Two Crowns for America [Hardcover]

Katherine Kurtz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

It's 1775, and in Europe, an unseen Master peers into a darkened mirror to see the man whose destiny is to wear the victor's crown. Across the sea, in a land named for a virgin queen, Gen. George Washington is thrown from his horse and has a dream that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Soon, a reluctant Washington will be elected Commander-in-Chief of the new Continental Army and considered for the position of king of America--and his rise will set in motion a chain of events that lead directly to rebellion. But little do the colonists and Founding Fathers realize that they are part of a greater plan, being used as pawns in another person's game of power and conquest.


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blending historical detail and supernatural fantasy, as in her Deryni series and Lammas Night, Kurtz depicts a believable alternate American Revolution driven by the occult machinations of an age-old Master as well as destiny and Masonic solidarity. Kurtz, however, rightly emphasizes the more human characters, likable and three-dimensional in their political and personal struggles as she fleshes out historical figures from George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to the exiled Jacobites who want Prince Charles (Bonnie Prince Charlie of the Stuart dynasty) to assume a throne in America. The Wallace family?Jacobite Andrew; his son Simon; Simon's wife, Arabella; and Arabella's brother, Justin Carmichael?provide viewpoints for most of the important action. Sometimes detail threatens the story (descriptions of costume or Freemason ritual, or exposition of the Revolutionary War's battles), but the blend is usually seamless and well proportioned. Readers are also left with some provocative questions about our national values.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Kurtz turns her exploration of possible occult (especially Masonic) influences in history to the American Revolution. She takes two acknowledged facts--the existence of a large number of Jacobites (supporters of the Stuart claimants to the British throne) among the original American patriots and the equally large number of founding fathers who were Masons--and on them builds an engrossing and elegant tale. It begins with George Washington, unconscious after a fall from his horse, having a compelling dream of being crowned and proceeds through the whole course of the war. Masonic and Jacobite influences are continually brought to bear in favor of American independence, even when in the process they sometimes conflict with one another. Vivid portrayals of Washington and Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie" ) are at the core of the book, which is otherwise well up to Kurtz's historically well-informed standards. Highly recommended. Roland Green

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 375 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; First American Edition edition (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553075624
• ISBN-13: 978-0553075625
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great research -- not much story, March 19, 2000

By 

Holly E. Ordway - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Crowns for America (Paperback)

I expected a good story from Katherine Kurtz, the author of the Deryni books that I've enjoyed so much. And this book does have the attention to historical detail that I expected. Too much, in fact: there are several lengthy scenes depicting Masonic rituals that read as if Kurtz just wanted to show off her research.

Overall I was very disappointed. The characters were unconvincing and seemed like they were just going through their paces, and I never cared about any of them; there was never any real sense of urgency to the story; Kurtz spends way too much time *telling* what happens instead of showing us what happens; and basically, I didn't see any real *plot*, at least not one that caught my interest! Those few aspects that seemed intriguing -- the nature of the Master, for instance -- are the ones that are least delved into.

It may be worthwhile reading if you're avidly interested in U.S. history, particularly of the American Revolution; but if you're just looking for an entertaining story, I'd pass it by. I feel bad giving this book only one star -- it's not *badly* done, exactly -- but frankly, I only finished it out of a sense of duty.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insights into Freemasonry, in a fantasy setting., May 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Two Crowns for America (Paperback)

Katherine Kurtz does a credible job with the historical setting. Her ploy of using Freemasonry as a recruiting ground and cover for a deeper esoteric group, which shares considerable common interests with the Jacobite movement is compelling.

The author's only flaw is during the initiation of the lady, when she exempts her from one requirement, but maintains another. This displays modern sensiblities, not those of an age where a proper lady would feel no compunction nursing an infant in public, but when no woman could expose her legs to view without scandal. The lady, her husband and the gentleman preparing her for the ritual, should have found it no more uncomfortable, and perhaps eaisier, to bare the left breast than to bare the left leg from the knee down. Knowing how modesty was practiced in that day, it was for me a jarring note.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Should have been better, December 4, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Two Crowns for America (Paperback)

This is not at all what I expect from KK. I waited a while before reading this book and a week later I can't even remember character names. The rituals that are usually so wonderful and full of meaning fell short. The historical setting didn't add to this story as it did in _Lammas Night_, a book at least 10X better than this one. My advice is save your money and get TCfA out of the library if you feel you must read it.