My latest fiction read has been Silk Road by Colin Falconer.
The main character is Josseran Sarrazini, a French knight
serving with Templars in Acre in 1260. The Mongols have arrived in the Middle
East and our hero is sent on a diplomatic mission with a priest tasked with
bringing Christianity to the Mongol Empire.
The local commander sends them on to the Mongol court and
the story chronicles their journey along the Silk Road. This is the period when
the empire was breaking up and they are captured and end up in the Chinese court
of Kublai Khan. The love interest is an unlikely relationship with the daughter
of a Mongol leader.
In many ways it is more a 13th Century travelogue, with vivid descriptions of the journey, places and the different peoples.
It felt like a long read, but not always easy to tell on the
Kindle. The story drags a bit in places, but has plenty of well researched
detail and multiple sub-plots to keep the reader engaged.
No comments:
Post a Comment