Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "crusade"

A Congress of Kings by James Boschert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Having lost Jerusalem to Salah ad-Din, the Christians now besiege Acre. The Muslims within the city’s walls defend this vital link with as much determination as the invaders mount their attacks. Salah ad-Din can only mount intermittent, but effective, raids because the vast majority of his army has dispersed. Time is on his side, unless the French and English kings arrive with fresh troops.

The conflict allows the Master, Rashid Ed Din, to focus on a far more important mission – the slaying of two former students who escaped his clutches and spirited away his sister. All three must pay for their betrayal. The trio of boys whom he has selected have been specially trained in the art of killing. No sacrifice is too great for the Master, and each is willing to live or die as he commands.

Meanwhile, at Kantara Castle on the island of Cyprus, Lord Talon de Gilles and Reza have recovered from the wounds sustained four years ago during Salah ad-Din’s march to Jerusalem. All is quiet and peaceful, but the two friends sense that all is not right. No one has heard from Theodora since she left to find her brother in Constantinople three months ago. Rumors that the kings of France and England plan to launch a new crusade are particularly troubling, especially since the two monarchs despise one another.

Their uneasiness seems warranted. First, goat herders find a hidden boat and Talon’s men capture an intruder. Then shipwrecked men are slaughtered or taken captive and enslaved by the island’s self-proclaimed emperor. Talon intervenes, but it comes at a cost and pulls him back into the conflict between Christians and Muslims, as well as the one between King Richard of England and King Philip of France. While Reza goes in search of Theodora, Talon is compelled to participate in the siege of Acre.

A Congress of Kings, the ninth book in the Talon series, is a story of betrayal, pettiness, good versus evil, and jealousy. The story takes place during 1191 and cunningly demonstrates that nothing is ever black or white. Separate events are intricately interwoven and there are always consequences that must be paid. One longtime character is missing from this story, and readers will miss him as much as Talon does. Boschert takes readers back in time to a world that involves all the senses. Seething undercurrents ripple throughout the book and he ably demonstrates their effects, both physically and emotionally, on Talon, an honorable man.




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