Crusade (Young novel)

Crusade is a novel by Robyn Young set during the end of the ninth and final crusade. It was first published by Dutton in 2007.

For other uses, see Crusade (disambiguation) § Literature.
Crusade
Crusade first edition cover.
AuthorRobyn Young
Cover artistRichard Hasselberger
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesBrethren Trilogy
GenreHistorical novel
PublisherDutton
Publication date
2 August 2007
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages489 pp (first edition)
ISBN978-0-525-95016-5
OCLC123391025
813/.6 22
LC ClassPS3625.O97 C78 2007
Preceded byBrethren 
Followed byRequiem 

Plot summary

Crusade, like Brethren before it, follows Will Campbell, a Templar involved in a secret order known as the Anima Templi, as he tries to secure peace in the Holy Land with the help of Kalawun, a high-ranking officer in the Mamluk court ruled by Sultan Baybars. Both of these men face plots from within their own organisations to throw the Holy Land into war: in Acre, Will must stop a cabal of merchants seeking to start a war by stealing the Muslim relic known as the Black Stone; while in Egypt, Baybars' son Baraka Khan and soothsayer Khadir al-Mihrani are plotting to overthrow Baybars and redouble the attack on the last remaining Franks in the Holy Land. Meanwhile, Will's childhood friend, Garin de Lyons, is now in the employ of King Edward I and has returned to Acre to extort money from the Anima Templi and to pursue his own, more selfish ends; and Will faces a threat from Baybars as the sultan gets nearer and nearer to discovering that it was Will who, many years before, ordered an assassination attempt which had failed but had taken the life of Baybars' closest friend.

Historical Figures

The following characters in the book were real historical figures:[1]

The following historical figures are mentioned in the book or involved with the plot, but do not appear as characters themselves:

Publication history

Crusade was first released in United States and the United Kingdom in August 2007. Below is the release details for the first edition hardback and paperback copies in these publication regions.

  • 2007, United States, Dutton Adult ISBN 978-0-525-95016-5, Pub date 2 August 2007, Hardback
  • 2007, United Kingdom, Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 978-0-340-83972-0, Pub date 23 August 2007, Hardback
  • 2007, United Kingdom, Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 978-0-340-83973-7, Pub date 1 September 2007, Trade paperback
  • 2008, United Kingdom, Hodder Paperback ISBN 978-0-340-83974-4, Pub date 7 February 2008, Paperback
  • 2008, United States, Plume ISBN 978-0-452-28960-4, Pub date 29 July 2008, Paperback

Reception

The novel received a mostly positive reception from reviewers. In a positive review for on-line review site My Shelf, John Washburn stated that Young was "careful to maintain historical accuracy while at the same time bringing her characters to life in a brilliant manner.". He claimed to be "mesmerized by the brutal emotion found in this book, much in the same way I was with the first book." and ended the review with "I am more than pleased, and I eagerly anticipate the third installment.".[3] These sentiments were mirrored by A. Jurek, writing for Curled Up, who stated that "the plot moves swiftly despite complexities and complications exploding on each page."; praising Young's "use of dramatic irony" and, of the characters, stated that "they are complex, human, and deeply flawed, driven as they are by their flaws to commit unspeakable betrayals and barbarities for the sake of ideals, hoping to achieve some good with their questionable acts.".[4] In a mostly positive review for Reviewing the Evidence, Christine Zibas stated that "For those who are particularly interested in this historical time frame, Crusade is sure to pique their interest; for the more general reader, it may require a bit more slogging through the first part of the story to get truly involved in the book's characters and action.".[5]

Andre Delicata, writing for Malta's The Times was a little more critical of the novel, stating that the novel's problem is that "there is simply too much setting with meticulous descriptions where everything is dealt with in equal depth, resulting in a text with several climaxes and anti-climaxes but no real focus.", and that without this "modulation of detail" the reader is simply left with an "information overload". Delicata also comments that "if the spirit of an age is what you're after, then look no further than Crusade, which captures it voluminously and thoroughly satisfies those with a passion of detail verging on the obsessive.".[6]

References
  1. Young, Robyn (2007). Crusade. Dutton. pp. 485–7.
  2. Kimball, Charles Scott (2000). "12". A General History of the Middle East. The Xenophile historian. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
  3. Washburn, John (2007). "Crusade by Robyn Young". Myshelf.com. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  4. Jurek, A. (27 January 2007). "Book review: Robyn Young's *Crusade*". Curledup.com. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  5. Zibas, Christine (December 2007). "CRUSADE, by Robyn Young". www.reviewingtheevidence.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  6. Delicata, Andre (30 August 2008). "A knight in too much armour". timesofmalta.com. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
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