The Last of the Templars [Paperback]

William Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1993

In the chaotic aftermath of 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 make their bloody retreat from the Middle East. Loading the treasure of their Order into a decrepit, leaky vessel, they set sail for Europe, where, unbeknownst to them, King Philip of France plots their destruction. Among their number is Beltran, a native of the Holy Land, who has led the life of a soldier-monk for the past thirty years. World-weary yet incorruptible, Beltran is guardian both of the treasure and the Rule of the Order. As his companions' loyalties waver, he struggles to keep the faith, only to witness the end of the Order as the Templars are thrown to the Inquisition and their Grand Master burned at the stake.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Watson is a novelist and playwright whose themes are chaos, faith, love and death. He was born in Scotland but has done much of his writing abroad, and if he writes in any tradition it is a European one. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0002710218
• ISBN-13: 978-0002710213
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,732,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure bloody brilliance!, January 29, 2001

By 

Mr A.J.N. Hodge (Oxford, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last of the Templars (Paperback)

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Middle Age Crisis, June 28, 2000

By 

Stephen (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last of the Templars (Paperback)

The Last of the Templars tells the story of Beltran, a knight of the Order of the Temple, following the fall of the Holy Land, where he was born, to the suppression and plundering of his Order by the king of France, Philip the Fair. The narrative is somewhat rambling with the main action concerning Beltran transporting the treasure of the Templars to Western Europe, a foreign land from Beltran's point of view; tying the story together is Beltran's mission to bury the heart of an old knight in Scotland. The opening is slow, even dull, but there are some fine action scenes later on, such as the abduction of the Pope at Anagni, and the voyage of Beltran's galley up the Rhone to its destruction. Overall there is a good balance of pace and mood and the flow of scenes is almost cinematic. Watson's self-consciously idiosyncratic prose is sometimes a distraction, and the internal musings of the characters can get a little tedious. Beltran himself is remarkably reflective when he's not lopping off heads and limbs. In fact, one of the weaknesses of the book is that the protagonist isn't as interesting or vivid as some of the other characters. For instance, King Philip and his Machiavellian minister Nogaret are delightfully fiendish; they provide some rare moments of humour. There are various other minor criticisms that can be made: some events portrayed are probably superfluous to the narrative, or that characters reappear out of nowhere at convenient moments, but despite these reservations I enjoyed The Last of the Templars. The author seems at home with the subject and I found this book a credible portrayal of that world, though I can't claim to be an expert. The only thing I really didn't like was the ending, though others might feel differently about it.

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting twist., September 26, 2000

By 

Daniel Piotrowski (Lackawanna, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last of the Templars (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book overall, but I must say that there were quite a few times when I found things hard to keep track of. The writing style leaves something to be desired. It almost rambles and leaves you guessing who's who and what's going on. But if you like Templar history I think you'll be glad you read it. He gives some good insights into the psychology of the time.