Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

SOUL SEEKER by Kaylin McFarren – Occult Horror, Paranormal Romance, Occult Fiction

The realms of demons and angels clash, as the possibility of romance, plunges the beings of Hell into chaos. Kaylin McFarren’s Soul Seeker follows the otherworldly set as they flee for their lives, uncover millennia-old secrets about one another, and face the possibility of love in a very dangerous world.

But first, the demon, Crighton, wreaks havoc on his human target, a man named Poe, devastating the man and his family. You could say, Crighton’s at home collecting wicked souls for his boss, Lucifer. His villain persona is put into question when he meets the angel, Ariel. At first, Crighton believes the angelic Ariel would make an excellent prize for the prince of darkness, as the demon is well aware that his master adores ruining pretty things. However, when an undeniable attraction emerges between them, they wrestle with each other, pitting strength against strength. Beware any who would do anything to tear these two apart—that would spell certain death.

McFarren leads us into Hell through the mechanisms of secret societies and across the earth’s crust, ever raising the stakes for her leading duo. Crighton and Ariel discover what a union between angel and demon truly means, and what has been conveniently left out of their histories.

Soul Seeker paints an intimate view of a supernatural world, seen through the eyes of characters who know it well—though not so well that there aren’t mysteries to yet uncover. In McFarren’s world, demons are more than just evil beings, but as those who suffer, desire, and ones with whom we empathize. More than any character, Crighton embodies the conflict between cruelty and mercy. Angels aren’t monolithic either. Indeed, McFarren portrays her cast of heavenly dwellers with their own doubts and failures that make them real and emotionally affecting characters, especially as Ariel learns that Crighton isn’t quite the monster she first sees him as.

Ariel and Crighton run through a thrilling and fast-paced narrative, full of ever-present tension and half-victories. The story keeps a brisk pace, and Kaylin McFarren builds on this momentum as the pages seem to turn by themselves, creating a sophisticated and remarkable otherworldly conclusion.

At its heart, this story is concerned with the personal thoughts and feelings of its characters. Crighton and Ariel become the emotional heart of the story as they slowly try to grow to accept each other, and change to meet their new challenges, but many of the characters are given space to grow and understand one another, providing a heartwarming journey alongside the fighting of demons, the family turmoil, and the enticing mysteries of Soul Seeker. In short, Kaylin McFarren has done it again! Those looking for a new, otherworldly thriller series, need look no further than Soul Seeker.

Order here.

October 7, 2020
DARLENE by Karl Larew – Literary Saga, Mystery, Romantic Literature

In a propelling follow-up to Karl G. Larew’s captivating novella Catari, where love, history, and family drama become intertwined within an investigative murder mystery, the story continues in Darlene, an artfully crafted literary sequel.

Having uncovered the mystery of Catari’s death, inquisitive BFFs and comrades Maxwell Roux and Darlene Wolfe reunite to deal with the conflict-driven wrath of Catari’s stepfather, Hugh Fontane, and her half-brother Jeffrey. They seek to gain control over the Fontano family estate, as well as Catari’s reputation. However, the historic Italian villa and burial crypt have been left in Max and Darlene’s hands, as per the wishes and dictum of Catari’s baronial grandfather’s will.

Early on, readers learn that Max had a former relationship with Catari. Bisexual Darlene, who lives as a lesbian, was also involved with Catari. Clearly, the unique friendship delivers an interesting trio, though now with Catari’s passing, the remaining duo seems duty-bound to keep their relationship at a platonic level, because Darlene wishes to remain a committed lesbian; however, desires undoubtedly bubble beneath the surface. Initially, Larew weaves charming hand-holding and shared beds, with Darlene robed in oversized PJs, to suggest proper, old-fashioned decorum, yet the sensation of underlying lust and desire prevails.

Catari’s family members’ intentions are brought to light via written correspondence, agitated encounters, and lively meetings that reveal the father and son desire to turn the villa and family crypt into a tourist rental site and attraction for ghost hunters. The Fontanes levy their plans with threats to expose Catari’s romance with Darlene and slander her reputation with untruths regarding risqué photos, problematic drinking, and “casting couch” insinuations.

Larew’s sophisticated narrative style quickly draws readers into the story. He allows Max to break the fourth wall and ask the audience difficult questions about ESP, ghosts, and sex. From the straight-forward opening directive that asks, “Do you believe in precognition?” to admonishments to readers hoping to glimpse Max and Darlene’s potential sexual interludes, Larew also allows Max to go further with intimate asides. The use of these creative tropes helps create a tangible atmosphere and hook readers immediately.

There is a certain air of old-world formality in Larew’s language and intonation that speaks directly to these central characters’ refinement. With Max’s love of music and Darlene’s career in the field, classical and operatic references are well placed throughout the story. From Caruso’s “Pour un Baiser” (For a kiss) announced as a bookend in Max’s life, to the strains of “La Bohème,” music suggests itself as a fitting landscape for the Catari, Darlene, Max three-fold drama. Indeed, such melodies offer a complimentary balm for the emotional upheaval of these characters and their situations.

Against detailed backdrops of New York apartments, shared meals at ethnic eateries, and the sprawling estate in Italy, Max and Darlene navigate their way through the mire of tensions, threats, questions, and concerns in their effort to preserve the sanctity of the villa, and uphold the legacy of their beloved Catari.

Darlene is clearly a provocative and arresting work that can stand freely on its own. With notable characters and well-defined interactions, the familial drama proves a delightful and compelling read. Those who want more may wish to pick up Catari, the novella that started it all.

October 5, 2020
WHEN a CONSCIENCE KNOCKS by James G. Skinner – Romantic Literature, Marriage/Relationships, Alzheimer’s disease

One woman’s life follows a roller-coaster ride of love, political turmoil, and tragedy in James G. Skinner’s novel When a Conscience Knocks.

Jenny Robinson enters a confessional and falls apart. Sensing her distress, the Catholic priest encourages her to divulge her story, which she does. In 1976, at the age of twenty-two, Jenny left her hometown of Richmond, England, and took a teaching job in Iran.

It’s during this time where she meets Juan Miguel Ochoa, a Gallaecian. A diplomat at the Spanish Embassy, Juan is near twenty years her senior. Romance ensues, and within less than two years, Jenny and Juan marry.

Jenny has no idea what she’s getting into as she blindly trusts Juan’s lead throughout his diplomatic career. During their marriage, Juan’s work takes them to numerous trips through Europe, Central and South America, and the USA amid political tensions, wars, and terrorism. But as they approach their twenty-fifth anniversary, life throws a disturbing curveball. Juan’s erratic behavior heralds the early onset of Alzheimer’s. While Jenny’s life abruptly fills with uncertainty, the last thing she expects is to be involved in an affair.

New author James G. Skinner opens with a conflicting scene as his principal character, Jenny Robinson Ochoa, confesses to committing adultery. At the same time, her husband slowly succumbs to Alzheimer’s disease in a nursing care facility. What follows in the twenty-plus chapters is the account she discloses to a Catholic priest.

Jenny’s feelings and thoughts about her husband’s involvement with the chaotic global events surrounding them dominate Skinner’s first-person British narrative. Her continual ponderings, covered within a chronological list of backstories, capture her personality’s development amid the ebb and flow of their marriage, travels, and political upheavals. Conversations between Jenny and Juan focus on explanations of world history and Juan’s diplomatic involvement to a politically uninterested wife. Although the many dialogue scenes that present facts tend to be a bit dry, Skinner does a decent job weaving in historical events.

As stated in the Dedication, the purpose of When a Conscience Knocks is to provide readers with an example of how Alzheimer’s affects intimate relationships. No one would dispute that Alzheimer’s disease is devastating to both victims and loved ones, and Skinner’s fictional character is not exempt. Rather than placing the debilitating disease front and center, Skinner pivots the attention upon the partner. Indeed, this is a coming-of-age tale—one’s woman’s struggle to find her identity, her voice amid conflict and relational codependency.

When a Conscience Knocks takes an alternate route, describing the pain and torment those on the sidelines experience when their partners succumb to Alzheimer’s disease’s devastation.

October 2, 2020
The UNIVERSE a WORK of ART by Eva Newermann and Line Newermann – Children’s Literature, Children’s Arts & Crafts, Astronomy

A dynamic mother-daughter team offers children a readable, richly illustrated story of the composition of the Universe, combining artwork, facts, games, and encouragement.

Line Newermann provides the text, recalling her magician father who gave her a lifelong fascination with the objects in the heavens. Her artist mother, Eva, supplies the beautifully painted illustrations – delicate, soft, and dreamy, as well as educational. And both author and illustrator encourage children to paint their own skyscapes.

A picture of a space probe introduces ideas of human exploration of the planets, moons, and stars. Planets in our solar system are shown by size, compared to each other and to the sun, “1000 times more massive than all the planets together.” Each planet is described in terms of its composition, position, and name derivation. Planet names provide “brain teaser” opportunities: readers can create their own mnemonic sentences using the names in their correct order, and rearrange jumbled letters for each name.

With vibrant, deeply emotive paintings matching each page of information and the inclusion of poems and photos to further pique the reader’s imagination, the authors have constructed a multi-dimensional learning tool, suitable for children in the K-12 age group. The Newermanns’ book would also make a pleasant “read-to” for parents and teachers, who might learn a few new things in the process.

The Universe: A Work of Art won CIBA 2018 First in Category Little Peeps Award for Children’s Literature.

September 30, 2020
The PARTICULAR APPEAL of GILLIAN PUGSLEY by Susan Örnbratt – 20th Century Historical Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction, Historical Romance

Irish-born Gillian McAllister knew she was meant for bigger things than a quiet life among her large extended family. Leaving home at seventeen against her protective father’s wishes, Gillian is looking for adventure – and that’s exactly what she finds. She was a nanny for a maharaja, a caretaker for WWII internees, and a nurse on the Isle of Man before finally becoming a wife, mother, and grandmother in London, Canada, where she spent the majority of her eighty-nine years.

However, with only weeks to live after being stricken by cancer, she knows her time with her beloved granddaughter and namesake is truly precious. Before she goes, she wants to pass on the poems that capture her long, adventurous life to the junior Gilly in hopes the girl will use the poems to write about her adventure – her hidden love story.

While on vacation in Canada, the teenage Gillian meets and falls madly in love with Christian Hunter. Her love of Christian consumes her, but she leaves him at the cusp of a war that soon alters the world’s course. Destiny isn’t finished with the pair, and they reunite after the carnage to find their love is as fiery and fierce as ever. However, even a love this strong can’t outrun fate, and Gillian is determined to find a way to show her beloved granddaughter the truth before it is too late.

The character relationships between Gillian and others is a perfectly developed part of the novel. Gillian’s attachment to her granddaughter is more than just a name. Young Gilly is an aspiring novelist. Both women understand the importance of storytelling and the impact of words. From the moment Gilly was born, Gillian felt the connection between them and believes only Gilly can breathe life into her adoration of Christian Hunter. She entrusts her poems to Gilly without disclosing the story, allowing the girl to uncover the secret hidden for over fifty years. Watching their last days together unfold is touching and reminiscent for any reader who has shared a bond with a grandparent.

Gillian’s secret love, Christian, is another meaningful relationship. From the time she was young, Gillian knew someone was waiting for her, someone drawing closer with each day, someone staring at the same moon and longing for another. When she meets Christian, she just knows as does he, and though, ultimately, Gillian comes to realize that devoting herself to one man when the world is waiting may not be what she truly wants. But Gillian cannot deny the connection between them. The two are the epitome of opposites attract with his easy-going, unrushed personality, but he immediately sees the effect she has on others, her zest for life. No matter how hard either tries to drown out the thought of the other, they can’t escape their entwined destinies, and their contrary natures create a perfect balance. The dance of fate between Christian and Gillian is thrilling and will keep the reader wondering until the end.

The gorgeous settings of Gillian’s life are an integral part of her history. The richly painted scenes are beautiful and inspiring for the character as well as the reader. From the sweeping sea cliffs to the serenity of Gillian’s cottage on the Isle of Man, the setting becomes its own character. Gillian both embodies and is affected by the scenery. In the quiet of a winter-draped meadow and the countryside teeming with life, Gillian sees herself and the many lives she’s lived.

A beautiful theme within this novel is the simple notion of loving life. Even before she steps out into the adult world and leaves Ireland, Gillian knows that life is for living. She wants to squeeze every drop of adventure possible from the time she is given and feast on all that it has to offer. Her ingenuity, spunk, and spicy attitude create an unquenchable need to travel, to meet people, and, most importantly, to make the world a better place. She refuses to settle for a mediocre life and rejects the moderation others preach and try to instill in her. Her “magnificent obsession” isn’t diminished by anything – not heartbreak, a world war, or even death. She lives with passion and gusto, fostering the belief in others that love and laughter, stories and adventures, make life worth living. Her sprawling life’s story is more than just survival and lost love. It’s about finding joy and purpose amongst death and destruction.

The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley won 1^st Place in the CIBAs 2015 CHATELAINE Awards in the category of 20^th Century Historical Fiction.

September 28, 2020
The TOOTH COLLECTOR FAIRIES: Home From Decay Valley, Book 2 by Denise Ditto – Children’s Fairy Tales, Children’s Folktales/Folk lore

The need for good dental care and its effect on the tooth fairies working behind the scenes is colorfully highlighted in this action-packed book for children of all ages.

Author Denise Ditto has created a delightful fantasy realm where fairies — like the prankster Jolene, the dedicated Batina, and proud, fast-flying Lucas — learn to collect and process teeth left for them by children everywhere. Jolene has finally gotten her Tooth Collector credentials and can join friends in their assignments. The story follows Batina into the messy room of a boy named Scooter, whose tooth shows signs of deplorable brushing habits. When she brings the tooth back to Brushelot for inspection, she fears the worst.

Sure enough, Batina is banished to Decay Valley until Scooter learns how to treat his teeth better, based on a letter she will leave for him encouraging better habits. Meanwhile, Jolene, who tried to help Batina by painting the ugly tooth white, is in big trouble with Crown Mistress Molar. Lucas, the fastest flyer, delivers Batina’s note to Scooter. But who will collect Scooter’s next tooth and rescue Batina from Decay Valley?

Ditto’s enjoyable story is made all the more accessible with bright pictures provided by Gabhor Utomo. Both author and illustrator are experienced, award-winning practitioners in their fields. Each fairy has distinctive clothing and wing coloration, harmonizing neatly with the narrative depicting their vibrant, differing personalities. Children will take the messages conveyed seriously as they learn that good teeth produce rewards and happiness, not only for themselves but also for the tooth fairies that take their offerings. It’s a happy melding of pleasant fantasies with the essential lessons embedded in the plot.

Ditto’s imaginative story will make an enjoyable read-to for a younger audience. At the same time, older readers will catch hints of romance and friendly fellowship along with reminders to take school seriously, help those in need, and, of course, take good care of their teeth.

The Tooth Collector Fairies: Home From Decay Valley, Book 2 won GRAND PRIZE in the CIBAs 2018 LITTLE PEEPS Awards for Children’s Literature. Ditto’s first book in the series, Batina’s First Day, won Grand Prize in the 2016 Little Peeps Awards.

September 18, 2020
BISHOP’S LAW by Rafael Amadeus Hines – African American Urban Fiction, War Fiction, Thriller/Suspense

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. This is the code that John Bishop, one of America’s most decorated military heroes, teaches his men to follow whether they’re on a mission in the heat of the Middle East or in the jungle that is New York’s Lower East Side in Rafael Amadeus Hines’ novel, Bishop’s Law.

To say his life is complicated is putting it mildly. In this second volume of the John Bishop series, several high-level assassins are hell-bent on killing him for his actions as a soldier. At the same time, he’s deep in his crime family’s military-style battles against various opponents’ groups. All these forces are closing in on him simultaneously, even as the United States government had hired him and his family to protect the country from bad guys using whatever means necessary.

Complicated? You bet. But if you crave non-stop action, ultra-violence, and high body counts in your novel-reading this fall, this is a great place to start.

Part Panamanian, part Jamaican with amber eyes, his face forever scarred in an assassin’s attack that killed his parents when he was nine, Bishop is related by blood to the powerful Valdez crime family. He learned from them—the ability to act, lead, protect his men at all costs—served him well as a Special Forces soldier who fought in the Middle East against a host of bad actors. By the time the story begins, Bishop has returned from overseas, living with Maria, his childhood sweetheart, and about to become a father. He dreams of leaving his military life behind but instead finds himself helping the Valdez family in a significant military-style action against Russians on New York’s Lower East Side.

The complications are only starting.

While setting up the military engagement with the Russians, he also finds out that his previous actions in the Middle East have earned him the wrath of some of the world’s most dedicated killers from Russia, Pakistan, ISIS, and even a corrupt U.S. billionaire. Not great if you want to stay alive.

While this book is clearly an action thriller, with deep roots in military-style combat, detailed weaponry descriptions, and sustained action scenes, the human story comes front and center even as the mayhem continues. Bishop is no superhero. His emotions are of a man who experiences sizeable loss and yet must keep his feelings bottled up as the beloved leader of his band of brothers. While he is wounded several times throughout the book, we feel his determination to continue doing his duty under the circumstances, few of us could sustain.

In other hands, a story of this complexity could have been cartoonish, a video game. But the book maintains a careful balance between the go-go action and the humanity of its characters.

Bishop’s Law is the second in a series on John Bishop. A third book is in development as of this writing. Readers may want to consider reading the first volume, Bishop’s War, before reading Bishop’s Law. While the book stands on its own, a richer reading experience might be had by reading the two books in sequence.

September 8, 2020
APEX FIVE by Sarah Katz – Colonization Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi, Epic Sci-fi Series

The first book in the Plane series, Apex Five, begins with a catastrophic storm hellbent on ending all life on the Plane. Many escape into the Void, leaving all who remain to perish. Now 12,000 years later, civilization is once again thriving on the Plane, but not without rivaling nations, political tensions, and religious persecution. The Tabiran government is the ruling body of the Plane, and they have been working for years to eradicate religious belief in the Zaam and the culture surrounding the megaliths found in each nation of Tabira, Lir, and Garo. The origins of these megaliths are forgotten and transformed into myth.

During a diplomatic mission from neighboring Lir, First Lasha Nasin meets with Tibira’s leader Mak Eta when the accomplice of the recent usurper is caught. That night Nasin finds the prisoner to be a young boy named Rohem, who never sleeps and only needs sunlight as sustenance. Around this time, Mak Eta’s sister Vata and her two children Inad and Ara, are journeying to the primitive colony Ayam intending to dissuade the Ayam people of their religious beliefs. Almost two decades pass, and the unrest between nations under the guise of partnership with Tabira has come to a breaking point. Efforts towards suppressing religion have seen technological and scientific advancement soar in Tabira. In Ayam, a deadly curse reigns that cause all inflicted to transform into monstrous creatures each night. To prevent war, Tabira sends a group from Lir and Garo that includes Rohem and Avithia, to find a solution to the curse. Rohem has felt an increasing pull towards the megaliths, and while in Ayam, he finds answers about himself and the Plane that will change the world forever.

Apex Five manages to pack a lot of big ideas into a small package. At first, the worldbuilding is very dense, but the story flows a lot smoother once the groundwork is there. Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness will likely enjoy Apex Five because the story also takes place in a world of stark political and cultural differences where resulting tensions are reaching a high point. Another similarity with Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness is Avithia, who fluctuates between male and female on a bi-weekly basis. Katz manages to engage in the tradition of science fiction to explore divergences from what is considered normal. Avithia is a gender-fluid character judged by almost everyone on the Plane except a few close loved ones. Another character faces tragedy and persecution for having a sexual orientation that is illegal in their society. Oria balances a line trying to bridge the worlds of religion and science, hoping to better understand both.

Katz creates a lot of compelling and multilayered characters in a relatively short amount of time. With over a dozen different perspectives, Katz attempts the impossible task of fleshing out everyone equally. Fortunately, Apex Five is only the first book, and the story is far from over.

Sara Katz builds a foundation for a complex science fiction world in Apex Five and invites readers to connect with many characters in what will likely be an epic journey. There is something else about this book, Katz manages to touch on all-too-human themes of science versus religion, sexual orientation, and a possible messiah figure that just might be able to save the evolution of humankind. All in all, it’s no wonder Apex Five won 1st in Category in the CIBA 2018 CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction!

September 3, 2020
The SELAH BRANCH by Ted Neill – African American Science Fiction, African American Thriller/Mystery/Suspense, Time Travel

The Selah Branch combines two surprising stories into one enthralling whole.

It begins with a ripped from the headlines feel, diving deeply into issues of race, class, poverty, and hopelessness in Selah Branch, WV. A town whose brighter future of uplift, integration, opportunity, and prosperity was wiped out one summer night in 1953 when a chemical explosion destroyed the promising university town and replaced it with a hazardous waste site. Like Chernobyl, only with a smaller footprint and chemical residue substituting for nuclear waste. But just as deadly.

The story views Selah Branch through the eyes of Kenia Dezy, an African-American public health student on a summer practicum. She’s to determine if a simple app can steer people towards healthier food choices and better health outcomes in a town empty of jobs, filled with poverty and hopelessness, marooned in the middle of a food desert.

At first, the current state of Selah Branch and its sharp contrast with the hopefulness of its past confuses Kenia. Then she finds herself there, in that past, with the ability to re-write the history that she sees as already written in her present.

A past that contains not the tragic accident that everyone believes destroyed the town, but instead a deliberate act of sabotage designed to eliminate the beacon of hope and integration, Selah Branch. The participants mostly wanted to obliterate a place where blacks and white really were treated equally. Although some wanted to end a centuries-long family feud by murdering the bodies and the dreams of those they despised.

It is up to Kenia to use her un-schedulable, unplannable trips to that past nexus point to change the future. But there are descendants of that past who are just as willing to kill to maintain the status quo. Even if it only brings them death and destruction.

These are two great plots that shouldn’t blend well together, and yet they do, as all of the action in both the past and the present is seen through Kenia’s sharp eyes. The reader experiences her despair at the conditions in the 21st century Selah Branch and feels both with and for Kenia as she comes to the depressing conclusion that no matter how much she wants to, there are some things she simply cannot do. The situation they are living in is just too big for one person to even make a dent in, no matter how well-intentioned she might be.

And as a well-educated and relatively affluent black woman in a poverty-stricken, rural, mostly white town, Kenia is confronted with the contradiction of her economic privilege and racial and gendered lack of it at the same time.

The reader feels for Kenia’s hopelessness in the present and is swept away with her into a past where there is one desperate chance to make things better. Kenia’s journey in 1953 becomes a dangerous but determined thrill ride, facing enemies at every turn while finding surprising friends along her fast and furious way.

Readers can’t help but be caught up in Kenia’s there and back again quest to change the past and shift the present, to bring about a hope for a brighter future. Readers will cheer for her and despair with her, but they will desire, more than anything, that she succeeds.

The Selah Branch won 1st Place in the CIBA 2018 CYGNUS Awards for Science Fiction novels.

September 1, 2020
BALIAN d’IBELIN: Knight of Jerusalem (Book 1 of the Jerusalem Trilogy) by Helena P. Schrader – Biographical Historical Fiction, Medieval Historical Fiction, Crusader States

Welcome to the Outremer, where fealties are solemn, rivalries deadly, and intrigue is served up daily along with the wine. Here, well-connected women are worth their weight in gold, and the rules of primogeniture, along with the whims of a king or mandates from the Church can determine a person’s fate.

In Balian d’Ibelin: Knight of Jerusalem (Book 1 of the Jerusalem Trilogy), Helena P. Schrader has re-created people, places, and events in the latter 12th-century kingdom of Jerusalem for the reader’s edification and enjoyment. With an elegance of language, detail, and setting rivaling that of Doctorow’s Jazztime or Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Schrader takes the reader on location to savor the world of Balian d’Ibelin in the times before he emerged as a pivotal player in the politics of the Crusader states.

Young Balian d’Ibelin, while possessing the pedigree, social graces, and knightly skills of one raised to rule, has few prospects when his eldest brother, Hugh, dies unexpectedly. Although Hugh’s stated desire that the Lordship of Ibelin title and holdings go to Balian, they fall to Balian’s next older brother, Barry, through rights of succession.

Barry, Lord of Ramla, offers Balian only the position of Constable of Ibelin. Rather than accept this powerful, but subservient post, Balian seeks a future serving Amalric, the King of Jerusalem. The king, who owes Hugh a debt of honor, proffers a court position with some risk – tutor his son Baldwin in the arts of horsemanship, swordsmanship, and sport, as the debilitating infirmity of leprosy, has put the boy behind in this training.

Accepting this offer moves Balian into the spheres of William, the Archdeacon of Tyre, Baldwin’s academic tutor, and Queen Maria Comnena, the boy’s young, educated, and savvy step-mother, people destined to be essential parts of his life.

When Amalric dies young, and Balian swears fealty to Baldwin as the new king, the die is cast. While honoring his oath, he earns the love of the queen, experiences the power of commitment, and learns the cost of honor.

Balian d’Ibelin: Knight of Jerusalem (Book 1 of the Jerusalem Trilogy) is a joy to read. As in all of Schrader’s novels, the forward to this story is a must-read that serves to ground the reader in the time, place, and cultural multiplicities of the period. By interpreting, hypothesizing, and imagining motivations, actions, conversations, and events that may have occurred as Balian stepped forward into his future, Schrader has turned a narrow slice of history into a panoramic virtual reality that will surely delight fans of historical biographies and Crusader states – and give us something to look forward to in the release of books 2 and 3.

Readers, brew a pot of tea and snuggle in, for Helena P. Schrader has cast her spell of intrigue and sent her invitation wide. In other words, prepare to get hooked!

August 28, 2020