The Temple and the Stone

Knights Templar #1

by Katherine Kurtz, Deborah Turner Harris

During the fight for Scotland’s independence, the mystical Order of the Knights Templar battles ancient evil and a treacherous king in this gripping alternate history.   A powerful order of warrior monks forged in the fires of the Crusades during the twelfth century, the legendary Knights Templar did not vanish entirely following their failed campaigns in the Holy Land. Having attained great power and arcane skill, they withdrew from the public eye but remained hidden in the shadows, prepared to do battle against the enemies of Christianity and the adherents of the old malevolent gods. Now, these noble defenders of the faith recognize Scotland as the next battleground, foretold in dreams and visions, as legendary Scottish heroes William “Braveheart” Wallace and Robert the Bruce take up arms against the forces of the English King Edward I in the terrible Anglo-Scottish War.   Charged with establishing their holy fellowship’s temple in the disputed land, loyal knights Arnault de Saint Clair, the French cleric, and Torquil Lennox of Scottish birth arrive in the midst of the bloody conflict to help prevent the conquest of Scotland and assure the ascension of its rightful liege. But the magical stone upon which every Scottish king must be crowned has been drained of its mystical power, and only an extreme sacrifice can revive the magic. A perilous endeavor must be undertaken to stem the supernatural evil that is growing amidst the chaos in the land as a powerful Pictish shaman attempts to raise the ancient pagan gods from the darkness to feed on blood and terror.   Coauthors of the acclaimed Adept historical fantasy series, Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris imagine an alternate history that will appeal to fans of the occult, Scottish history, and the fabled Knights Templar.  

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Mystery

508 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Katherine Kurtz is an American fantasy novel writer. She is best known for her Deryni series. She currently lives in Virginia.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good read, if you like Scottish history with a slight touch of fantasy thru pray and Christian ritual .

Good believable characters you can get to love.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise and strong original characters interact with historical figures in a very well-researched if slightly dry and plodding tale. Not so good that it didn't take a bit of effort to get through, but not so bad that I'm unwilling to try the conclusion.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the author. She takes me away to a different world. I wish there were more female characters but this story really doesn't lend itself well to females. This is definitely a man's world.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Deryni books early on, sometime in the early '70's when I was in my late teens. I loved those books so much. I even thought that if I ever had a son someday, I'd name him Alaric Anthony Morgan. Sheez, what planet was I on at that time?

Anyway, I picked up Two Crowns for America awhile back and really didn't care for it at all; it seems the years have not been kind to my opinion of this author.

All that being said, I picked up this book at a book sale or some such thing and read it despite the disappointment in 'Two Crowns' and I have to say, it isn't half bad. An interesting thing about Kurtz is that she can include a whole lot of Christian mysticism in her books (this one in particular) and for some reason, I don't mind it (normally anything in a fantasy smacking of blatant Christianity really gets my back up.) I think it's because she 1) doesn't hit you over the head with it and 2) incorporates it into a whole bunch of really, really interesting historical background/events, where it wouldn't make sense to NOT include it.

I think the writing style could be a turn off for younger folks, as it is very much in the vein of "lots of guys larking about in armor and having each other's backs" - in other words, it feels pretty dated. Despite that, I enjoyed this quite a bit if only for the historical aspect, and have the second book on order from Biblio.com.

I would recommend this to folks interested in the history aspect and who aren't real persnickety about a fantasy book sounding a tad dated. I expect that some younger/more sophisticated readers (sophisticated about the fantasy genre, that is) would find it a crashing bore. For me, it was a very nice visit with an author who is an old favorite.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arnault de Saint Clair is a Knight Templar and a member of the Circle--the esoteric inner group with magical connections. He has a protege, Torquil Lennox, a Scots Templar. Together they get involved in Scotland's struggle for freedom from England. In the process, they fight dark magic as well. Protecting the Stone of Scone, they revitalize it using William Wallace as a sacrifice--the Uncrowned King. Robert the Bruce is crowned king at the end. Scotland also looks to be a place of Templar refuge--the Fifth Temple--as things are getting dicey in France.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't keep myself as interested in this one as the previous Kurtz novel, read a little more like a history book for me.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 1 out of 5]

Research history regurgitation. Vision of black evil. More history. Vision of angel. Repeat.
Slow. Couldn't finish.

[Carol Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved her Deryni series and was excited to see this (Book 1 in a series). But I found it very slow moving. Perhaps I needed to brush up on my Crusader history – and in fact I did so, to see what background facts were true.
I found it slow, and didn’t finish it. It tries to blend action in Crusader times, as the Crusaders are being pushed back, with a deeper evil. So the Knights are to defend the faith and within the Order is a secret society charged with protecting relics and stopping demonic activity. There appears to be ‘magic’ coming somewhere in the story, but I read about halfway and gave up, which I rarely do with a book.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was very good. Although it was a fantasy, the historical details seemed accurate to me. I even looked up some information about William Wallace because this book made me curious about the real person. I would recommend it to reader's who enjoy historical fiction.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seems too cliché. Too much like a Derynii book but simply with the Templers.

[Mary G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok to good.

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Knights Templar are always a good read. This is an alternate reality version by two great fantasy writers. Fans of the genre should love this book.

[Louise Pronovost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical fiction with some supernatural elements.