Date issued: September 2008
ISBN: 978-0-399-24763-7
Young adult, historical adventure
Hardcover
Reviewed by Valerie
Left at the steps of an English abbey, Tristan grows up with the monks and is satisfied with his life and work there. The monks are kind and his days are busy helping with the many tasks. Only a cryptic note was left with the babe and Tristan wonders just who he really is. He knows that his days are numbered at the abbey as he doesn’t want to take vows. One day, a band of Templar Knights arrive for food and rest. Immediately he makes an enemy of one and a friend of another. He becomes a squire and sets off on a hazardous journey to the Promised Land. Life certainly changes for the young boy who is fast becoming a man. He battles with sea sickness, with unknown shadows, with someone who is trying to kill him and with the horrors of war. Eventually, the knight that he is esquired to gives him a very special mission. He is to take charge of The Holy Grail and bring it to safety. Now, more than ever, he is in great danger and needs all the friends he can find.
Michael P. Spradlin has written an adventure that any young person who has an interest in history will no doubt devour. He draws his reader back to 1191, the time of King Richard the Lionhearted. This talented author has combined fantasy, adventure and history to make a story that is believable and realistic. Tristan is a wonderful character, brave, loyal and smart. The reader will hang on to every word to see just how he gets out of one mishap after another. Michael P. Spradlin has cleverly captured the spirit of the Templars and their tragic quest in The Promised Land through the eyes of young Tristan. Readers may recognise Tristan’s friends Robard, an excellent marksman and Maryam, a dark haired, spirited girl as Robin Hood and Maid Marian. I enjoyed this story very much and it kept me glued to the pages. Tristan leads us on a rollicking, adventurous path through the Middle Ages and I for one was rooting for him throughout. This author leaves us with a cliff-hanger ending that has me biting at the bit waiting for the next installment. I know I am looking forward to it.
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