Crusader Gold

Crusader Gold David Gibbins Grade: C Sensuality: N/A My main thought upon finishing Crusader Gold was how much better it would have been had it been written by Bernard Cornwell.

This clunky book is the second by Gibbins to "star" marine archaeologist Jack Howard. There's some interesting history behind it, and an intriguing alternate theory of what might have happened had King Harald Hardrada escaped after his defeat on Stamford Bridge in his fight for the English throne in 1066. It reminded me in a small way of The Body in Question, an episode of Northern Exposure in which Napoleon ended up in Alaska after his defeat at Waterloo...only it was nowhere as entertaining.

I haven’t read Gibbins’ earlier Jack Howard story, but I am a voracious student of Medieval history and got a kick out of his theory if for no other reason than all those documentaries I've watched on ancient Israel, Rome, and the Barbarian tribes came together in a modern scenario. That said, the author’s background as a scholar tended to work against his writing ability as too much detail and too much of the teacher in him came out, resulting in a read that is often stilted. He's compared on the front cover as the cross between Dan Brown and Indiana Jones. I've never read Brown, but my guess is that because he is not a scholar but instead a writer, his books are more interesting.

Howard is on an archaeological mission to find the ancient gold menorah seized by Vespasian's army during the sack of Jerusalem. His findings lead his team from Turkey to England, the Arctic, and eventually, North America. But he's up against a group of Nazis who, in great Hitlerian tradition, have bastardized an organization supposedly started during the Crusades to protect the relic; the Nazis now conspire to find it for themselves in order to wreck havoc on the world's religions.

As I mentioned earlier, the book's history is a boon for geeks like me, but the writing and total lack of characterization were a problem. Early in the story Howard regurgigates large chunks of history. Not only did it make those initial chapters slow going, but it seemed unreasonable because he's essentially teaching those who should already know this information.

Also troublesome is the author's tendency to over-describe. It's not that he becomes purple or anything, it's just that he goes into such minute detail that the forest is lost for the trees. This happened in a scene involving an iceberg that should have been incredibly tense and exciting. It was interesting, but instead of being excited, I was confused.

I had high hopes for this book given my historical proclivities, but was left underwhelmed by Crusader Gold.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

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