Crusades Trilogy
3 primary works Complete
Book 1
The hero of this phenomenally successful historical trilogy is Arn Magnusson, born in 1150 to an aristocratic Swedish family. THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM covers his childhood and education at the Cistercian monastry of Varnhem. There he is taught the best of spiritual and worldly learning, as well as being trained to become a master archer and swordsman by the giant Brother Guilbert, a former knight. At seventeen, equipped to become a monk or a warrior, Arn returns home, a young man and yet an innocent in the ways of the world. Two sisters cross his path: one seduces him, while with the other sister, Cecilia, he falls deeply in love. In loving two sisters he has committed a crime punishable by both civil and clerical authorities, and he is sentenced to serve 20 years as a Knight Templar in the Holy Land. THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR (Volume 2 to be published 2002) recounts Arn's experiences as an occupation officer in Palestine and in volume 3, THE KINGDOM AT THE END OF THE ROAD, (to be published 2003) Arn leaves Jerusalem a changed man.
He returns to Sweden, torn apart by feudal infighting in which his family is deeply embroiled; and to Cecilia, the love of his youth, who was banished to a nunnery for the period he was in the Holy Land.
He returns to Sweden, torn apart by feudal infighting in which his family is deeply embroiled; and to Cecilia, the love of his youth, who was banished to a nunnery for the period he was in the Holy Land.
Book 2
He was Master of the great Gaza stronghold and lands. He was the champion of the Knights Templar. But Arn de Gothia has also become the friend of the Crusaders' most feared enemy, the great Saladin. Through his friendships, study and observations of the Muslims around him, he finds himself increasingly at odds with the unruly behaviour of his fellow Crusaders. As the pace of the war between the Crusaders and Saracens quickens, Arn's prowess as a fighter and leader becomes paramount. The battle for Jerusalem begins.
Book 3
One of the most feared warriors of the Knights Templar, Arn de Gotha, after being exiled for twenty years, returns home to Sweden only to find his beloved homeland torn apart by warring clans and embarks on a new quest--to create a new society and establish lasting peace.