Although it deals in stereotypes, this is an enjoyable portrayal of the life of the beautiful daughter of a Harvard professor. It begins with her attempted suicide, and goes on to deal in the lives of Harvard students (of which she becomes one). I bought this book in paperback in an airport, and it was a perfect "travel" read. Not "high-brow" literature.

The Templars, but Piers Paul Read, is a pretty thorough history of the famous order. It's precise, well written and packed with information. I appreciated the wealth of information and detail in this book. Moreover, for all its detail, it was readable (if thick, at times) and interesting, representing an admirable academic coverage of the topic. But, the book itself may not be what you had in mind?

The reader might be discouraged to find that it starts a little slowly. Read feels required to provide a substantial (about 90 page!) background of the political and religious history of the Holy Land, apparently to ensure that the reader has the proper backdrop for the history of the Templars. While I found that section interesting and informative, it did dampen my enthusiasm a little.

And if when you think of the Templars, images of rows of mounted knights, pennants flapping in a brisk breeze, horses with the bit in their mouth and the clash of steel spring to your mind, you're headed in the wrong direction by picking up this book. You won't find any imagery, and little storytelling, here. The historical figures do not come alive as if there were characters in a novel. If that's what you're after, look elsewhere.

What you will get is a good historical reference on the topic, and a thorough coverage of names, dates and places. You'll understand the who, what, where, when, and usually, why. But you won't be swept away by it. On the whole, the book is quite good, and reads well (if slowly). I recommend it, with the caveat that the prospective buyer/reader should be aware what he or she starting.

This is a well-written popular introduction to the Templars and the world surrounding them -- although, as many people have pointed out, it's a little shy on specific information about the Templars themselves. Oddly, given that the author's stated intention is to stick to proven facts, he recounts events described only in the Christian Bible as if they were established history; this detracts from his credibility somewhat.

This is a first class, thoroughly researched, brilliantly written text, and a serious, objective history of the Knights Templar and the era of the crusades.

I recommend this book to anyone with a serious commitment to learning about the Templars or an interest in this period of history. The Templars is profoundly intellectual, and rich in facts and detail which make this a challenging read. The book is often very heavy-going, but the reader's perseverance is rewarded with a high-standard of information and high-quality written English.

Much of the mystery and intrigue of the Knights Templar is beyond the scope of such a serious book, but when considering any of these topics the reader is sure to benefit from the abundance of textbook-level information provided in The Templars.

It is worth spending the time and effort to better understand this important and interesting chapter of human history that has exerted a major influence on the development of contemporary civilisation. The repercussions of these events reverberate strongly in world events to this day - perhaps more deeply than most people appreciate...

Sometimes I wonder if the professional review organizations give every book such great review? I had some high hopes for this book as I have read some of his non-fiction work. I came away from the reading a bit disappointed. The story was inventive, but the cast of characters were a little to stereotypical and not very well developed. As the book unfolds the story that interested me from the dust jacket started to get a little unbelievable with his writing, I just kept saying "No Way". With the combination of the lackluster characters and the increasingly unbelievable story I lost interest at the end of the book. I simply finished it becuase I had put the time into it. I would stick to this authors non-fiction works