Crusade
of Fire: Mystical Tales of the Knights Templar
Edited by: Katherine Kurtz
Warner Books, New York, 2002
Format: Paperback, 286 pages
ISBN: 0-446-61090-9
Price: $6.99
Crusade of Fire is a collection of eight short stories with an introduction by
Katherine Kurtz. It is the third anthology in a series about the Poor Fellow
Soldiers of the Temple of Christ of Jerusalem, known as the Knights Templar.
Kurtz begins with a brief historical overview of the Knights Templar. She
explains about the myths and legends surrounding this order of monk warriors.
Her segues between stories provide the facts about the warrior monks and keep
the reader firmly grounded in these facts. This technique makes the book flow
smoothly from one story to another. Touching on the speculations of how their
order came about, she leads into the first story.
"White Knights" by Katherine Kurtz is the story of how the Knights
Templar came to be. It offers a viable answer to some of the questions
surrounding this order. Once the knights were told to establish their order,
they were given an old, dilapidated building to fix for their housing. It was
the ruins of King Solomon's ancient temple. Their leader, Hugues de Payens,
started having visions and dreams. He encountered a spiritual being that must be
God. It showed him a hidden tunnel beneath the building and suggested that what
he would find would be of utmost importance. What did the knights find?
"Harvest of Souls" by Deborah Turner Harris explains the slaughter of
2,700 Muslim prisoners after the Knights Templar regained the city of Jerusalem
from the Muslims. Did the leader of the Muslims really leave an "evil
trick" for the knights?
"In The Presence Of Mine Enemies" by Susan Schwartz was my favorite of
the stories in this book. When King Richard took over, Rebecca had to flee from
York because the Jews were being tortured and put to death. At age 70, she was
returning to plead for assistance for her people. Her travels left her out
during the night of the Wild Hunt. She became the prey. With the Wild Hunt
closing in on her, she had to think of a way to escape. Her only choice was to
resurrect Brian de Bois-Guilbert. Could he defeat the Wild Hunt?
"The Last Voyage" by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison is about a spacecraft
rescue of the Knights Templar. When they were being hunted down for heresy,
Robert the Bruce arranged to sneak them into Scotland. During their voyage,
English ships pursued them and were closing in on them. Suddenly, a bright light
appeared and the ships were lifted into a hovering spacecraft. They had been
rescued by the Kelts, a people from a distant world known as Keltia. Were they
in a position to assist the Scots? Would they?
"Bones Of Contention" by Richard Woods tells about King Edward's plot
to tip the odds in his favor against Robert the Bruce. Even though Edward had
two thousand men and Robert only had about five hundred, Edward still felt he
needed an advantage. He knew that the Scots always brought a sacred into battle
with them. It boosted the morale of the men and gave them confidence that they
would win the battle. This sacred relic was a small wooden box that held bones
of Saint Coluim Chille, Colum of the Church. Edward sent his best specialist to
steal the relic. The heavy hitter and his men were lying in ambush when the
Knights Templar began their journey toward the battle. The fight for the relic
began.
"Occam's Treasure" by Robert Reginald is the story of an attempt to
force the Pope to renounce the papacy. He summons the Knights Templar to solve
the mystery after four people are murdered. Each victim had a coin wrapped in a
piece of papyrus stuffed in his mouth. A letter informed the Pope that one
person would be killed every week until he did step down. The Knights had to
play beat the clock to stop the murders.
"Stella Maris" by Scott MacMillan is about a submarine sailor,
Lieutenant Sinclair, whose ship strikes another and sinks in 1914. He escaped
from the sub at a depth of 250 feet, but did not survive the ascent to the
surface. He regained consciousness aboard a ship belonging to the Knights
Templar. The captain of the ship realized that this man was distinctly out of
the norm. He gave the sailor a star-shaped cross, known as the Stella Maris. He
said sailors believed that this star would guide them home. But Sinclair has
been dropped into the middle of a plot to overthrown the leader of the Knights
Templar.
"Sleeping Kings" by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald is a short,
tight, action-filled story set in modern times. The Kipling Society, wants to
restore the British Empire to power and bring the entire world under British
rule. Their plan is to secure the spear that pierced the side of Christ, wake
seven sleeping kings, and sacrifice four men, one for each cardinal direction.
Peter Crossman is a modern Knight of the Temple. With the assistance of Sister
May Magdalene of the Poor Clares Special Action Executives and Ahasuerus, one of
the Wandering Jews that witnessed the crucifixion of Christ, Crossman must stop
this evil plan to rule the world.
Every story in this collection was superb! I loved them all. My favorite was the
only one that lagged or stalled. But it was worth tolerating the low points to
get to the action. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read and brings enlightenment
about the Knights Templar and their era. The skill in composition of the
interludes makes this collection read like a novel. I was really impressed with
these interludes. I highly recommend this book. It offers something for
everybody.
Alicia Karen Elkins, GWN Reviewer
12/22/2002
Guardian
Joe Haldeman
Ace,
Dec. 2002,
$22.95,
240 pp.
ISBN 0441009778
She was only a child when the Civil War started, but her parents were wise
enough to send her up North to relatives when it looked like the South would
lose. She stayed at a boarding school until she went to Wellestey College
where she met and later married Edward Tolliver, a rich and powerful man.
The marriage wasn't a happy one. When Rosa saw her husband sodomize their
son, Daniel, she knew it was time to leave.
Rosa and Daniel traveled to Dodge City where they had many happy years together
until a Pinkerton agent hired by Edward arrived on the scene to take Daniel back
to his father. Daniel conked the agent over the head, allowing them to
escape. They decided to head to Alaska in hopes of striking it rich. While
Daniel is in the field panning for gold, a drunken miner kills him. Rosa decides
to kill herself until a spirit guide named Raven takes her around the universe.
When Rosa returns, her actions change the course of history and save
millions of lives.
Award winning author Joe Haldeman has written a very simple story about a
woman's fight to survive and triumph. What is not so simple is the way the
protagonist has to learn those lessons, but what would defeat another person
doesn't even phase Rosa. She takes what she learns and applies it to her
everyday life and in doing so makes the world a better place.
4 out of 5 pieces of gold
Harriet Klausner, GWN Book Reviewer
12/3/2002
Khalifah:
A Novel of Conquest and Personal Triumph
By John Elray
Aardwolfe Books
Historical Novel
ISBN 0-9707776-2-0
Softbound
$14.95
It is the early days of Islam. The prophet Mohammad is dead, and his followers
have taken up the task of spreading the message of the Koran and establishing an
empire. Their methods - brutal force and conquest - turn out to be quite
effective. But it's the ambition to become the supreme leader of this holy
empire that overshadows religion altogether.
So is the story of John Elray's "Khalifah: a Novel of Conquest and Personal
Triumph. Despite its title, Khalifah is far from a typical novel in that Elray
uses real individuals and recorded history to tell the tale of a man's ambition
to become the supreme leader of the Islamic world.
Elray takes readers back to AD 632 and to Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the narrator
who has his sights set on becoming Khalifah, the spiritual leader of the
ever-growing Muslim empire. Many others share his goal and the road to the top
is violent and competitive.
Khalifah is especially pertinent to modern times, as all eyes are focused on the
Muslim world. And, as the novel shows, Islam has been at the center of struggle
and war since its very beginning (some things never change).
Elray does a good job of recreating desert life in the 7th century, but often
the first person narration sounds a tad too 21th century. And while Elray pays
close attention to historic details and battles, he tends to gloss over certain
storylines, particularly the meeting between Mu'awiya and his wife, Meisun' and
later, the births of their children. Meisun is introduced as an afterthought, as
though she has no importance in connection with the other characters. In
reality, she does. Meisun is something of a 7th century feminist-type, not
afraid to speak her mind and fight her own battles when necessary.
Unfortunately, much of the love story between Mu'awiya and Meisun is glossed
over or ignored.
Nevertheless, Khalifah is an important read as it shares a slice of history most
people probably aren't familiar with, and it does so with the narrative of
action-packed modern novel.
31/2 out of 5 stars
--Jennifer Johnson, special for Gotta Write Online
5/27/2002
Aardwolfe Books
PO Box 471
Aiea, HI 96701-0471
Secrets of the
Painter
By Matthew Hovious
iUniverse
Historical Fiction
Trade Paper
2002
http://www.iuniverse.com
134 pages
$13.95 US
ISBN 0-595-21435-5
Setting. Madrid, Spain
Luís Mariano Malasaña is a young man exiled from his village, an orphan with
no connections and no hope. He lives with a waitress named Lola and works as a
butcher's apprentice during the day. His only joy is created through his paints.
His talent is impressive, containing a raw brilliance that he is sure will
someday gain him a comfortable living.
One night, so close to finishing a painting of Lola that he feels will become a
masterpiece, his model refuses to pose. He kills her in a fit of passion, but
instead of feeling horror, he seems to become almost possessed, and he uses her
blood to finish her portrait. The result is the most lifelike creation he has
ever seen. He faints from exhaustion and her spirit curses him in a dream,
saying, "So shall end all you portray in paint."
Unfortunately for him, it is no dream. Fruit, flowers, even a poor mule are
painted by him, only to die. Not quite believing, he even paints a nasty
neighbor child, only to discover that his new talent is all too real. His
paintings are even better, even more lifelike for the sacrifice. He figures he
need not worry, for there will never be commissions for him to paint portraits,
but fate places him in the position where nobles and other people of power
insist that he must paint them. What should he do? How can he say no?
I found "Secrets of the Painter" to be an intriguing book. Malasaña
is not the most sympathetic character in the world, he is selfish and pretty
much unrepentant. He considers himself no worse than any of the other ways fate
deals death. Despite this, he is fascinating, very smart and very driven. Even
though some of his actions are questionable, one cannot help being happy for his
successes. The historical details are very well done, not heavy, more of a light
pencil sketch in the background of the painter's life. Malasaña does not see
much of the life around him except where it directly effects him, so it makes
sense that neither do we. The concept of a painter killing people through
portraiture is interesting and I enjoyed seeing what Hovious did with it. I
found Hovious to be a technically proficient writer. For example, there is a
scene where he mirrors Malasaña's actions with another character's that is
clever. He also uses some delightful ironies...the parallel of photography, and
the fears of some cultures that it will capture souls compared to what Malasaña
is doing was thought provoking. Despite its sort of Poe-esq concept, this book
is far more literary than thriller. An interesting and thorough slice of life in
late 1800s Madrid, "Secrets of the Painter" is sure to please anyone
who loves historical fiction with a twist.
Four out of Five stars
--Cindy Lynn Speer, GWN Book Reviewer
6/17/2002