Crusade by Robyn Young

[Village]

Uh! I feel like I've fought the crusades having waded through part 2 of Robin Young's Templar trilogy and not in a good way. The first book was overly long but at least had an impetus to it, the second is pure quicksand and the several good ideas that it contains get horribly bogged down and drowned by waffle.

The plot follows Will Campbell in Acre as he and his secret society within the Templars struggle to keep the peace and Sultan Baybars in Cairo as he ums and ahs about whether to wipe the Christians or Mongols off the map first. There is ample ingredients here for a great book, several great books in fact and that is the central problem. In attempting to encompass so many people, years and events into a single book Ms Young fails to do any of them justice. What this book needed was an editor who could ruthlessly chop away the deadwood and let the good beneath flower.

Minor spoiler ahead:

For example there is a plot to steal the black stone of Mecca and incite a war. Campbell manages to get himself assigned to lead the knights on the mission to Mecca in the hopes of foiling the plot. This in itself could have made for a great 'Medieval Guns of Navarrone' thriller but the mission, after umpteen chapters of build-up, is dealt with in a few pages and the entire retreat from Mecca occurs off stage.

I'm afraid I will not be joining the Anima Templa on their third instalment.

[Rowan]

I always feel like I expect less from a book than most people here. I enjoyed both books in the series, but haven't ever gotten around to seeking out the third.