Rating: 
Summary: Overkill!
Review: This is one of the oddest books on the Templars that I have ever run across. On the positive side, it spares us the usual lunatic speculation linking the Templars with the Holy Grail, the Cathars, the Troubadors, the Sufis, the Masons, the Merovingian Dynasty and God only knows what other Medieval conspiracy theory the mind of modern man can concoct, and for that I am thankful.On the other hand, I question the necessity of providing the history of Islam from Muhammad forward, as well as the history of Christian monasticism from the time of St. Anthony, or the history of Christianity from the time of Christ, for that matter, solely for the purpose of setting the stage for the Templars. Is our world so full of ignorant agnostics that people have to have these things explained to them? Maybe it is. One might argue that this is really a rather sketchy history of the Crusades as well as as an overstuffed history of the Templars. The odd thing is that many of the stories about the Templars that interest people the most, such as the record of their trial and dissolution, Is given extremely short shrift in this version. If you're a already Templar enthusiast I think you'll find mighty slim pickings in this book. If your a novice to the whole Templar thing, you may find the book to be of some value, but you may want to look over some other recent offerings on the subject as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book-Misleading title
Review: This book is a good introduction to the history of the crusades. Especially useful are the chapters which summarise Jewish, Muslim and Christian development and history. This gives a good contextual grounding for the later crusader period.
However, the focus of this book is not really the Knights Templar. The book is mainly concerned with the political history of the cursader kingdoms, the political dynamics of the leading families of Europe and the Church. In this it does a good job.
I did enjoy reading this book (in spite of the poor editing, ubiquitous typos and mispellings) but be warned. If you are looking for a book which specifically deals with the Templars, details the structure of the Order, the day to day life of Templars, specifics of their campaigns, equipment etc...this is not it.
Rating:
Summary: A very interesting look into the Crusades era
Review: I am not a historian, so I cannot attest to the validity of the facts presented in this book, as some reviewers had complained about. Other reviewers balked at this books breadth of scope. I actually enjoyed this. Its probably true that a better title for the book would have been something like "the crusades" or "Outrimer" or some such thing. I think that a book restricted to the templars would be overly accademic to be intersting to a wide reader base. It would be hard to write a book about the Templars without mentioning the Teutonic Knights, the various kings of Europe, various Muslim forces and leader, and especially the Papacy and the Hospitaller Knights. The history of the Knights Templar are literally intertwined with all of these groups. The only way to write a book strictly devoted to the Templars would be to write it exclusively for individuals who already knew a lot about Crusade history, and what would be the point of that? People who are so familiar with that period of western history wouldn't need to read a book about the Templars, because they would already know it. I found the origins, the rule, the duelality of this monastic yet militaristic order, and the bizzare downfall of the order extremely interesting. In between the descriptions of each of these was a somewhat confusing and boring list of events that made up the history of Outrimer. This, obviously, was the history of the Templars and had to be included into a history of the order, but the overwhelming cast of characters made for a laborsome read.
Rating: 
Summary: can i trust this book?
Review: In the appendices of the book, the author writes that in 1565 the Turks besieged Valletta, the capital city of Malta. I would be interested to know where the author gained hold of such a "fact", considering that during that siege Valletta hadn't even been built!
Seeing that the author made such a staggering blunder in the one piece of history i already knew something about (as any schoolkid in malta does), how can i be sure that the rest of the book isn't riddled with similar errors! I just can't trust this book.
Rating:
Summary: An odd book, but a good read
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Templar history, don't be fooled by the title
Review: Having bought this book a while ago I wasn't able to read it until now. And although you get a good history breakdown of all the major players of the Crusades, you don't get a picture of The Templars! Why sell a book, and name a book, that is supposed to be about the Templars when you don't really write about them? This is a poor attempt by Piers Paul Read to capitalize on the Templar name in an attempt to sell more of his book. First off, he isn't a true historian. So the previous reviewer who stated that this is one of the best researched books is sorely wrong. All he has done is compile what all the TRUE researchers have come up with and then stamp his name on the cover. He didn't do any research! All total, if you combine everything that is actually about the Templars, then you may have forty pages worth. He has whole chapters based on Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, Frederick of Hohenstaufen, Louis of France, the Enemies Within (which is a chapter on the struggles that Christians and the papacy are going through on the continent). One of the final chapters, named The Temple in Exile, hints that you finally will get a chapter on the Templars, even if it is of their downfall, but this chapter rarely talks about them! Instead he spends the chapter discussing Philip IV of France and the struggles he has with Boniface VIII. And who edited this book? There are so many typos that it is misleading at times. He transposes names where they shouldn't be, as in Turks instead of Byzantine, or Clement V instead of Clement IV, date of 1177 instead of 1277, and the list goes on and on. At first you brush it off saying that it happens, don't worry, but then they keep coming. Was this book edited at all to make sure that it is accurate? Another hint that he is not a historian writing this book is that, and I wish I remember where he wrote this (I think it was of Philip IV and his wife Joan), he claims as evidence that the king and his wife loved each other and had affection of each other was because they had eleven children! Does he know absolutely nothing about medieval marriage practices? Does he know anything about marriages made to further the family's possessions and power? Is he completely numb to the history of England revolving around Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and the number of children they had despite them not liking or having affection for each other, eventually resulting in Eleanor being imprisoned? Such assumptions show that he is not a historian and his book should not be taken as one. Also, he mentions Joseph and when the Israelites came to him for grain and were saved, but doesn't mention that the Israelites are Joseph's blood brothers. Little stuff where a small amount of essential detail is left out shows where he is lacking. Look at the books he has written! Mostly fiction, with a few nonfiction that don't touch anywhere near the same periods of history (for example, remember the movie Alive? The rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes and they started eating the dead bodies? This is his other nonfiction. Doesn't relate to the time period at all, showing that he is an amateur historian, not a professional historian). If you are looking for a really broad overview of the times, from the Mongols in the east to England in the west, and everything in between, then read this book. This is not a book about the Templars, but rather about the monarchs of the Continent and England, and the Crusades. And you shouldn't be reading this if you already have a firm grasp on medieval times, because this book is for people without any background in this period of history. All in all, very disappointed. I had very high expectations when I purchased this book. But that is what I get for buying it before seeing what qualifies the author to write on the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Good handiwork indeed
Review: "The Templars" provide a solemn, scientific, yet very entertaining look at the history of the doubtlessly most renowned military order. Avoiding most speculations and concentrating on facts, it gives the reader an inside look at the trial of the Order's leaders and its subsequent dissolution, concluding at the same time that there is no real cause for believing that the Templars had access to any deep occult secrets or, indeed, were of a heretical nature. The book also provide a good overview of general Crusading history, as well as a quick look at the history of Palestine before, during and after the Jewish era. Very recommended indeed.
Rating:
Summary: A good, well-researched introduction to the FACTS
Review: Well researched and rehearsed, solidly written (if at times a little cold), often heavy on the historical detail and place or figure names. Gives a good background in simplistic terms of the history of the Middle East before the times of the Templars, which helps to place everything in context. I wanted even more detail about the Templar's pre-history, but specific works can be found for that. As everyone has said before this, this books is about the historical facts and social/military/economic context of this "divine order", not about Templar legends or superstitions. My only complaint is the way that Read quotes from his sources (specific sentences to start thoughts or paragraphs) is a little amateurish, he doesn't refer to their source directly or place them in the context of Templar research. Aside from that this is a nice introduction to the subject and a good counter in one's library to ameliorate the effects of too many volumes of Templar fairytales.
Rating:
Summary: "Templars" not good primer for amateur historians
Review: Admittedly, I didn't know anything about the Templars before I read this book, but I wouldn't recommend it to another novice. It has many flaws, to say the least. Read is inconsistent in both subject matter and tone. Read describes the Crusades in detail, yet fails to provide meaningful context for the actions of the Crusaders in general and the Templars in particular. He doesn't isolate and examine the motives and actions of the different participants in a way that lends itelf to developing a sound undertanding of what the Crusades were really about. At several points thoughout the book, he also mixes and matches Templars and non-Templars, which quickly became very confusing. The repeated references to the corporate nature of the Templar order are not supported by details about the financial structures underlying the order. Read implies the order was a powerhouse in international finance but doesn't provide enough evidence to support that suggestion. Obviously, Read's research was sound, but this is another book that could have benefitted from the input of a competent editor.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, if poorly titled, entry-level book.
Review: This book is a worthy addition to any novice historian's home library for the clear way in which it explains the setting of the Crusades -- the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the split of the Eastern Orthodox and Latin rite ("Roman Catholic") Churches are explained more clearly and quickly than one would think possible. It is not exhaustive and a serious medievalist would probably regard it as fluff or worse. But for someone who finds he needs to start learning about the Crusades and the military orders, the first 100 pages are worth the price. It does describe the formation of the Order, how it grew from the pacific monastic orders, and how they evolved to be a sort of power-brokerage house in the Holy Land and, to a smaller extent, in France and England. It provides an excellent overview of the Crusades, and it does clearly show that while the Templars were heroic, they seem to have gained a fearsome reputation in spite of any actual accomplishments -- they hindered at least as often as they helped, and always for the worst of reasons. It does not outline very well how their banking practices grew up, how much territory they covered in their financial sphere, or how they trained, or lived, or operated as an institution (this is much better addressed in, say, Burman's "Templars: Knights of God"). Read focuses on the historic, Catholic monastic order, and does not address those who claim to have maintained the order, nor any of the conspiracies attributed to the surviving brothers. If you need really detailed info on the Order, this is at best a primer, and so it may not be for you. A better title would emphasize the Crusades more and the Order less, such as "The Crusades and the Templars". I still found Mr. Read's book to be worthwhile, and if, like me, you are beginning to study the monastic orders and/or the Crusades, I recommend this as an excellent starting point.
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