Pagan's Crusade
Wham! So here I am, standing in a sea of dirt, with a big mad Templar lobbing rocks at my head. Wham! Like some kind of martyr. Wham! He throws like a catapult.
'All right, Pagan, that's enough.' (I should damn well think so.) 'Do you see what your problem is?'
Wait - don't tell me. You are.
Down on his luck and kicked in the pants one too many times, sixteen-year-old Pagan Kidrouk arrives on the doorstep of the Templar Knights in medieval Jerusalem, looking for work as a squire. He's expecting only some protection from the seedier aspects of life on the street and a few square meals. Instead, Pagan finds himself hard at work for Lord Roland de Bram - an exciting life of polishing Lord Roland's armor, laundering his garments, and even training to fight by his side.
But as the Infidel Saladin leads his army to Jerusalem, it becomes more and more difficult for Pagan and Lord Roland to discern what action to take or whom to trust. Neither Saladin's army nor the Christian Crusaders offer easy answers. Is a bloody battle for control of the Holy City inevitable?
Shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award, Older Readers (1993), Shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, Children's Literature category (1993)
About the Pagan Chronicles Series
Books in series order
- 1.Pagan's Crusade(1992)
- 2.Pagan in Exile(1994)
- 3.Pagan's Vows(1995)
- 4.Pagan's Scribe(1995)
- 5.Babylonne (Pagan's Daughter)(2006)
Reading age: 13+ years
This series should be read in order.
Pagan is a 16-year-old thief and beggar, trying to survive in 1187 medieval Jerusalem with no home or family. To find safety and escape those to whom he's indebted, Pagan joins the Knights Templar and is soon a squire-in-training to the admirable and good-hearted, Lord Roland. The irreverent Pagan must learn to fight, clean, escort pilgrims to holy areas and shrines and - most importantly - hold his tongue!
But even the life of a Lord is never as perfect as it seems. Pagan's journeys with Lord Roland will take him from Jerusalem to France to renunciation of the sword and life in an Abbey, where perfection is also in question. As Pagan grows and matures, his experiences lead him from apprentice to mentor, and to situations in which he must re-evaluate all his previously held values and ideals.
This action-packed and humorous series is narrated in Pagan's sarcastic and witty voice. It is loaded with down-and-dirty details of medieval times and brings to life Medieval Jerusalem and the Crusades.