Rating: 
Summary: Satiable Hunger
Review: Sometimes all you need is something to tide you over. Dinner is in an hour but your stomach is rumbling away so you nibble on a cookie, chow on a candy bar, suck on a ring-pop. The food might not be the greatest and a couple hours later you've probably forgotten you had it. But it did the trick. It took care of your hunger for the moment.James Patterson and Andrew Cross's new book Jester is little more than the bag of nuts you get on an airplane to keep you going until your next layover or until you reach your destination. You wish your flight had a meal served on it, but are happy to at least have the snack. Jester is an exciting tale of love, wars against royalty and quests for religious relics. While the tale briefly begins in present time, the true story begins in 1050 A.D. when Hugh De Luc watches people head off on crusades. He holds himself back from partaking in the religious battles at first, but when a second opportunity arouses, he is unable to keep himself from going to war. He leaves his wife Sophie at home and fights for the freedom he feels is right. When Hugh returns home he finds that his decision to join the crusades has affected his whole villages and his wife, who has been taken captive. Going on about the plot might actually make the book seem less appealing and more dime-store-romance-novel-ish... But essentially that's what it is, with only a fraction of the smut. Patterson and Cross do a very good job of writing an entertaining story that keeps you turnings the pages. With no less than 153 chapters in only 452 pages, Jester is broken up into bite-size chunks easily accessible to anyone. The book is flawed: while the book begins in the present, we never return to the beginning characters but instead end still in the time of the crusades; the plot is much too predictable. When you want a nice easy read though, perhaps on a long flight where you just want to be distracted from the crying babies behind you and the coughing passenger besides you until your next layover or until you reach your destination, open the Jester. You might not remember much about the book when you're finished, but you will enjoy the read.
Rating: 
Summary: eh
Review: The plot is okay, the characters are okay, the writing is okay... nothing is particularly memorable. There are a lot of better books out there, but this is not bad, worth reading if you want to distract yourself for a few hours.
Everyone has his own tastes, but I'm a little surprised by some of the other reviews. 'Phenomenal' is not a word I'd use to describe this. Sure, it sucked me in, but go try China Mieville or Chris Moore if you want some really good writing. 'Realistic' also surprised me--maybe try Jack Whyte or even Harry Harrison's Hammer and Cross series for more realistic historical fiction.
If you've read Patterson's Alex Cross books, the writing style here is similar but different enough that it's not just a Cross novel set in the twelfth century. As with any collaboration, you don't know who wrote what, but seems that Andrew Gross contributed at least enough to the style to make it unlike the other Patterson stuff I've read. I'd have to say I like this a little better in terms of quality of writing.
I might try another Patterson/Gross collaboration but I'll probably do what I did for this one--get it from the library. It's not really a book I'd read over and over so I probably wouldn't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: This book came highly recommeded by a freind. And boy does her taste in books suck. This story is so unbelievable. Don't waste your time. I wish I could get back that week of my life I spent reading this.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Different Subject Matter For James Patterson
Review: This book is a strange blend of the quintessial James Patterson in format and pace with an entirely new type of story for him (as was the moving and enjoyable SUZANNE'S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS). This is an historical novel based in medieval times, with the Crusades and French serfdom as the backdrop. It appears to accurately capture the nature of the times, with townspeople barely scratching out an existence while dependent for protection on the whims of the local nobles and their knights. The central character is Hugh De Luc, an innkeeper in a small French village who leaves his wife Sophie to join the First Crusade to fight the infidels and free Jerusalem. The first section of the book graphically describes the hardships which he and his companions endured during their journey, and his lifechanging experience in Antioch which convinced him to end his journey and return home. Upon his eventual return he finds his village plundered and destroyed, the infant son previously unknown to him murdered and his wife kidnapped and believed dead. The remainder of the book involves Hugh's attempts to locate his wife (he believes that she is still alive) and mete out vengenance on those who are responsible for his son's death. While near death after an encounter with a wild boar, Hugh is befriended by Emilie and her mistress Anne from neighboring Boree, which Anne rules while her husband Stephen is away fighting in the Crusade. Hugh attempts to develop a strategy for infiltrating neighboring Treille, a walled city ruled by the evil Baldwin, who is apparently responsible for Sophie's kidnapping. Emilie has the idea that Hugh can use his intelligence and natural talent for comedy to pose as a JESTER, and thus disguised Hugh resumes his search for Sophie. As you might assume since this is a James Patterson book, at this point the plot complications and misdirection begin. Hugh soon discovers that in fact one of the souvenirs that he brought home to France is perceived to be of great historical value and the prize sought by the Black Knights still wrecking havoc on the countryside and its inhabitants in their search for it. The latter parts of the book turn out to be not only an historical action/adventure but a philosophical examination of the role of individual freedom and private property that eventually transformed the nature of arrangements between nobles and the monarchy and their subjects and led to the adoption of the rule of law versus the rule of force. Hugh assembles an army of his friends and neighbors to first confront Baldwin of Treille and later Stephen of Boree (upon his return from the Crusade), and combines his insights with the knowledge and skills that he learned during the battles in which he participated to overcome superior odds and eventually prevail. Yet the style of Patterson and his co-author Andrew Gross keep the pace very rapid and the story interesting and fast moving. There is an incredible amount of bloodshed, violence, vulgarity, and gore. These are obviously typical of the period and true to the experience of the Crusades, although much of the dialog seems much more attuned to our current patterns of speech than to the Middle Ages. The difference between the violence in this and some of Patterson's especially gory books is that it seemed essential to the plot and not carried to mindnumbing and gratuitous extremes. There is also the usual misdirection, although more obvious clues in some cases (such as Emilie's identity) than is usual for a Patterson story. In summary, Patterson's style and the short chapters and rapid pace of action actually hide the much more ambitious effort that this book represents. As an affirmation of the power of love and laughter, its overriding tone despite the violence is quite different from many of his other stories. And the fairy tale ending is very different from his usual conclusion, perhaps to offset this essentially accurate portrayal of the depressing nature of the history of the that time. So, if you are a James Patterson fan, be prepared for something very different but just as engaging as his best work. And I certainly agree with the comments of other reviewers that this appears to be a prime candidate for an epic movie, I just hope that they manage to make it more that an historical adventure, as the authors have done. It is a fast paced easy read, but somewhat longer and with a lot more to think about and enjoy than most of his books. So, if you want a detective story, look elsewhere; and if you want a serious historical novel with carefully drawn characters and slow paced action examining the time in great detail, you will also certainly be disappointed. But if you want a story to read on the train or plane, during a vacation, or while relaxing before bed, this is well worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Non Stop Pulse Pounding Action!
Review: This book is one of those books that you can't wait to read every day! The idea behind the story is outstanding. I would fully recommend The Jester to anyone who wanted a good action/thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous historical fiction.
Review: This was my first James Patterson book and I loved it! Impossible to put down, Jester torments you with it's realistic portrayal of life in medeival times and the Crusades. I recommend this book to everyone who likes historical fiction. I guess some people did not realize that this is not strictly a murder mystery like Patterson books seem to be, but it is much more interesting than that! This book has war, violence, romance, and beauty. It is a poignant and epic classic.
Rating:
Summary: Great historical fiction!
Review: Wonderful reading! In 1096, French innkeeper Hugh de Luc joins the Crusades in an effort to obtain his freedom from his nasty overlord Lord Baldwin. However, he finds the war not to be anything like he expected as he witnesses atrocities on both sides as they crazily trek for seemingly endless miles towards Jerusalem with no end in sight. Unable to cope, Hugh deserts.... He returns home with some treasures he took from the Holy Land only to learn that Baldwin abducted his beloved wife and murdered his son. Wanting to liberate his spouse and avenge his child's murder, Hugh masquerades as a JESTER to gain entrance into his enemy's castle. However, he meets a noblewoman, who he begins to love, which sidetracks Hugh from his quest. Meanwhile his foe seeks him out based on a rumor that Hugh brought back the holiest of relics. As his village is ravaged by Baldwin's thugs who search for him, Hugh starts a counterrevolution to destroy the noble or die trying.... The JESTER is entertaining very colorful historical fiction that vividly brings to life the late eleventh century. The last books from Amazon that excited my interest were, 'Unconventional Flying Objects' by Paul Hill, 'Alien Rapture' by Brad Steiger, and 'Alien Agenda' by Jim Marrs. I highly recommend all these books and you should read the reviews.. I can't recommend them enough. Everybody I have lent them to loved them.
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