Dana G. (cincinnatiyankee) reviewed on 5/9/2012 + 42 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This fictional story is part medieval church history, part political thriller, and part medieval mystery. I found myself drawn to the protagonist (Brother William), who is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Qui-Gon (of Star Wars)--even though the author frequently had him profess ideas and beliefs that were anachronistic for the time. The Sherlock Holmes influence is intentional--and to help a reader notice, the author gives Brother William's place of origin as Baskerville, and even places a few of Sherlock Holmes' lines in William's dialog. Because the author has written the book to reflect a medieval-sounding language, the prose at times gets rather thick and complex, so that I occasionally found myself skimming a passage that waxed eloquently about the differences between certain heretical groups so that I could get back to the storyline. Some of the seedy elements that the main characters uncover inside the abbey walls would be enough to keep me from sharing this book with a teen--although the long introduction of the era's church politics is probably enough of a barrier.

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