Review by Fola_M -- Protectors of the Black Prince
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Fola Moni
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Review by Fola_M -- Protectors of the Black Prince
[Following is a volunteer review of "Protectors of the Black Prince" by Curtis Stephen Burdick.]
Aye, aye, all ye lovers of historical fiction, gather round. Get ready to be enthralled by this captivating book, Protectors of the Black Prince, by Curtis Stephen Burdick. It serves just the right blend of history, fiction and adventure that is bound to keep the reader turning the pages to the very end.
The story starts with Michael Costwain, a young and brilliant archer who is loyal and dedicated to his knight and lord, Sir Godfrey, the Earl of Hampstead. His only dream is to become a knight and ask for Godfrey’s daughter’s hand in marriage. Soon enough, it seems his dream is about to come true. He is chosen, amongst others, to embark on the Third Crusade with Godfrey and Richard the Lionheart, King of England. What he doesn’t know is destiny would take him down a path that would change his life completely.
Meanwhile, King Richard is on the warpath with Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt over the relics of the True Cross. This is reputed to be the exact cross that Jesus was crucified on. Determined to get hold of it at all costs, the king embarks on one of the bloodiest massacres in the history of the Crusades. Michael and his fellow archers are caught in the middle of all the carnage. Will they survive the journey or will they become casualties as well?
The author did a good job with the detailed information contained in this book. It shows a copious amount of research had gone into it. The story depicts how people have used religion as an excuse to murder innocents for centuries. It also shows how soldiers are often at the mercy of their leaders’ execution orders. The author’s descriptive writing brought out all the gory details in vivid colours. The scene where innocent people were murdered en masse was particularly horrifying. Unbelieving, I had to quickly research it and found out that the massacre by the Crusaders was true.
I love the use of the old English language in some of the dialogues though it might not be to everyone’s taste. I believe it lends the perfect air of authenticity to the whole text and brings out the emotions of the characters. Regardless, the author managed to keep the dialogues simple and engaging. I also love how he made it very easy to picture the scenes, thus allowing the readers to see them through his words. A good example of this is the way he described their garments to the last detail.
The characters are many, but the leads are well-developed and easy to relate with. I found myself drawn into George Bainty’s personal tragedy and was shocked into a horrified silence at Henri’s tragic end. Sir Godfrey’s character exudes a tough yet compassionate soul who is determined to stand for what he believes in against the odds. Michael however, remains my favourite as his character depicts a man who, though very young, is also incredibly loyal and brave.
Bearing all these in mind, I'll give it a 4 out of 4 stars for being refreshingly accurate and detailed. There’s nothing I didn’t like about this book. It ended on a cliffhanger which suggests a sequel, and I can’t simply wait to read it. It is exceptionally well-edited because I couldn’t find any typographical error. It does contain some profanity and gory graphic scenes about executions and death, so I wouldn’t recommend it to a younger/ sensitive audience. Mature lovers of the historical fiction/adventure literary genre would really enjoy this book.
******
Protectors of the Black Prince
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Aye, aye, all ye lovers of historical fiction, gather round. Get ready to be enthralled by this captivating book, Protectors of the Black Prince, by Curtis Stephen Burdick. It serves just the right blend of history, fiction and adventure that is bound to keep the reader turning the pages to the very end.
The story starts with Michael Costwain, a young and brilliant archer who is loyal and dedicated to his knight and lord, Sir Godfrey, the Earl of Hampstead. His only dream is to become a knight and ask for Godfrey’s daughter’s hand in marriage. Soon enough, it seems his dream is about to come true. He is chosen, amongst others, to embark on the Third Crusade with Godfrey and Richard the Lionheart, King of England. What he doesn’t know is destiny would take him down a path that would change his life completely.
Meanwhile, King Richard is on the warpath with Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt over the relics of the True Cross. This is reputed to be the exact cross that Jesus was crucified on. Determined to get hold of it at all costs, the king embarks on one of the bloodiest massacres in the history of the Crusades. Michael and his fellow archers are caught in the middle of all the carnage. Will they survive the journey or will they become casualties as well?
The author did a good job with the detailed information contained in this book. It shows a copious amount of research had gone into it. The story depicts how people have used religion as an excuse to murder innocents for centuries. It also shows how soldiers are often at the mercy of their leaders’ execution orders. The author’s descriptive writing brought out all the gory details in vivid colours. The scene where innocent people were murdered en masse was particularly horrifying. Unbelieving, I had to quickly research it and found out that the massacre by the Crusaders was true.
I love the use of the old English language in some of the dialogues though it might not be to everyone’s taste. I believe it lends the perfect air of authenticity to the whole text and brings out the emotions of the characters. Regardless, the author managed to keep the dialogues simple and engaging. I also love how he made it very easy to picture the scenes, thus allowing the readers to see them through his words. A good example of this is the way he described their garments to the last detail.
The characters are many, but the leads are well-developed and easy to relate with. I found myself drawn into George Bainty’s personal tragedy and was shocked into a horrified silence at Henri’s tragic end. Sir Godfrey’s character exudes a tough yet compassionate soul who is determined to stand for what he believes in against the odds. Michael however, remains my favourite as his character depicts a man who, though very young, is also incredibly loyal and brave.
Bearing all these in mind, I'll give it a 4 out of 4 stars for being refreshingly accurate and detailed. There’s nothing I didn’t like about this book. It ended on a cliffhanger which suggests a sequel, and I can’t simply wait to read it. It is exceptionally well-edited because I couldn’t find any typographical error. It does contain some profanity and gory graphic scenes about executions and death, so I wouldn’t recommend it to a younger/ sensitive audience. Mature lovers of the historical fiction/adventure literary genre would really enjoy this book.
******
Protectors of the Black Prince
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Moonlight Serenade by Terry Mark
