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49th out of 264 books
—
184 voters
Behold the Dawn
by
K.M. Weiland (Goodreads Author)
Marcus Annan, a tourneyer famed for his prowess on the battlefield, thought he could keep the secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him find justice for the transgressions of sixteen years ago, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade.
Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescu...more
Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescu...more
Paperback, 330 pages
Published
2009
by PenForASword Publishing
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Community Reviews
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263)
Mar 01, 2012
London
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of action or historical action novels
Shelves:
historical-fiction
Behold the Dawn is a well-researched and -written historical action novel that kept me reading to the point of missing train stops. Other readers have noted a slow beginning but I found it engaging from the start.
Marcus Annan is a tourneyer—a combination of sports hero and mercenary—of considerable gifts. Feared on and off the tourney field, he fights hoping to find someone who can best—and kill—him. Too strong and skilled to die, he gets sucked into a byzantine plot to extract revenge for horr...more
Marcus Annan is a tourneyer—a combination of sports hero and mercenary—of considerable gifts. Feared on and off the tourney field, he fights hoping to find someone who can best—and kill—him. Too strong and skilled to die, he gets sucked into a byzantine plot to extract revenge for horr...more
This is a story that took me by surprise - it was difficult to start, but once I got into it, everything fell into place. Behold the Dawn is a tale of salvation, redemption and revenge set during the Third Crusade. Every one of the characters has a secret and the secrets seemed tied to other secrets. I particularly enjoyed the beginning scene at the tournament - not your sanitized tourney straight out of "Camelot" or the first season of "The Tudors," but the ugly, violent, yet exciting sport tha...more
I was a little wary of reading this book, because I really, really, really wanted to like it--and when you go to read a book you really, really, really want to like, or have high hopes for, there's always a nagging fear that it won't measure up to your preconceptions and hopes. I'd never read anything by this author before (excepting some excerpts from her books), so I didn't have the assurance that, hey, she's written good books before, so she's probably done it again (not that that's always a...more
Behold the Dawn is a historical novel set during the crusades. It is the story of Marcus Annan, whose life is consumed soley by the bloodthirsty (and morally dubious) sport of tourneying. We learn very quickly that there is much more to this man than we realise. He has a dark past that he has been running from for a very long time. On the surface, Marcus seems a very unlikely hero for this story, and yet as the reader you immediately bond with him, you root for him and want to find out more abou...more
I really enjoyed this book.
There is one part where I felt the hero acted out of character. And I never really felt like I fully understood the event that made all these characters hate each other so much. I kept waiting for it to be explained in more detail, but it never was. A man was tortured - why he was tortured elluded me. Another man destroyed a monastary - what led to that event also wasn't explained very well.
The writing is smooth and lyrical. And I was pulled into the story and wanted...more
There is one part where I felt the hero acted out of character. And I never really felt like I fully understood the event that made all these characters hate each other so much. I kept waiting for it to be explained in more detail, but it never was. A man was tortured - why he was tortured elluded me. Another man destroyed a monastary - what led to that event also wasn't explained very well.
The writing is smooth and lyrical. And I was pulled into the story and wanted...more
I was so excited to read this based on other reviews I read... and was disappointed. Please note, I majored in Pre-Modern European History, so I was totally stoked for the subject matter. But it was SO hard to get into, I had to push myself through the first quarter of the book or so. By the time it started to pick up, I was already losing interest. But it did pick up, and became much more exciting. This is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2... it did improve a bit. I managed to finish it. Met u...more
Behold the Dawn brought me face to face with one of the eras that may have been just as violent as our own. Ms. Weiland vividly portrays Marcus, a knight with more cynicism and guilt than piety, as well as the other key players in her story of mystery, revenge, plotting and love.
The story kept me eagerly turning pages and I wanted to read more about the characters that Ms. Weiland painted. However, I would have enjoyed the story even more, I think, if the book had included more gradual transiti...more
The story kept me eagerly turning pages and I wanted to read more about the characters that Ms. Weiland painted. However, I would have enjoyed the story even more, I think, if the book had included more gradual transiti...more
I tried reading this book awhile ago and couldn't get hooked. My son read it and told me to try again, it was worth it. He was right (but don't tell him I said so!). It does start very slow, I was well into the seventh chapter before I found myself hooked into the story. It finishes much stronger and contains a good love story in the midst. I liked the feel and cadence to the story in the second half, it was less wordy and more lyrical, which lends itself well to the medieval theme of the story...more
I was a bit worried about picking up this book. I usually really research an author before deciding to read their books. However, I happened to win this copy off the site so I decided to give it a go.
I will admit the first chapters had me flipping back to re-read. There is a ton of things going on right at the begining and I found myself going back over sections to absorb it all. However, that said.. This book is great. Ms. Weiland did an excellent job fleshing out her characters and creating a...more
I will admit the first chapters had me flipping back to re-read. There is a ton of things going on right at the begining and I found myself going back over sections to absorb it all. However, that said.. This book is great. Ms. Weiland did an excellent job fleshing out her characters and creating a...more
I love K.M. Weiland's wisdom as dispensed on her blog, and I was curious if she practices what she preaches. She does! Excellent writing, great pace, archetypical hero's journey. Loved the characters. I love that her redemption theme did not feel preachy or forced. Excellent Christian writer, but certainly appealing to all audiences.
I got this book because it was cheap on Kindle. It's now my #1 all time favorite historical novel. Love. It.
When K.M. Weiland tells a tale, you're there. If horses are running, you spit dust. If a battle is raging, you bleed. If a heart is broken, you cry.
If you haven't read this author yet, it's time to treat yourself.
If you haven't read this author yet, it's time to treat yourself.
I really enjoyed this book. I found reading about the Holy War and Knights Templar very interesting. I had a hard time putting this book down. Great love story and totally clean!
I didn't finish the book but, this is the first book I have attempted to read electronically. I tried and tried but couldn't do it. I don't know if it was the story itself or the format, but I am going to give the book the benefit of the doubt with two stars.
Won copy from author.
I won this as a Goodreads First Reads. I agree with the reviews of Val and Brianna. At first it was a lot to figure out what was going on and had me going back and rereading pages to figure out the relationship between characters.
I always felt like I was distant with this book and not really right along side of the characters. However, as the book progressed and the mysterey that kept being posed kept me turning pages after I got into it.
I would give another KM Weiland book a chance.
I always felt like I was distant with this book and not really right along side of the characters. However, as the book progressed and the mysterey that kept being posed kept me turning pages after I got into it.
I would give another KM Weiland book a chance.
one word . . . EXCELLENT!
I really liked this book. It had a lot of what you expect in this type of historical war fiction, but none of the "earth-ending" drama that also often shows up.
This is a wonderful story about forgiveness and redemption. There were a couple of things that were so obvious, that I got a little bit irritated, but it wasn't enough to drag my score down!
This is a wonderful story about forgiveness and redemption. There were a couple of things that were so obvious, that I got a little bit irritated, but it wasn't enough to drag my score down!
I read this book when it was first released in 2009, but thought it deserved another read. Wow. Behold was even better the second time around. With jump-off-the-page characters, rich settings, and vivid descriptions, I'm certain I will want to read Behold the Dawn again and again.
I read this once, and I hated it. I read it again and it is now one of my favorites. Go figure. “Behold the Dawn” is historical fiction at its best! Full of wonderful characters, adventure, mystery, good dialogue, and a wonderful message about forgiveness in Christ!
Awesome twist in this story!
Jun 10, 2013
Jenn M
marked it as to-read
May 24, 2013
Lori Gemalsky
marked it as to-read
May 23, 2013
A.M. Horton
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Ashley Farmer
is currently reading it
May 15, 2013
Renee665
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Iroulito91
marked it as to-read
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K.M. Weiland writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She enjoys mentoring other authors through her blog Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors (http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com).
More about K.M. Weiland...
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