A single child can frighten kings and the pope just by existing. The year is 1230, and Europe is on fire with war and the repercussions of the Crusades. Caught in the middle are a baby boy and his protectors who must get to a safe location before forces who want to see the baby dead catch up to them. On top of it all, the Cathars are in danger of being eliminated due to their beliefs. Can the child and his protectors escape Rome, or will the child be killed? Will the Cathars survive,e or will they be persecuted for what they believe? Paul Brous explores these topics in his novel, “The Undying Lamb.”
I want to thank Rising Action and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I like reading about new aspects of medieval Europe. I saw this novel was going to feature a storyline featuring the Cathars, who don’t get much attention from casual history lovers. I wanted to see how he would tell the tale of the Cathars and how the story of a child everyone wants dead would be incorporated into this narrative.
We begin with an extensive glossary of terms used in this book, which includes phrases in Latin, Occitan, French, Sardu, and Italian, which I found extremely useful and showed how much research Brous poured into this novel before I started reading. The actual story starts with Sibilia meeting the mysterious Robin. They are given the task of protecting a baby they call Will, but his identity is the Grail Child, one whom people fear will bring forth the Apocalypse. The mission was put together by Pope Gregory IX and his right-hand man, Cardinal Goffredo Castiglioni, to protect Will from people like Blanche of Castile, who fears that the child would be a threat to her son,n while King Henry III of England threatens to invade France.
To make matters worse, you have the church going after the Cathars during the Albigensian Crusade. While many of the Cathars have been eliminated by the time of this novel, there are still pockets of resistance. Now, the church is sending an inquisition after one such group. So while we have the Grail Child storyline, we also have the Cathar storyline with multiple points of view.
Personally, I think that the plotlines included in this novel would have been better as two separate novels so that the ideas could have been developed fully. Either that or have an ending that alludes to a sequel novel. Overall, it was an okay read for me; I just felt like he had too many ideas for one novel. If you want to read a decent medieval novel that explores a different aspect of the past, you might enjoy “The Undying Lamb” by Paul Brous.
Today, I am pleased to welcome J. P. Reedman to my blog to share a spotlight for her novel “Bride of the Devil.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and J.P. Reedman for allowing me to participate in this blog tour.
Blurb:
Author Bio
In English history, there have been some legendary warrior kings, but none have captured the imagination of the general public quite like Henry V. He was the King who won a great victory at Agincourt, almost captured France, but died young and never got to see his son become king of both England and France, albeit for a short time. For the English, Henry V was seen as a hero to the nation, but is his legacy much darker? Desmond Seward dives into the archives to find a much more ruthless king for his biography, “Henry V: The Scourge of God.”
When a medieval princess married, most of the time, she had to take an arduous journey to their new country. For many of these royal ladies, they had an idea that this would be their fate at a young age, but for others, it would come as a complete surprise. Take, for example, Blanca (Blanche) of Castile. She was the granddaughter of the indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine. When it is time to create a marriage alliance between Castile and France, Blanca believes that her sister Urraca will be the one who will become Queen of France. However, Eleanor has other plans. How will the journey change Blanca and get her ready to rule a nation? Diane Zahler tells the tale of Blanca’s journey to the throne in her middle grade novel, “The Queen’s Granddaughter.”
We all believe we know the story of Joan of Arc, one of the patron Saints of France. A young peasant woman who God called to lead the dauphin to the altar to be crowned King Charles VII of France in a time of civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, as well as the continuation of the war between England and France. It was a political quagmire, but somehow, as the story goes, Joan of Arc resolved the civil war and gave France a fighting chance against the English. But what did Joan of Arc actually accomplish during her short life? Helen Castor examines the life of this extraordinary young woman in her book “Joan of Arc: A History.”
Lady Katherine Turner was never meant to be the Countess of Leicester, but when her brother William dies suddenly, she must take on the mantle of power. Unfortunately, with power comes responsibility, and in medieval England, women in power could not hold onto that power unless they married. That does not sit well with Katherine, who is a very independent woman. However, a choice must be made between two suitors, Lord Henry Tyrell, Earl of Dornton, and Lord James Stanford. Who will Lady Katherine Turner choose, and can she maintain her independent spirit while falling in love? Laura Johnson-Smith explores Lady Katherine’s love story in her debut novel, “The Rose Amongst the Thorns.”