The Mystic Rose by Stephen R. Lawhead

The triumphant conclusion to this epic historical trilogy about a Scottish family's rise to power during the Holy CrusadesDuncan has returned with his new wife to the fastness of Banvard, to continue his father Murdo's good work in building a powerful and devout community. Even more precious a gift than his wife, though, is the other item that Duncan has brought to the Scottish clan: the Black Rood, the holy Cross of the Crucifixion that Duncan rescued from the clutches of the Knights Templar.Yet the reach of the Templars is long, and soon Duncan and his loved ones find themselves under attack from the Christian Knights. Duncan's daughter Cait is forced to flee, and soon finds herself on a boat heading for the Moorish strongholds of Spain, where she will find herself mired in a battle for religious supremacy which threatens to leave only corpses in its wake.Cait appears to have little hope of survival, but it seems that the pious devotion of her forebears is about to bear miraculous fruit. And the possibility of her survival becomes intertwined with the discovery of the most holy relic of all...In the final part of this enthralling trilogy of historical adventure, Stephen Lawhead delivers an explosive and revelatory climax to this unique religious fantasy quest. Editorial Reviews About the Author Born and raised in America, Lawhead moved to the UK, to Oxford, in order to research into Celtic legend and history. He lives in Iffley with his wife, writer Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, and their two sons, Ross and Drake. --This text refers to the paperback edition. From Publishers Weekly Lawhead, a prolific writer of historical novels, ably captures the colorful swirl of Crusader-era Byzantium and Spain in this final installment in his latest trilogy (The Iron Lance; The Black Rood). In Constantinople on a trip to the Holy Land, where her Scottish family has battled Saracen invaders for two generations, Celtic beauty Caitr¬°ona is desolate when her father is stabbed to death in the crowded cathedral of Ayia Sophia by unscrupulous Templar Renaud de Bracineaux. Eager to seek revenge, Cait steals a letter from Renaud disclosing the whereabouts of the Holy Grail, called the Mystic Rose, and sets off in her father's ship for Spain, with the Templars in hot pursuit. Romanced on the Iberian peninsula by a handsome Moorish prince, a Valentino clone lacking only a desert and a blue lens filter, Cait finds the Grail and defeats the Templars with the help of her faithful Norse sailors and the prince's men. Otherwise conventional, this historical potboiler takes an unexpected turn at its conclusion, when Cait sips a darkly gleaming crimson liquid from the Grail and has a vision of a da Vinci-like Passover Feast. Blessed in the vision by a young man named Yeshua, she emerges bearing stigmata and is charged with making a distinct career change. The action drags in places, and an unnecessary early 20th-century subplot is wrapped up after the climax, but Lawhead's robust characterizations and vivid descriptions of exotic locales should satisfy fans. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the paperback edition. From Library Journal After her father's murder in Jerusalem by the Templar knight Renaud de Bracineaux, Lady Caitriona vows to avenge his death but finds herself drawn instead into a perilous journey in search of a holy treasure known as the Mystic Rose. Christian fantasist Lawhead concludes his trilogy of faith and heroism with a tale of a determined young woman whose love for her father leads her to a higher calling. Together with the other books in the series (The Iron Lance, The Black Road), this historical fantasy is recommended for most collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the paperback edition. From the Back Cover of the Crusades, and the secret society whose hidden ceremonies continue to shape our world. While undergoing a mysterious religious initiation, Scottish lawyer Gordon Murray discovers the greatest revelation of all. . . . A thousand years after its disappearance, the Mystic Rose--the fabled Holy Grail of the Last Supper--has been found, and the Knights Templar will stop at nothing to possess it. Led by the ruthless and corrupt Renaud de Bracineaux, the warrior monks embark on a dangerous and deceitful quest to find the Holy Cup. Only one person stands in their way. Raised on the Crusader tales of her father and grandfather, Cait--an indomitable young woman from the windswept hills of northern Scotland--has determined to claim the prize for her own. Thus begins a race which quickly escalates into a battle of wits, will, and might between two cunning and implacable foes for possession of the most valuable object in all Christendom: the Mystic Rose. Vividly interweaving the history of our own tumultuous time with events from long ago, and brilliantly blending sheer, visceral storytelling with a sweeping vision of human destiny, Stephen Lawhead spins the conclusion to his magnificent saga, the Celtic Crusades. --This text refers to the paperback edition. Review `Fantasy writing doesn't get much better than this'The Express`An enjoyable, sweeping and often touching tale of bravery and pious devotion'SFX`This is a rip-roaring adventure story; the pace rarely flags. There's scheming, murder and betrayal aplenty'Interzone --This text refers to the paperback edition.