Rating: 
Summary: Great premise, but poor execution
Review: I was drawn to this book by reading the back cover. How could anything revolving the story about William Wallace and Robert the Bruce be anything but good. I didn't even mind the battle between christian and pagan religions. It just seemed that whenever the Templars got in trouble they pulled out their Celtic stone, said some prayers and all was well. I was given the second book and will attempt to slog my way through it as I travel, however, I am so far not impressed 57 pages into it. I wish that the execution of this story and plot could have been done better as the idea was fantastic. I enjoyed some of the historical points of the book, but as written in earlier reviews they were repeated entirely too many times! I wouldn't buy this book if your looking for a fun, romping tale of the Knights Templar. Could have been much better.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise, but poor execution
Review: I was drawn to this book by reading the back cover. How could anything revolving the story about William Wallace and Robert the Bruce be anything but good. I didn't even mind the battle between christian and pagan religions. It just seemed that whenever the Templars got in trouble they pulled out their Celtic stone, said some prayers and all was well. I was given the second book and will attempt to slog my way through it as I travel, however, I am so far not impressed 57 pages into it. I wish that the execution of this story and plot could have been done better as the idea was fantastic. I enjoyed some of the historical points of the book, but as written in earlier reviews they were repeated entirely too many times! I wouldn't buy this book if your looking for a fun, romping tale of the Knights Templar. Could have been much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Braveheart Meets the Adept
Review: It's better written than Braveheart, but somehow doesn't quite flow like the adept series. This stew of Templar magic, William Wallace, Longshanks & Robert the Bruce, hold enough interest to finish the book. I'm not a Celtic scholar, but it sounds like Kurtz & Harris have done their homework. They certainly don't resort to some of the wildly unbelievable fantasies that meander through the movie Braveheart.It disappoints me that, yet again, this duo has chosen to demonize the religions of pre-Christian Europe. While finding bright light in their Christian/Templar/Masonic magic, they elaborate the darkest forces in the Old Religion. They neglect the fact that the equalitarianism of Celtic culture provided one of the few bright lights of a more democratic process than the totalitarianism which so characterized medieval Christianity. Celtic Christianity did, indeed, shine like a light in those dark ages, not inspite of the dark religions they had forsaken, but precisely because their pre-Christian religions were so full of light, celebration, and lie-affirming beliefs and celebrations. Overall, it was an enoyable book. Plenty of action, although a bit formulaic. The magical & occult material is not as rich as that found in Dion Fortune's novels, but this book is much more readable. If you're a die-hard Adept fan, you will want to read this book to experience more of the Saint Clair story. Fun, longer than it is deep, perhaps even historically accurate. Doesn't quite make it to 4 stars, though. It gets 3.5 stars, rounded down because it felt a bit tired. (If you would like to correspond about this review, please click the "about me" link above. Thanks!)
Rating:
Summary: Braveheart Meets the Adept
Review: It's better written than Braveheart, but somehow doesn't quite flow like the adept series. This stew of Templar magic, William Wallace, Longshanks & Robert the Bruce, hold enough interest to finish the book. I'm not a Celtic scholar, but it sounds like Kurtz & Harris have done their homework. They certainly don't resort to some of the wildly unbelievable fantasies that meander through the movie Braveheart. It disappoints me that, yet again, this duo has chosen to demonize the religions of pre-Christian Europe. While finding bright light in their Christian/Templar/Masonic magic, they elaborate the darkest forces in the Old Religion. They neglect the fact that the equalitarianism of Celtic culture provided one of the few bright lights of a more democratic process than the totalitarianism which so characterized medieval Christianity. Celtic Christianity did, indeed, shine like a light in those dark ages, not inspite of the dark religions they had forsaken, but precisely because their pre-Christian religions were so full of light, celebration, and lie-affirming beliefs and celebrations. Overall, it was an enoyable book. Plenty of action, although a bit formulaic. The magical & occult material is not as rich as that found in Dion Fortune's novels, but this book is much more readable. If you're a die-hard Adept fan, you will want to read this book to experience more of the Saint Clair story. Fun, longer than it is deep, perhaps even historically accurate. Doesn't quite make it to 4 stars, though. It gets 3.5 stars, rounded down because it felt a bit tired. (If you would like to correspond about this review, please click the "about me" link above. Thanks!)
Rating: 
Summary: Another Templar series
Review: Katherine and Deborah are writing yet another Knights Templar series, but in olden times instead of modern times. These 2 women seem very taken with the romanticized version of the Knights Templar and make their non-Templar characters unable to function without said Templars. That being said, this book has quite a bit of action with little physical combat and is slightly fast-paced. Supernatural monsters, paganism, Scotland and politics abound here. I liked the book, yet in all honesty I very much preferred the earlier Adept series and I think Kathy and Debby should write more Adept books rather than starting a new series. The characters in the Adept books feel more alive and 3 dimensional while Arnault and gang are more 2D, in keeping with their era.
Rating: 
Summary: Entrancing historic fantasy epic is superb!
Review: Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris have created a magnificent blend of history and fantasy that is truly one of the most entertaining books of the summer. Action, intrigue, and excitement throughout keep the pace fast and insistent. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Temple and the Stone by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turn
Review: The Temple and the Stone
by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris If you enjoyed the Adept Series by these authors you will enjoy this book. If not, this probably is not the book for you either. Much like the Adept books this is an Esoteric Mystery book. Some of it takes place in the solid every day reality we are used to, but many of the clues are to be found in the Astral/unseen world. I think that these are definitely niche market books, since I can easily see it offending both main stream Christians and die hard pagans. You need to be open for a place for both aspects in the world to be confortabe with the setting of this books world. The story is from the point of view of Templar Knights, and therefore has a Christian point of view, but they are also aware of and work with the esoteric world. It is very much a white light/dark light type of battle, but this book is even more from a Christian perspective because of the protagonists. Most of the good pagan aspects are also found among Christians in this book, in the form of the Columbian Monks. These monks seem to have taken all of the traditional druidic values and added the teachings of Christ to them. Alternately there is the dark cult that our protagonists battle. As to the plot, I found the book to be fun light read. The points of history seem to be fairly accurate from what I can remember. It begins with the death of the Maiden of Norway and sees Scotland thru to the coming of the Bruce. For reasons of their own (which are given in the book, but I am trying to avoid spoiling the plot too much), parts of the Knights Templar have decided that it is important that Scotland remains sovereign. This is the story of how they aid in bringing that about. To think of it this book would probably make a fun Module for NeverWinter Nights. There is a magical artifact for pretty much every need.
Rating:
Summary: The Temple and the Stone by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turn
Review: The Temple and the Stone
by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris If you enjoyed the Adept Series by these authors you will enjoy this book. If not, this probably is not the book for you either. Much like the Adept books this is an Esoteric Mystery book. Some of it takes place in the solid every day reality we are used to, but many of the clues are to be found in the Astral/unseen world. I think that these are definitely niche market books, since I can easily see it offending both main stream Christians and die hard pagans. You need to be open for a place for both aspects in the world to be confortabe with the setting of this books world. The story is from the point of view of Templar Knights, and therefore has a Christian point of view, but they are also aware of and work with the esoteric world. It is very much a white light/dark light type of battle, but this book is even more from a Christian perspective because of the protagonists. Most of the good pagan aspects are also found among Christians in this book, in the form of the Columbian Monks. These monks seem to have taken all of the traditional druidic values and added the teachings of Christ to them. Alternately there is the dark cult that our protagonists battle. As to the plot, I found the book to be fun light read. The points of history seem to be fairly accurate from what I can remember. It begins with the death of the Maiden of Norway and sees Scotland thru to the coming of the Bruce. For reasons of their own (which are given in the book, but I am trying to avoid spoiling the plot too much), parts of the Knights Templar have decided that it is important that Scotland remains sovereign. This is the story of how they aid in bringing that about. To think of it this book would probably make a fun Module for NeverWinter Nights. There is a magical artifact for pretty much every need.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting story about the Scottish hero, William Wallace!
Review: This book adds a magical part to the story of the Scottish matyr William Wallace. The characters seem real and the plot is well done. This book is one of the best books that Ms. Kurtz has turned out in a long time! If you like the Adept series, you'll love this book.
Rating:
Summary: A syncopated plot line and lots of detail
Review: This book skips and starts between plot development and detailed descriptions. While successfully capturing the balancing act required of a neutral order of knighthood while competing kingdoms are at war, Kurtz and Harris all too often lose the reader in detail, however well written. The book taken as a whole is not particularly compelling. No character evokes much empathy with the reader, and too many of the characters are two dimensional. On the other hand, the description is detailed, and rich pictures are painted with prose during the scenes where occult and heavenly powers are exercised. The alternative history style holds great dangers to any author, most of which are successfully navigated. The linkage of early Celtic christianity to the highly politicized christianity of the 14th century is fairly well presented. If you don't know much about the Knights Templar, or Scottish history, you may enjoy the book for pure entertainment value. The more you know about 13th and 14th century European politics and history, the less this book is likely to entertain you. A strong point to this book is its very digestable length. Far too many phone book sized fantasy novels on the market. This book is self contained and will create few problems with reading until 4 in the morning the night before and important meeting or exam. It may inspire interest in medevial European history, which is a rich and fascinating historical period for anyone to study or even just browse. In a nutshell: worth a read, but not a must.
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