Rating: 
Summary: A worthy sequel
Review: Although, in my opinion, not quite up to par with 'The Iron Lance,' the first of this trilogy, 'The Black Rood' still provides an entertaining continuation of the story. The biggest problem I probably had was that I just couldn't find Duncan as intruging a character as his father, Murdo. Murdo goes into the Holy Land to reclaim his family's land, while Duncan seems to have something to prove, and his character was far less appealing to me.
Rating:
Summary: Iron Lance is better, but this is still very good
Review: As I mention in the title I enjoyed the Iron Lance a little more than this. It's a subjective thing - the Iron Lance just grabbed me a little more than this one. Howver, this is still a pretty decent book, worth reading. The lead character is Duncan Murdosson, son of Murdo Ranulfson from the Iron Lance. Duncan's uncle, Murdo's brother, has come home from the Holy Land where he stayed after the Great Pilgrimage. He has harrowing tales of life in the Holy Land, but also plants in Duncan the seed of knowledge of the existence of the the Black Rood, a piece of the cross of Christ. After enduring a great tragedy, and against the will of his father, Duncan goes on a quest for the Black Rood. This quest will take him on a long journey through many lands and adventures and much intrigue. Along the way he will find the object of his quest, as well as love and restoration to the True Path. This book is written in an interesting style. Most of it is written in first person narrative with Duncan as the narrator, writing a story of his travels while in prison awaiting execution as the hands of Muslims. He is writing this for the sake of his daughter, whom he expects never to see again. One of the high spots of the book is the tale of his deliverance from prison. So, for a fun read I recommend this. It's not the greatest book you will ever read, but it enjoyable nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Iron Lance is better, but this is still very good
Review: As I mention in the title I enjoyed the Iron Lance a little more than this. It's a subjective thing - the Iron Lance just grabbed me a little more than this one. Howver, this is still a pretty decent book, worth reading. The lead character is Duncan Murdosson, son of Murdo Ranulfson from the Iron Lance. Duncan's uncle, Murdo's brother, has come home from the Holy Land where he stayed after the Great Pilgrimage. He has harrowing tales of life in the Holy Land, but also plants in Duncan the seed of knowledge of the existence of the the Black Rood, a piece of the cross of Christ. After enduring a great tragedy, and against the will of his father, Duncan goes on a quest for the Black Rood. This quest will take him on a long journey through many lands and adventures and much intrigue. Along the way he will find the object of his quest, as well as love and restoration to the True Path. This book is written in an interesting style. Most of it is written in first person narrative with Duncan as the narrator, writing a story of his travels while in prison awaiting execution as the hands of Muslims. He is writing this for the sake of his daughter, whom he expects never to see again. One of the high spots of the book is the tale of his deliverance from prison. So, for a fun read I recommend this. It's not the greatest book you will ever read, but it enjoyable nonetheless.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD - BUT NOT GREAT
Review: Having read and completely enjoyed Book 1, I was hoping against hope that the reviews written here were too critical (probably written by non-fans or....). Alas, they are right. This book is strictly a 3-star event - possibly less if the bench mark is Book 1. The idea is good. Duncan, son of Murdo, trekks off back to the holy land in search of his destiny, which is The Black Rood - a piece of the true Holy Cross.
The main problem is that there is endless, mindless moving from one place to the next followed by page after page of conversation and feast after feast...all this sprinkled with moments of the brilliance that Lawhead is capable of.
I'm hoping that the review for Book 3 are wrong, cause I'm gonna read it!!!! (Byzantium is BRILLIANT!!!)
Rating: 
Summary: Lawhead must have got so bored - he killed the book
Review: I have read the other reviews and can't believe I read the same book - I won't give away the ending - I can't - there wasn't one - you are left at the end, after jumping from location to location like someone surfing the internet instead of traveling in the middle ages, with just that, a very abrupt end - the 20th century narrator looks off in the distance and understands it all - but I wish he had explained to me - After the Iron Lance, which was okay, I was hoping for more but suddenly its some 40 years later and I cannot believe that Lawhead has any real interest in this series and cobbles stuff together to get the thing done - And how many times does the narrator have to say 'oh woe is me, had I but known . . . ' but that phrase has become a greek chorus throughout lawhead from Arthur to the Silver Hand and Byzamtium - I wish that Lawhead had some of the power of Cornwall's Lord Derfel but then he wouldn't be Lawhead - If you read the 1st one, you'll have to read this one and the next but I'm not waiting for it with much anticipation -
Rating: 
Summary: average is average is a middle part of a trilogy
Review: Lawhead like many writers has a good idea for a beginning and hopefully a great idea for an ending. The problem is that he doesn't have or want to say to much in the middle. So he has given us this very nice travelogue of the twelve hundreds and what it was like to travel around the mediteranean. My gosh, there were good and bad people. Some were christians and some were moslems, and if we had actually met some, a couple of good and bad jews would have been in there too. But, maybe they were all murdered in Book One. Lets hope that Book Three is an improvement, or it means that Lawhead is beginning to suffer from "Michner Syndrome". At the end of his great writing career, Michner had become a magnificent researcher. The problem with his books became that you were going to see everything he found in his research in his books because no one had the guts to edit him. Inshallah, this too will pass
Rating: 
Summary: The Black Rood
Review: Lawhead weaves a story in this serious like a celtic knot. His words take hold of you and you fall deep into the pictures that he creates. The pages fly by and as you finish the last page you only want more. Fortunately, Lawhead continues this saga on more books. Start with Byzantium and follow this line through to the end.
Rating:
Summary: More of the same...
Review: Lawhead's "Celtic Crusades" continue with the next generation, Duncan, son of Murdo (familiar to readers of Vol. 1 in the series, "The Iron Lance"). One again the action revolves around a sacred relic, this time the black rood, a remnant of Christ's true cross, which Duncan aspires to obtain in a crusade to the Holy Land. The narrative of Duncan's vision of Christ's death in connection with this relic is one of the central passages of the book (p334-347). In his quest, Duncan is accompanied by the Cele De priest Padraig and Prince Roupen of Armenia, and must deal with danger at the hands of the Moslems (Seljuq Turks) and the more mysterious intrigues of the Templar Knights. As in the first novel of the series, the story is framed by the memoirs of Gordon Murray, a member of a nineteenth century secret society, but Murray's connection to the plot is still enshrouded in mystery and will only become clear in the final volume of the series. There's no question that the novel is rich in historical detail and adventure, and there are some solid Christian themes. Typical are sentences like: "the Swift Sure Hand does bend all things to the good of those who love him." Despite this, "The Black Rood" lacks the gripping suspense of Lawhead's historical epic "Byzantium", and the passion and imagination of his forays into fantasy. I look forward to when Lawhead leaves the realm of historical fiction and returns to fantasy. -GODLY GADFLY
Rating:
Summary: More of the same...
Review: Lawhead's "Celtic Crusades" continue with the next generation, Duncan, son of Murdo (familiar to readers of Vol. 1 in the series, "The Iron Lance"). One again the action revolves around a sacred relic, this time the black rood, a remnant of Christ's true cross, which Duncan aspires to obtain in a crusade to the Holy Land. The narrative of Duncan's vision of Christ's death in connection with this relic is one of the central passages of the book (p334-347). In his quest, Duncan is accompanied by the Cele De priest Padraig and Prince Roupen of Armenia, and must deal with danger at the hands of the Moslems (Seljuq Turks) and the more mysterious intrigues of the Templar Knights. As in the first novel of the series, the story is framed by the memoirs of Gordon Murray, a member of a nineteenth century secret society, but Murray's connection to the plot is still enshrouded in mystery and will only become clear in the final volume of the series. There's no question that the novel is rich in historical detail and adventure, and there are some solid Christian themes. Typical are sentences like: "the Swift Sure Hand does bend all things to the good of those who love him." Despite this, "The Black Rood" lacks the gripping suspense of Lawhead's historical epic "Byzantium", and the passion and imagination of his forays into fantasy. I look forward to when Lawhead leaves the realm of historical fiction and returns to fantasy. -GODLY GADFLY
Rating:
Summary: Vivid Settings, Muddied Motivations
Review: Our small town library finally added "The Black Rood" to their collection, and I was the first to check it out. This has been one of my most anticipated reads in a while; I loved "The Iron Lance." Once again, Lawhead creates a vivid setting for his characters, replete with mouth-watering food, colorful garb, and back-breaking responsibilities. Once again, he transports us from Scotland to the lands of the Crusades. This time, it's Murdo's son, Duncan, who sets off on his own quest. This time, Duncan is the first-person narrator, telling the story of his travels to his daughter Caitriona. (My guess is that she will be the protagonist of his next book in the series, to be titled "The Mystic Rose.") Though I read the book quickly--after the initial twenty pages, which seemed a bit muddied--I missed Murdo's cynicism and spiritual encounters from the first book. Here, Duncan has no real cross to bear; basically, he just wants a part of the adventure his father had. Even his personal tragedy early in the book has no real influence on his decision-making later. His motivations seem not as strong, and--in fact--I found it a bit difficult to swallow that he leaves behind his daughter after what they had experienced. (I can't go into detail without giving things away.) If Lawhead had described even a brief farewell scene, I might've made this jump easier. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Not as much as "The Iron Lance," but still a vivid and memorable experience. The search of the Caliph's treasure house and the ensuing escape were heart-pounding adventure at its finest. While I don't always understand the motivations of some Lawhead characters, Lawhead always manages to bring a grace and dignity and honor to his people which I appreciate. "The Mystic Rose," when it comes out, will sit high on my list.
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