The Celtic Crusades is a trilogy of stories about a noble Scottish family whose successive generations venture to the Holy Land at the time of the Crusades to retrieve sacred relics. In the first book, The Iron Lance, Murdo Ranulfson went to Jerusalem and brought back the iron lance used at the crucifixion. Now Duncan, Murdo's son, must find and preserve the Black Rood--a piece of the true cross. As in The Iron Lance, the main narrative is framed by the memoirs of Gordon Murray, nineteenth century scion of the ancient Scottish clan and member of a Christian secret society whose mission is to bring the world back to the true path.

This middle volume follows a format familiar to fantasy readers: an unformed youth leaves home to find himself and fulfill his destiny. In his travels through distant and dangerous lands, our hero rescues and is rescued by a series of quirky characters who join his quest, encountering divine visions, politics in the court of the Caliph, and cult assassins. He returns from his adventures older and wiser, triumphantly clutching the Black Rood, and accompanied, as an added bonus, by a new and beautiful wife.

Lawhead sprinkles his tale with delicious hints about revelations regarding the potential offspring of Jesus, which, if expanded upon in the final volume, threaten to elevate this fiction from competent to genuinely intriguing. --Luc Duplessis


From Publishers Weekly
The second volume of the historical fantasy Celtic Crusades trilogy finds Magnus Ranulfsson's eldest son, Duncan, taking up his father's quest for relics of the CrucifixionAin this case, the last remaining traceable piece of the True Cross, the Black Rood. He does not go alone. Padraig, an unconventional priest of the Celtic Cele De, accompanies him, and on their bandit-troubled passage through France they are joined by Prince Roupen of Armenia, who is trying to return to his homeland. When the three reach the Mediterranean, their worries multiply, as the Knights Templars are less friendly than they seem, some Christians are openly at war with one another and the Moslems (particularly the Seljuq Turks) are ready to take advantage of the intrigues. Duncan finds himself up to his sword belt in those plottings, dealing with friends where he expected enemies and vice versa The narrative is framed by the diary of a turn-of-the-century Scots physician, a member of a secret order keeping Celtic wisdom alive. Coincidences are so numerous as to be jarring, and the sheer abundance of historical detail slows the pacing. Those same details also bring the setting to robust life, however; they do no harm to the characterizations and include such treasures as the cult of the Black Mary (Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus) and a gruesomely vivid narrative of the Crucifixion. With this novel, Lawhead likely will win no converts, but nor will he alienate his faithful. (June) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Grieving for the death of his wife and determined to make some sense of his life, Duncan Ranulfson journeys to the Holy Land on a quest to recover the Black RoodDthe pieces of the cross of Christ. Set in the 12th century, Lawhead's sequel to The Iron Lance continues the saga of a Scottish family dedicated to their faith in God and their belief in the possibility of the miraculous. Rich in historical detail and peopled with a wide variety of believable characters, this novel of simple faith and high adventure should appeal to fans of Christian fantasy. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
A second Celtic crusade, and sequel to The Iron Lance (1998). In 1901, the Brotherhood of the Sanctus Clarus meets in Cyprus to ponder global events and the coming war. One of their members is a descendant of Duncan, son of Murdo; in 1132, Duncan retraces his father's footsteps through Byzantium and into the Holy Land, his ambition to recover the Holy Rood, a bloodstained piece of the True Cross, despite opposition by Byzants, Saracens, Knights Templar, and whatnot. Readers partial to Lawhead's rather awkward blend of mystical piety, adventure, and history should find enjoyment here. -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
In the second book in the exciting Celtic Crusades series, Murdo and his family search for a piece of the cross of Christ.


From the Author
Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of fantasy and imaginative fiction. He is the author of many book, including, the Byzantium and the Pendragon Cycle series. He lives in Oxford, England, with his wife and sons


From the Back Cover
From the best-selling author of The Iron Lance comes part two in Stephen Lawhead’s epic Celtic Crusades trilogy. The Great Crusade is over and long forgotten, or so thinks Duncan, son of Murdo—until his uncle, scarred and bitter from his years in the Holy Land, returns home to die. With him come tales of treasure beyond all imagining—and of a relic even holier than the revered Iron Lance. The Black Rood—the prayer-worn, blood-stained remnant of the True Cross—had led the Crusaders to their greatest victory before it mysteriously disappeared. The Rood and its power mean as much to the Celé Dé, the ancient faith, as to papal Christendom. And in the wake of a shattering loss, Duncan sets sail on his own pilgrimage to the East, following the steps his father took to Byzantium long ago. Accompanied by a disobedient vassal and a most impious monk, he follows the White Priest on a road known to few and deadly to all but the pure in heart. Steeped in heroism, mystery, and the lure of lost treasure, The Black Rood continues the epic trilogy of a Scottish noble family during the age of the Crusades.


About the Author
Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include the first two books of the Celtic Crusades, The Iron Lance and The Black Rood; Byzantium; the Pendragon Cycle; the Song of Albion and Dragon King trilogies; and the science fiction novels Empyrion I and II and Dream Thief.