The Crusader

It is the Year of Our Lord 1275, Santes Creus monastery, Spain. Brother Lucas, a venal but moderately trustworthy monk, is put in charge of an exorcism. His former fellow acolyte, the brooding and magnetic aristocrat Francisco Montcada, has returned from the Crusades possessed by demons. If Brother Lucas can drive out the demons, his monastery will be enriched by the Montcada patriarch and he himself will be made a bishop.

Gradually, Francisco comes out of his possession and begins to spin the tale of his Crusade: How he set out to free the soul of his dead brother lost at sea before he could reach the Holy Land; his fierce friendship with his cousin Andres, a mighty warrior with an honest heart; his intense love for Andres’s feisty sister, Isabel; the high ideals of his battle-hardened commander Ramon; and the amoral cruelty of the perfidious Don Fernando, a noble who delights in executing Muslim women and children.
The Crusaders win a great battle at Toron, taking it back from the Infidel, but at the gigantic fortress Krak des Chevaliers, the key to the Christian position in the Holy Land, the Saracens have laid siege. In the fierce battle to defend the fortress, Francisco will lose everything: including, unless the dodgy Brother Lucas succeeds, his immortal soul.

“The thinking man’s swashbuckler, a ripping yarn that packs a cerebral wallop.” –Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire

“Exceptional . . . a picturesque 13th-century adventure story. . . . Meticulously researched. . . . Remarkably drawn. . . . Eisner captures the massacres, decapitations, looting and pillaging that characterized the Crusades, but also works in tender depictions of love and loss, as well as ruminations on the complexity and hypocrisy of church politics, the possibility of redemption and the limits of faith.” –The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“An adventure story in the purest sense of the word, complete with a brooding hero, the beautiful woman he loves, and a despicable villain. . . . Thrilling and gripping, The Crusader is everything an adventure story should be.” –Booklist, starred review

“A swashbuckling tale of sword fights, imprisonment and romance.” –The Denver Post

“[A] story of multiple betrayals . . . steeped in romanticism and chivalry. . . . Eisner’s industrious research is apparent, which makes The Crusader quite believable entertainment. And belief is so much the crux of this novel.” –Daily News (New York)

“A devilishly convoluted tale, part The Name of the Rose and part Errol Flynn swashbuckler. . . . Just the sort of yarn to bewitch your inner Christian soldier.” –Elle

“This magnificent novel brings the 13th century charging full-tilt into our own world. . . . Prepare to be thunderstruck.” –Harpers & Queen

“A sweeping debut.” –The New York Observer

“Engrossing . . . a first-rate historical novel, richly imagined and plainly written. . . . Meticulously researched and artfully told, this is a historical novel that illuminates as it entertains.” –Publishers Weekly

“Impressive. . . . Francisco himself is an extraordinary character.” –The Independent on Sunday

“Don’t miss The Crusader. It is a fascinating, complex novel: a historical piece, a mystery and a love story wrapped into one. It is one of the best novels of the year and one of the best historical novels ever. . . . Eisner makes the time period come alive. He paints a picture of 13th century Syria and the terrible wars that will long be with you.” –The Daily American (Somerset, PA)

“A fine retelling of the travels and battles of . . . a young Spanish knight intent on laying to rest the spirit of his dead brother.” –Condé Nast Traveler

“Well-researched and as captivating as a good swashbuckling adventure story. . . . This novel is one you’ll read from beginning to end because you can’t help yourself. . . . Eisner’s intelligently written and well-researched novel pounds home the villainy and vice of the Crusades, gloves off.” –Times Record News (Wichita Falls, TX)