft told tale (5 stars from this reviewer). Book 2,
Crusade, continued the tale of the Knights and the Muslims in the East with a little less intensity than the 1st (4 stars). Unlike the first 2 books in this trilogy, it is not necessary to read books 1 & 2 before reading this, but I certainly recommend it.
Here, Young finishes the tale of the Templars. The fact that she has so much time to cover (20 years) and that she adds some 'salt' to the story by adding the possibility of Templar involvement in the wars between France and England, and England and Scotland, all of which has been suggested but never proven historical fact, made for a lot to be told. But in the telling, Young had to merge a lot and perhaps (in my humble opinion) brought in a little too much for this final novel of the series; I think this could have certainly been stretched in to 4 books to better encompass the entire tale.
This story never leaves the shores of Europe, remaining centered in England, Scotland and France, where the Templars settled after their defeat in Acre thus ending the Crusades. This is, of course, not the fault of the author as she is telling a (fictional) historical tale, but it does detract from what the first 2 books offered; the wars of the Crusades just had something about them that was more involving, more raw; the wars between the kingdoms of Europe are less involving for some reason in comparison (again, my humble opinion).
Still, as a lover of historical fiction, especially from this period, I was not let down by this final offering from Young. Will Campbell's desertion of the Order and the fall of the secret society within the Templars is certainly well told and believable and certainly offers the necessary reasons for the fall of the Temple (the Anima Templi is Young's creation). When Will deserts the Temple and the Brethren, he heads to his homeland, hell-bent on exacting revenge against Edward I (responsible for the deaths of many of Will's loved ones) through the Scottish rebellion. Will meets and fights for William Wallace (yes, the guy from "
Braveheart", and the telling of Wallace's tale here is more accurate than the film). Eventually, Will realizes his responsibility lies with the Temple and the Brethren and fights, from the outside, to save both.
Young's historical note offers the usual changes of date or person in order to assist the story and all are acceptable in the spirit of historical fiction. Young references
The Trial of the Templars by Malcolm Barber as the inspiration for this tale and I cannot more highly recommend a work on the Templars (unless it is Barber's
The New Knighthood : A History of the Order of the Temple), as he is one of the foremost experts on the topic; I have read both of Barber's books and they are excellent and both should be consulted for the true story of The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon.
Enjoy!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
superb medieval thriller, January 24, 2009
After the crushing defeat at Acre and the failure to take Jerusalem (see BRETHREN and CRUSADE), Knight Templar Will Campbell returns to Europe to find a shocking new world order awaits him. Still depressed over the end of the Christian Kingdoms in the Holy Land, he finds monarchs at least as powerful as the Pope is. At the Templar main chapter in Paris, Will also learns that the French King Philippe is trying to take back the lands that belong to English King Edward I. To achieve his objective, Philippe signed a treaty with Scotland in which he provides them with money and arms so the Scots can occupy King Edward while France regains the occupied lands on the continent.
Although he hates Edward, Will goes to England with two other Templars to meet with the monarch. His worst fears prove real when the Templars agree to fight the Scots; he objects and quits the order as an overt sign of his protestation. He remains in Scotland for years fighting against the English before finally returning to Paris where he hears of a plot by Philippe and his advisers to disband the Templars and seize their treasury and other assets. A betrayal by someone close to him leads to Will's capture and torture. Friends liberate him and he tries from the shadows to save the Templars.
The third Last Days of the Templar saga covers the period between 1295 and 1314 in an entertaining educational story as the audience obtains a deep look at political and military intrigue in mostly England, but to a lesser degree in France and Scotland. The era is a time of tremendous tumultuous change as secular monarchs and the Papacy fight for control; the kings reject subservience to the Pope while the Holy See proclaims them as heretics. The research is meticulous as the story line is rich with flavoring, but what makes Robin Young's final entry in her brilliant young adult trilogy so good is the cast especially the beleaguered hero who bring alive the medieval events that changed the world setting up the cradle for the Renaissance.
Harriet Klausner
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Fall of the Templars, April 24, 2009
The Fall of the Templars is the third in a trilogy written by Robyn Young. This book, as well as the two previous in the series, was well written, beautifully detailed and historically correct and held my attention throughout the read. I am a fan of historic fiction, especially medieval times, and these books fit the bill in every way. I found them very informative in their detail of the life of a knight of the Templar Order. Through the eyes of the principle chararcter Will Campbell,I was able to see and feel the times and struggles of the efforts to regain the Holy Land. This final book tells of the demise of the order and details what may have caused the final chapter of a very important group of dedicated men to be written.Anyone fascinated with these times and places will enjoy these books.
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