Brethren

Brethren

by Robyn Young

I’m Kim Alexander and this is a Fiction Nation Minute. The book is Brethren by Robyn Young.

So you’ve got war in the Middle East, as the factions of Islam battle for control of the major cities, a Mongol invasion on the horizon, and the armies of Europe claim the holy lands for themselves. Essentially nothing much has changed since 1266, the year of the last crusade. Brethren is a novel of the Knights Templar, who are usually mysterious minor players in books about the crusades, so it’s quite interesting to read about their lives and purposes — they were the military arm of the church at that time. The characters are engaging, particularly the weasly knight Garin, and the clever and dangerous Baybars, the Saracen. This book is the first of three in a series, although we already know who wins, I look forward to the next one. Brethren by Robyn Young. I’m Kim Alexander; this is Fiction Nation on Book Radio, SiriusXM Channel 80.


I’m Kim Alexander and this is a Fiction Nation minute. The book is Brethren, an Epic Adventure of the Knights Templar by Robyn Young.

I love historical novels set in the middle ages, the more detailed the better, and in this novel we learn about the military arm of the church during the crusades, and set in the 13th century. It’s a disheartening to see how little has changed — fighting for God is still everyone’s favorite excuse to try and kill each other, and it doesn’t seem like there have been 3 peaceful days strung together in the entire history of the Middle East.  Brethren is the first in a series of three, and we follow the adventures of Will Campbell, as he tries to decide between his vows and his girlfriend, and between peace and revenge. The author does a nice job of bringing characters to life while keeping their historical positions mostly intact — you’ll recognize some of the characters as they pass through. Brethren by Robyn Young. I’m Kim Alexander on Fiction Nation on Book Radio, SiriusXM Channel 80.


I’m Kim Alexander and this is a Fiction Nation minute. The book is Brethren by Robyn Young, the first in her series about the 13th century crusades, and the Knights Templar, the military arm of the church.

We follow young Will Campbell as he goes from farmboy to warrior, leaving behind his family and his spunky girlfriend Elwen — the Knights must take a vow of chastity which doesn’t go over very well. Will learns of the existence of The Book of the Grail and a plot which could bring down the Templars and get him and his friends killed. There’s a lot of dashing back and forth between Paris and Jerusalem, and we get an inside look at the armies of the east led by Baybars, a real person who is worth at least one book in his own right. Brethren strikes a nonjudgmental balance between the two armies, and if you’re a fan of books full of detail, politics and scheming, Brethren works very well. Brethren by Robyn Young. I’m Kim Alexander and this is Fiction Nation on Book Radio, SiriusXM Channel 80.


Buy this book from Amazon.com


Buy this book from Amazon.com