Book 2 of the multi-award-winning epic Historical Fiction series The Troubadours Quartet‘Wonderful. If you love historical adventure and romance, you must pick up this series!’Autumn Birt, The Rise of the Fifth Order1151: the Holy Land, where one book is worth more than a man’s life Estela, the troubadour, is following the destiny of her beautiful voice. Dragonetz, her passionate knight, has a … her beautiful voice. Dragonetz, her passionate knight, has a dangerous mission to fulfill. Divided by the times they love in, they fight to be together.
Imprisoned in Damascus, Dragonetz suffers the mind games inflicted by his anonymous enemies, as he is forced to remember the traumatic events of the crusade, two years earlier. His military prowess is as valuable and dangerous to the balance of power as the priceless Torah he has to deliver to Jerusalem, and the key players want Dragonetz riding with them – or dead.
Instead of remaining safely at home, Estela is desperate to rescue Dragonetz at all costs. She sets out for the Holy Land, never realising that the person she thinks will be her knight’s saviour might actually be his doom. Can Estela get him out alive, despite Nur-ad-Din, the Muslim Atabeg; Mélisende, the Queen of Jerusalem; and an avenger from the past? Will she still want to, when she knows what they’ve done to him?
Once more, ‘the master of historical intrigue’ whirls the reader off into medieval mayhem. Jean Gill’s details of crusading strategy and riding a camel are as convincing as the pangs of medieval childbirth. She brought medieval France to life in Song at Dawn; now she adds 12th century Damascus and Jerusalem with equal aplomb.
‘A Masterpiece. A Historical Feast.’ C M T Stibbe, Chasing Pharoahs
Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choice
Winner of the Global Ebooks Award for Best Historical Fiction
Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards and the Chaucer Awards
Discovered Diamond Award
Readers’ Favorite 5* Award
more
Loved this book. Exciting story set in Medieval France.
Bladesong, the second book of Jean Gill’s Troubadours Quartet, finds Dragonetz imprisoned, watched over by deferential guards who speak Arabic. He knows that he was ambushed and knocked unconscious in the port of St Jean d’Acre en route to Jerusalem. Quite an embarrassment for the Christian knight, whose involvement in the second crusade has earned him the nickname, Lord Dragonetz the brave. He was captured carrying a precious copy of the Torah, which he must return to its rightful owners, the Jews, in order to have his debts cancelled. But who his captors are and what their plans for him might be is a mystery. Whilst imprisoned, Dragonetz is visited by Bar Philipos, a man he feels obligated towards, who teaches him chess. In this tale of many players, where it is never quite clear who is friend and who is foe, where to befriend the wrong people would be to sign your own death warrant, and where a person who thinks they are a player may find that they have been played, the author could have not made a more appropriate choice of game.
Meanwhile, left without news for months on end, troubadour Estela gives birth to Dragonetz’s child – a son she names Txamusca, who must for now remain a secret. A son threatens her brother’s inheritance, something he will not tolerate. When news of the child’s birth leaks, Estela reluctantly accepts that she has no option but to send him away, for his safety and for hers. But then, what seems like good news – de Rancon arrives at court, sent by Dragonetz to bring Estela to him in Jerusalem, where they are both to sing for Queen Melisende. It is only after they have embarked on the arduous journey that de Rancon confides that Estela may find Dragonetz a changed man. And as she hears of first-hand account of Dragonetz’s involvement in the ill-fated crusade, Estela cannot help but question how well she actually knows him.
Jean Gill proves herself an agile writer, keeping her readers in thrall as Estela ventures unwittingly into danger, not knowing that she is being used as a pawn. At the same time, Gill brings to life the various factions who would make a power-play for control of Damascus, all understanding that to have Dragonetz leading their armies would mean the difference between success and failure. The author Gill is in complete control of all of the players on the board. Rest assured, when the time comes, it is she who calls checkmate.
Lots of history…
These were fun!
I was overjoyed to find this second book of a series free as I had enjoyed the first some time ago. The characters and plot remain as engaging as well as the cultural revelations of the twelveth century European and Muslim science.
I enjoy reading historical fiction, and this era in particular. The characters were realistic and I liked the story line & progression.
This is the 2nd in the Troubadour series and continues the narration of the lives of Estela and Dragonetz onward to new lands and new adventures. The middle ages are a lot more interesting than I had been taught! A light but interesting read with interesting characters and large doses of history. On to the 3rd book!
Rarely do I stop reading a book before finishing but that’s what happened with Bladesong. I was excited to read a historical fiction from the time of the crusades. However, the treatment of the Crusader by purposely addicting him to drugs was too painful to read. There is too much other great literature.
I found this book to be very slow, not at all what I expected from the reviews and description.
I liked this book, and the series. I love historical fiction, and although this one was heavier ofiction than the history, I still learned much about the time period. Some of the story required the reader to suspend belief, but that’s OK. I’ve done that before.
This is the second book in a series of 4, all about the political climate in mid-twelfth century Provence (in the south of France). This book is also about “Oltra Mar” or across the sea (Mediterranean) in what is today Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel (in the form of Jerusalem). The different cultures (Muslim, Jewish and Frankish) are featured as well as the interplay between them. Its a fascinating look into a somewhat ignored piece of history.