The Temple and the Stone - Softcover

Kurtz, Katherine; Harris, Deborah Turner

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0446607231 ISBN 13: 9780446607230

Publisher: Aspect, 1999

Synopsis

The Knights Templar was a military order founded during the time of the crusades to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Legend endows the Templars with magical powers with which they are said to have altered the course of history. "The Temple and the Crown" picks up in 1306 with the crowning of Robert Bruce in Scotland. Bruce immediately faces a challenge to his throne, and Pope Clement and King Philip of France, jealous of the Knights' magical powers, wealth, and charm, have them arrested on trumped-up charges of black magic, blasphemy, and consorting with the Devil. The Templars' only hope is to flee as fugitives and seek a new home...and a safe haven for the mystical treasures they guard.

About this title

Review:

Like a chain-mail Tom Clancy thriller, The Temple and the Stone is a big, brash story full of political machination, conspiracy, and macho heroes. The forces of good here are the legendary Knights Templar, protectors of the Temple of Jerusalem, and their fearsome opponents are the evil worshipers of the old gods. Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris conceive of an alternate history in which the Templars guard the astral manifestations of the Kingdom of God as well as the physical realm. The titular stone is not only the traditional seat of Scottish monarchs but also the cornerstone for a new holy temple. The heroic knights Arnault, Brabant, and Torquil must restore the stone's powers and fight the black-magic designs of the Pictish Comyns--all while fulfilling their knightly duties in the dangerous conflicts between fiercely independent Scotland and an increasingly powerful England. This is richly satisfying historical fantasy, with a magical twist. --Therese Littleton

From Kirkus Reviews:

Following the recent volume of Knights Templar stories (On Crusade, 1998, edited by Kurtz), here's a Templar novel from this established collaboration team (Death of an Adept, 1996, etc.). As the 13th century draws to a close, the frail child Margaret of Norway, last of the Scottish royal house of Canmore, dies, allowing Edward Plantagenet of England his ambition of grabbing Scotland by force, or by absorption, in order to dictate who the next king of Scotland will be. Meanwhile, on Cyprus, the Templar inner circle accepts that it will never recapture Jerusalem and so will need a safe, secure retreat to build a new temple for housing its treasuresand Arnault de Saint Clair's vision shows him Scotland. It's also no coincidence that Arnault was present when Margaret diedby sorcery. With Torquil Lennox and Luc de Brabant, Arnault travels to Berwick, where Edward is ready to place his lackey, John Balliol, on the Scottish throne. But the Stone of Destiny, upon which the Scottish kings sit to be crowned, has lost its mystical potency. In another vision, Torquil learns that the last king of Scotland, Alexander III, was also killed by sorcery. What the Templars don't yet know is that the Comyn family, which secretly controls Balliol, worships the Pictish old gods and is plotting to overthrow the entire Christian tradition in Scotland. So the stage is set for an intricate power struggle, religious, secular, and sorcerous, connecting William ``Braveheart'' Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Scottish independence, and the fate of the Templars themselves. A skillful and involving blend of real history, speculation, and elements of controlled, credible fantasy. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Aspect
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0446607231
• ISBN 13: 9780446607230
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 560