The Cult A Novel of Two Norman Kingdoms The Abraxas Chronicles Book 1 edition by Richard Devlin Literature Fiction eBooks
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—HONORABLE MENTION, FOREWORD REVIEWS' INDIEFAB BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION— A meeting of two worlds. A tale of forbidden love. A chronicle of heresy and crime. Set in the late twelfth century in England and Arab-Norman Sicily, The Cult follows the fates of Elise, Edmond, and Martin, three pupils of a learned English scholar. Early in the story, all three friends become caught in a web of deceit and threatened by an ancient Gnostic cult reincarnated in a new and monstrous form. Pledged to each other, Elise and Edmond strive to keep their love alive despite great opposition. One by one, each for a different reason, all three come to Arab-Norman Sicily, a rich and brilliant realm where Christians, Jews, and Muslims live in peace. In cosmopolitan Palermo, minarets rise beside church towers, the Norman king keeps a harem, and Muslims work with Christian clerics to recover classic texts. Here Martin meets Khalil al-Din, the Arab scholar who will change his life. As their imperiled lives unfold, all three friends struggle against both the evil of the cult and the oppressive prohibitions of their time. Their intimate stories bring to life an epic age whose conflicts closely parallel our own.
The Cult A Novel of Two Norman Kingdoms The Abraxas Chronicles Book 1 edition by Richard Devlin Literature Fiction eBooks
The last historical novel I read was The Pillars of the Earth and I really liked it. A friend of mine told me The Cult took place in the same century, so I downloaded a sample on my Kindle Fire. Actually, I was hooked first by the eerie cover with the stone circle in the moonlight. When I started reading I wasn’t disappointed. The first short chapter of the book is a brilliant before-and-after glimpse of a victim of the cult. The momentum continues from there as the reader becomes part of the lives of the three principal characters, Elise, Martin, and Edmond, the students of an English scholar. Gradually, we learn how the cult discovered early in the book will affect them all. From the first, the author’s writing is flawless and the flavor of the period authentic, with just enough descriptive detail to convince the reader of its truth.The last two parts of the book take place in wealthy Norman Sicily where there is an important marriage between the English princess and the Sicilian king. Until I read this book, I had no idea Norman Sicily was so multi-cultural and inclusive of its large Greek and Arab population. But even here the threat of the cult looms along with the threat of another crusade. This is a novel full of secrets, and not just the terrible secrets of the cult. There are three love affairs in the book, and all of them have to be kept secret for various reasons. Without giving away the story, I’ll only say that this is a beautifully written and plotted novel. In fact once I began it, I ended up reading it in three days, a record for me!
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The Cult A Novel of Two Norman Kingdoms The Abraxas Chronicles Book 1 edition by Richard Devlin Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
I was reading this book along with another book--which didn't allow me to read this continuously. In some ways, I could predict what would happen, but in other ways, I was surprised. A good read though.
It was not a good read due to the emphasis of the forbidden love between Martin and
The Arab. It would have been a much better read without that
I gave it a 4 out of 5 because I particularly liked the "Sicilian Exile" (my words) where Martin and Elise both find the freedom to struggle with their developing personas in the lush, unfettered atmosphere of Sicily. The writing in this section has an honesty and grace about it that is obscured during the telling of the rather goulish background story. It was a good summer read.
This book goes way back to the 12th Century, but is enlightening to the role of both Norman kingdoms (Sicily and England) at the time, the hidden practices of the Gnostics, and the attempt to balance the many cultures of Sicily in peace. The sexual content is not graphic, but outlines the hidden sex and sexuality of the times.
This is a novel that really takes the reader back to the twelfth-century in England and Norman Sicily. The author writes with an amazing understanding of the cultures and customs of the time. The stories of Elise, Edmond and Martin, three young scholars, are woven together in such a way that it made me not want to put the book down. This is an unforgettable novel with vivid imagery, compelling drama, suspense, romance, intrigue, hardships and victories. The philosophical questions that emerge through the conflicts between good and evil are as relevant to our world in the twenty-first century as they were to the historical and fictional characters in the book.
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and Devlin does a wonderful job of bringing this period to life. We all know about Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine (remember "The Lion in Winter"?). This story takes us into the lives of three young people in that period (12th century England and Sicily).
The cult referred is pretty gruesome, but there is lots more to the story than the central mystery of what the cult is up to. The characters are well-drawn, the love stories are engaging, and the period details are fascinating and well-researched. I was amazed that Devlin managed to bring all the plot lines to such a satisfying conclusion, especially since The Cult is the first in a series. I can't wait to read the sequel!
I measure books by how I feel at the end. If I feel nothing much, it wasn't that great; if I feel bereft, it was a good read. "The Cult" is definitely a terrific read, can't wait for the next book in the series. Well-developed characters that invest the reader, and written with attention to historical and cultural accuracy. A lovely thread of suspense runs through the entire story, as well as an enduring love story. I am definitely a customer for the next book!
The last historical novel I read was The Pillars of the Earth and I really liked it. A friend of mine told me The Cult took place in the same century, so I downloaded a sample on my Fire. Actually, I was hooked first by the eerie cover with the stone circle in the moonlight. When I started reading I wasn’t disappointed. The first short chapter of the book is a brilliant before-and-after glimpse of a victim of the cult. The momentum continues from there as the reader becomes part of the lives of the three principal characters, Elise, Martin, and Edmond, the students of an English scholar. Gradually, we learn how the cult discovered early in the book will affect them all. From the first, the author’s writing is flawless and the flavor of the period authentic, with just enough descriptive detail to convince the reader of its truth.
The last two parts of the book take place in wealthy Norman Sicily where there is an important marriage between the English princess and the Sicilian king. Until I read this book, I had no idea Norman Sicily was so multi-cultural and inclusive of its large Greek and Arab population. But even here the threat of the cult looms along with the threat of another crusade. This is a novel full of secrets, and not just the terrible secrets of the cult. There are three love affairs in the book, and all of them have to be kept secret for various reasons. Without giving away the story, I’ll only say that this is a beautifully written and plotted novel. In fact once I began it, I ended up reading it in three days, a record for me!
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