The Iron Lance: No. 1 (Celtic Crusades S.) - Softcover

Lawhead, Stephen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0310217822 ISBN 13: 9780310217824

Publisher: Zondervan, 1999

Synopsis

In the year 1095, Pope Urban II declared war on the infidel. Kings, princes, and lords throughout Europe took up the cross and joined the Crusade. It was Murdo Ranulfson's duty to guard his family's interests, while his father and brothers fought to win Jerusalem. But, when a greedy king and corrupt clergy charged with the protection of Orkney become its worst enemies, Murdo must undertake the pilgrimage himself. Driven to the sea, Murdo follows the Crusades in the hope of finding his father and redeeming his family's land. His epic journey leads him to the heart of the civilized world, the Mediterranean, where the Emperor Alexius struggles to fend off the barbarian hordes that would rend Christendom and engulf the world in darkness. Murdo's quest carries him to the fabled city of Constantinople and beyond to the Holy Land, guarded by the sword points of the Saracens. Amidst unimaginable brutality and ambition, he finds the man he seeks. begins an epic trilogy of a noble Scottish family fighting for its existence and its faith during the age of the Great Crusades - and of a secret society, whose hidden ceremonies will shape history for a thousand years.

About this title

Review:

Stephen Lawhead is best known for his "Pendragon Cycle" of Arthurian fantasies. His previous novel Byzantium moved him into historical rather than mythological fiction; The Iron Lance confirms this change. It is the story of the First Crusade, told by a youth from the Orkneys, a large group of islands off the north coast of Scotland.

At 14 Murdo Ranulfson is too young to go on a Crusade. But when he and his mother are thrown off their own land by soldiers of Prince Sigurd of Norway, who has claimed the Orkneys, Murdo travels to the Holy Land to fetch back his father and brothers, to reclaim their land. He witnesses at first hand the horrors of the Crusade, particularly what Lawhead calls "the rape of Jerusalem".

In common with Lawhead's earlier works, there is a strong Christian element to the story, but here the emphasis is on the Spirituality of the Célé Dé, Celtic monks, in contrast with the venality of the Catholic Church of the time. The main story is framed in the late-19th century narrative of a secret religious order descended from the monks, and from Murdo.

This is a powerful story, well told. Lawhead, better than most American writers, brilliantly captures what feels like the true essence of mediæval Britain and Europe. --David V. Barrett

Review:

Praise for Byzantium:

‘Fantasy writing doesn’t get much better than this’
The Express

‘This is a rip-roaring adventure story; the pace rarely flags. There’s scheming, murder and betrayal aplenty’
Interzone

‘Amusing and interesting’
Locus

‘A vivid historical setting and a credible and satisfying plot’
Publishing News

About this edition

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0310217822
• ISBN 13: 9780310217824
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512