Soldiers of Christ by Jon ByrneMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The riveting story of imprisoned knight-brother Richard Fitz Simon continues as Prince Nevsky seeks peace between his country and the Baltic crusaders.
Soldiers of Christ is the second suspense-filled novel in author Jon Byrne’s riveting historical fiction series, The Northern Crusader Chronicles, about a betrayed and dispossessed English lord, Richard Fitz Simon, and his adventures as a knight-brother with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, fighting in the Baltic Crusades. Severely wounded and captured in a disastrously failed battle against the Russian Prince Alexander Nevsky, he is allowed to pen his memoirs as a memento to be sent to his son, a child begotten during his youth in Lübeck. As his extraordinary tale is revealed, it captures the interest and imagination of the young prince, who eventually draws the recovering Richard into his negotiations for peace between his county and the crusaders from the Latin Church.
The story unfolds in dual timelines: during Richard’s current situation as a prisoner in the summer of 1242 and his earlier life while a sergeant-brother in the Order of the Swordbrothers in Riga, Livonia, from 1205 through 1209. The author’s depictions of medieval life are fascinating, creating vivid, immersive impressions of brutally harsh times. The living conditions, for not only the brothers but the entire populace, are stark, with food, shelter, and safety always at the minimum. The daily routine of life in the Order is rigid, relieved only by the chance to wage war. Well-choreographed battle scenes put readers smack in the middle of the chaos, brutality, death, and destruction.The imprisoned Richard, looking back and dictating his words to the disgruntled Irish scribe, Fergus, is an old man at 53, while he is only 16 and a survivor of his first battle against the pagans when his narrative picks up. While nominally viewed as a boy by the Order, he is still expected to work, fight, and potentially die like the older men. Richard is relentlessly persecuted by his master, Rudolf, and Wolfgang, a fellow sergeant-brother, throughout his service, and he plans and retaliates whenever possible, with the help of sympathetic companions. He is often in trouble with the Order’s command as a result of his temper and his reactions to the constant provocations. Although they are a religious order of fighting knights, the Swordbrothers are often accurately described as no better than a band of brigands. Their mission to convert the pagan populations of faraway lands as part of the Northern Crusades in the Baltics is questionable, especially when viewed through a modern lens. There is a lot of death and destruction wreaked in the name of Christ.
To aid in readers’ enjoyment, the author has provided a comprehensive list of characters appearing or mentioned in the book, many of whom are actual historical figures. Chapters are grouped into parts and anchored in time and place by the associated dates and settings of the ensuing events. While this is the second book in the series, the author provides a very good recap of the story to date, so new readers will still enjoy and understand this compelling page-turner. However, the previous novel, Sword Brethren, was a 5-star read for me, and also a riveting tale of family, betrayal, and resilience, and not to be missed by readers who enjoy compelling sagas of action-filled historical fiction.I recommend SOLDIERS OF CHRIST to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the relatively ignored Northern Crusades.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.View all my reviews
