Rating: 
Summary: Temple and The Stone, good half story
Review: Advise skipping first two parts of book. First two parts are bogged down in too much developement of history to support second two parts of book. Book covers a large time span and story does not flow smoothly. After reading the Adept series written by these two authors, this was a big disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: Give a hoot, read a book...but not this one.
Review: I agree with some of the other reviewers that the initial premise of this book seemed promising at the start. The further into the book I got though, the more this promise started to wane. I only finished this book because I had paid money for it. The final chapters were actually skimmed rather than read (reading for enjoyment is not supposed to be a chore). As an example of what I didn't like about the book can be found in the last chapter, the coronation of Robert the Bruce. Numerous pages described who was there, who stood where, who said what. Very dry. I thought this was a novel, not "The Cambridge Journal of Historical Analysis"! All to what purpose? I still don't know. I was surprised that the authors didn't describe what Sir Whoisname's wife was wearing (that color of gown just does not go with her hair!) and how the floral arrangements were picked out by the monk with the bad skin condition. I'll end my comments with one word. Tedious.
Rating: 
Summary: Periods of drama and long lapses of boredom
Review: I can make this one quick...interesting idea...too long...horrible ending. I like the new perspective of William Wallace, but he doesn't enter the story until about 250 pages have dragged by. There are some exciting glimpses into "dark" characters and mystery but they are few and far between. The authors involve FAR too much conversation between characters and they constantly rehash the same things over and over and over. Chapter 35 was the true end of the story - great climatic drama. Chapter 36 was so incredibly dull that I skimmed it, read the epilogue and gladly put this book away! Not a keeper and not one I would recommend. Enough to keep you trying to find redeeming value and a sorry disappointment for your efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Periods of drama and long lapses of boredom
Review: I can make this one quick...interesting idea...too long...horrible ending. I like the new perspective of William Wallace, but he doesn't enter the story until about 250 pages have dragged by. There are some exciting glimpses into "dark" characters and mystery but they are few and far between. The authors involve FAR too much conversation between characters and they constantly rehash the same things over and over and over. Chapter 35 was the true end of the story - great climatic drama. Chapter 36 was so incredibly dull that I skimmed it, read the epilogue and gladly put this book away! Not a keeper and not one I would recommend. Enough to keep you trying to find redeeming value and a sorry disappointment for your efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing mythic/historical tale
Review: I have enjoyed the Adept series and the other works of these authors. I am of Scots descent and was intrigued to see the use of the backdrop of the Scottish struggle for sovereignty as a stage for the occult themes. I was very disappointed in the story and it took me a day or two to realize that one of the reasons is that there are NO WOMEN in this book at all - except for an evil pre-Christian Goddess. (Who doesn't even seem to have any female worshippers.) Granted the main characters are militant monks, but surely somewhere in their Scottish wanderings or in one of the subplots there is room for the distaff side. This book, and its sequel, The Temple and the Crown, are relentless in their portrayal of good Christians vs horrible diabolists of one sort or another. I'm slogging along through the sequel but whether I will actually finish the thing is in doubt. I'm amazed that it is possible to make the stories of William Wallace and Robert Bruce boring.
Rating:
Summary: Well....I love these Gals but...
Review: I know I read this book and I remember raving about it to preety much everyone I met 2 years ago. For the life of me I cannot remember what the book was ABOUT. That is the feeling you will get when you read this book kinda like Chinesse food, a great feeling and something you want to tell your friends about but ultimity forgetable.
Rating:
Summary: Well....I love these Gals but...
Review: I know I read this book and I remember raving about it to preety much everyone I met 2 years ago. For the life of me I cannot remember what the book was ABOUT. That is the feeling you will get when you read this book kinda like Chinesse food, a great feeling and something you want to tell your friends about but ultimity forgetable.
Rating:
Summary: Not very good
Review: I really can't recommend this. It begins promisingly enough with the maid of Norway, the heir to the Scottish throne, dying on arrival to Scotland, and a prelate observing evil spirits attempting to take her soul. This is a very dry historical novel, in the Nigel Tranter variety, only making much less sense, suffused with magic elements. It's an interesting idea. There's a war brewing between Christian and Pagan elements (which are unreservedly evil here) and the competing magics secretly drive medieval politics. Unfortunately the interesting idea isn't very well executed, and we are treated to a miasma of historical detail and magical posturing that wanders all over the place, and occasionally returns to Torquil, a young hero whose only quality is that he is a young hero and is about to be recruited into the secret society of good guys. Ho hum.
Rating:
Summary: Not very good
Review: I really can't recommend this. It begins promisingly enough with the maid of Norway, the heir to the Scottish throne, dying on arrival to Scotland, and a prelate observing evil spirits attempting to take her soul. This is a very dry historical novel, in the Nigel Tranter variety, only making much less sense, suffused with magic elements. It's an interesting idea. There's a war brewing between Christian and Pagan elements (which are unreservedly evil here) and the competing magics secretly drive medieval politics. Unfortunately the interesting idea isn't very well executed, and we are treated to a miasma of historical detail and magical posturing that wanders all over the place, and occasionally returns to Torquil, a young hero whose only quality is that he is a young hero and is about to be recruited into the secret society of good guys. Ho hum.
Rating:
Summary: Braveheart vs. Kurtz/Harris
Review: I really enjoy historical fiction. I really enjoy fantasy. I really enjoy Scottish culture. And I loved the movie "Braveheart (also historical fiction)." With all these "enjoys" in place you would think that "The Temple and the Stone" was the perfect book for me. So did I. Unfortunately, "perfection" left after I read it. What was left was disappointment. The premise was a good one but execution was let's say, "as brutal as William Wallace's execution." Ms. Kurtz and Ms. Harris seem to really have a passion for the Knights of the Templar. This is not a bad thing, but without the Knights in this book, William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, etc. would be nothing more than bumbling Scots. The non-Templar characters knew nothing, the good Templar knights knew everything and saved the day at every turn; while the bad Templar knights were doomed to fail. Not to give anything away, but nothing bad really ever happens to the good Templar characters. Oh sure they lose their "Temple" in Jerusalem and they've got some corruption in their ranks, but who doesn't. There just never seems to be a serious threat to their knighthood lives. It just became painfully obvious that the battle between good and evil would always result with good winning. Now don't get me wrong, I want good to win (I "enjoy" happy endings)like the next reader, I just want to be unsure about the outcome during the battle.
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