Fiction/Historical/Christian
Hospitaller: A Tale of the Unknown Knight in the Third Crusade
Joseph Lessard
Booklocker.com
2008
Soft cover
400 pages
The journey of an anonymous God-fearing knight from England to Israel is chronicled in Joseph Lessard's new novel, Hospitaller: A Tale of the Unknown Knight in the Third Crusade. This is a story that provides all of the expected historical data about the crusades, but also looks at some of the physical, emotional, and spiritual experiences of the thousands of men who took the cross.
As the story opens, the Unknown Knight is facing financial and familial hardships. He is in debt and the church has refused to bury his mother, a recent victim of the Black Death, on sacred ground because the Unknown's father had failed to take the cross and fight against the Muslims in the Holy War. Out of necessity and in shame, the Unknown Knight and his sister, Juliana, buried their mother on the family's land just as they did their father two years prior. While facing these hardships and the torment of a long-term rival, the Unknown is also instructed by the church through its representative, Father Gregory, to join the Holy War as Jerusalem had been seized by its spiritual enemies.
Initially, the Unknown refuses to join the crusade even with the promises of financial assistance and burial spaces for his parents. The knight questions the church and its teachings and recalls how his grandfather, who did fight in the Holy War, died tragically from illness after returning home. The Unknown, as his father, could not conceive of making such a sacrifice for the church. But, one night he has a vision. Uriel, an angel of God, informs the knight that he is to take the cross and join the Hospitallers, warriors who attend to the sick and injured and also fight against the Muslims. Because of his sacred mission, the angel states, "God has decreed that you take no earthly name on this journey. You are to shower no glory upon your earthly name. Your reward will be in heaven..."
What is extraordinary about this book is not the detailed recounting of the historical events. Lessard's skill in this area is evident. The author enlightens the reader with the personal stories of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John. These men have survived near death, the slaughter of their families, and participation in the killing of innocents of a different faith. All seek redemption and fight to reclaim Jerusalem in hopes of attaining just that. Lessard, a gifted storyteller, uses diverse and well structured characters to relay the central message of love and forgiveness that is the basis of Christianity. Even in the midst of war, pillage, and religious persecution, the Unknown Knight remains solid in his faith and works with an intense focus to follow the tenets of his religion. There is also great balance in the story as the author offers the perspectives of leaders on both sides of the Christian-Muslim fight, highlighting their humanity.
Hospitaller is the second book in a series of Christian historical fiction (The Hero of Byzantium is the first offering) that promises to expand reader's understanding of the impact of Christianity on the world.
Melissa Levine
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