The Fall of the Templars    by Robyn Young Order:  USA  Can Dutton, 2009 (2009) Hardcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto Robyn Young ends her Brethren trilogy with the aptly titled The Fall of the Templars. Spanning nineteen years, this volume is one hefty read. After the fall of Acre, the Templars head back in France, finally home from the Crusades. However, internal strife causes Will Campbell, head of the Anima Templi, to abandon the order and return to his native Scotland, currently under attack by the English. While Will is off fighting with William Wallace, the Templars start to follow the Anima Templi rules literally, leading to sacreligious desecration and corruption. Meanwhile, King Philippe IV of France wants to be greater than his grandfather, King Louis IX, and sees disbanding the Templars and starting his own Crusade as the only way to achieve notoriety. With the help of his scheming lawyers, Philippe places his own Pope in the Vatican, hoping to be able to use him as a puppet. Luckily, Will (who has returned to France) and the few Templars still on his side are able to dealy the Pope's disbanding of the Templars for a while, but the end is clearly in sight. The Fall of the Templars is a long novel, filled with history. At times, the history bogs down the story, especially the battle sequences. However, the political intrigue and corruption bring the pace back up, especially in the third part of the story. Young does an amazing job of creating characters and setting the scene, but this story was a big one to tackle, especially all in one volume. While parts of The Fall of the Templars were not as exciting as the two previous books in Robyn Young's Brethren trilogy, it is a fitting conclusion to the story. Fans of the trilogy will not want to miss the end, but should be prepared for a slower read. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews