The Temple and the Crown (Knights Templar)

The Knights Templar battle an occult order in this “soundly researched [and] briskly paced” alternate history set during the Scottish War of Independence (Booklist). In this stunning sequel to their acclaimed historical fantasy The Temple and the Stone, coauthors Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris return to the legends of the fabled Order of the Knights Templar, the mystical medieval brotherhood of warrior monks born in the crucible of the Holy Land Crusades. Returning to a brilliantly recreated alternate past, two of the world’s premier fantasists spin a breathtaking tale of courage, destiny, duty, and magic that unfolds against a backdrop of England’s tumultuous struggle with Scotland and the heroic exploits of Scotsmen Robert the Bruce and William “Braveheart” Wallace.   Unwavering devotion to God and their magical order has carried noble knights Arnault de Saint Clair and Torquil Lennox into the heat of battle in war-torn Scotland in these dark days of conflict, only to discover that there are forces at work far more sinister than kings and crowns.   The English liege, Edward I, is determined to destroy the Knights Templar, who have sided with the enemy Scots, while in France, Philip IV, known as “King Philip the Fair,” is driven by his greed for the legendary Templar wealth and would usurp the power of the Pope himself to attain their riches. But unbeknownst to either king, they are both in the thrall of the Knights of the Black Swan, a malevolent supernatural order with loyalties to Lucifer alone. On the eve of the decisive battle of Bannockburn, Saint Clair, Lennox, and their brave Templar brethren will be compelled to stand against these minions of the Devil, who are willing to see thousands die and kingdoms crumble to feed their unholy hunger for ultimate power.  The Temple and the Crown is an epic tale that celebrates a history that never was, a legend that has endured for centuries, and the heroic exploits of Scotsmen Robert the Bruce and William “Braveheart” Wallace.

From Booklist

Kurtz and Harris continue their saga telling the secret history, begun in The Temple and the Stone (1998), of the Templars and of two members of the secret Cercle, the French knight Arnault and the Scotsman Torquil, in particular. The English have turned against the Temple because it supports Robert the Bruce in Scotland, and the greed of Philip the Fair of France for Templar wealth is being manipulated by his chancellor, who is secretly allied with the Knights of the Black Swan, servants of Lucifer out to destroy the Temple's power to champion Christianity. As grisly persecution of the Templars rises to a climax in France, and the Bruce's situation becomes more desperate, Arnault and Torquil must retrieve potent relics from the Holy Land and reach Scotland in time to help overthrow the Bruce's enemies in the thundering climax of the Battle of Bannockburn. There may be too much secret mysticism in it for some tastes, but the tale is soundly researched, well written, and briskly paced. Kudos to the authors! Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Booklist   Praise for Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris’s The Temple and the Stone

“Soundly researched, well written, and briskly paced. Kudos to the authors!”

Library Journal

“Medieval history and legends of Templar magic blend seamlessly in a fascinating tale of faith and high magic.”

The Washington Post

“Great adventure . . . Brilliantly evoked . . . A dazzling battle of good vs. evil.”

About the Author

Katherine Kurtz was born in Coral Gables, Florida, during a hurricane. She received a four-year science scholarship to the University of Miami and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry. Medical school followed, but after a year she decided she would rather write about medicine than practice it. A vivid dream inspired Kurtz’s Deryni novels, and she sold the first three books in the series on her first submission attempt. She soon defined and established her own sub-genre of “historical fantasy” set in close parallels to our own medieval period featuring “magic” that much resembles extrasensory perception.   While working on the Deryni series, Kurtz further utilized her historical training to develop another sub-genre she calls “crypto-history,” in which the “history behind the history” intertwines with the “official” histories of such diverse periods as the Battle of Britain (Lammas Night), the American War for Independence (Two Crowns for America), contemporary Scotland (The Adept Series, with coauthor Deborah Turner Harris), and the Knights Templar (also with Harris).   In 1983, Kurtz married the dashing Scott MacMillan; they have a son, Cameron. Until 2007, they made their home in Ireland, in Holybrooke Hall, a mildly haunted gothic revival house, They have recently returned to the United States and taken up residence in a historic house in Virginia, with their five Irish cats and one silly dog. (The ghosts of Holybrooke appear to have remained behind.)     Deborah Turner Harris has a Ph.D. in medieval English literature. While on a postdoctoral fellowship at the Scottish University of St. Andrews, she met her husband, the writer Robert J. Harris, and the rest is family history.   In 1987, her first fantasy novel, The Burning Stone, was published under the editorial auspices of legendary editor Betty Ballantine. Betty subsequently introduced her to Katherine Kurtz, paving the way for a fruitful writing partnership. Working together, Kurtz and Harris have produced not only the five-volume Adept series, but also the two linked Templar novels set during the Scottish Wars of Independence.   In 2000, Harris returned to teaching as an honorary lecturer in medieval English literature at the University of St. Andrews. She and Bob have three grown-up sons. They continue to live in St. Andrews with their dog, Kyra.

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