The Religion: A Novel

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 640 pages
• Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux May 15, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0374248656
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0374248659
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
• Weighs: 2.2 pounds

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Willocks, a novelist (Bad City Blues) and screenwriter (Sin), strikes gold with this epic account of the Turkish siege of Malta in 1565—the first of a planned trilogy featuring Mattias Tannhauser, the son of a Saxon blacksmith. Young Tannhauser is kidnapped by Muslim raiders and trained as a holy warrior before winning his release and settling in Sicily, where he becomes a prosperous arms dealer. His comfortable life is interrupted by the arrival of Contessa Carla La Penautier, a young widow who uses her considerable charms (and title) to recruit Tannhauser to help her find Orlandu, the bastard son she was forced to abandon at birth 12 years earlier. Arriving on Malta, where Carla believes her son is, Tannhauser and Carla get caught in the Turkish attack on the Christian enclave. Meanwhile, Orlandu's father, Ludovico Ludovici, a monk and feared inquisitor, has returned to Malta with hopes of bringing Malta under papal control. Tannhauser has to find Orlandu, unmask the scheming and unscrupulous Ludovici, survive vicious combat against the Turks, win Carla's heart and find a way to escape the "island of fanatics and fools." In Tannhauser, Willocks has created a dazzling hero whose debut will leave readers eager for the next installment. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
The first in a projected trilogy, The Religion stirred excitement in some critics and distaste in others. Tim Willocks writes with visual detail (he's a screenwriter), but he also appeals to the other senses, creating what the Chicago Sun-Times described as "a thick stew of smells, colors, and sounds." Some reviewers, however, criticized florid writing, shallow characters, and a clichéd plot. Others found Willocks's prose cinematic, his characters complicated, and the plot thrilling. Fans of swashbuckling adventures will enjoy this work and undoubtedly overlook the book's flaws. But the novel is not for the faint at heart: all reviewers mentioned the blood and gore in every battle scene.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Reader Reviews
The tale begins in May, 1565. Carla La Penautier is a French countess in need of the man named Mattias. The man is an arms dealer, a Rabelaisian soldier of fortune, and a former janissary. Twelve years ago Carla gave birth to a baby boy. Carla is now determined to seek out that child; the baby that had been taken from her. The father of the baby, Inquisitor Ludovico, is equally determined to deny Cara any chance of disgracing him. Mattias Tannhauser lives up to his well earned Saxon reputation. He rescues his friend, Sabato, from the middle of being tortured, and tells him to meet up with his family in Venice. Then he is off to kill a few more people in need of dying. Before too much time has passed, Mattias rescues Carla from a kidnapper (charged with the task of conveying her to a convent to save her soul) and they are off to Malta to locate Carla's son. They neither know the boy's name, nor what he looks like. The Knights of Saint John the Baptist are already famous. The knights call themselves "The Religion". The Turks call them the "Hounds of Hell". The knights scorn European whining and bickering. They live to fight Islam and dream of a free Jerusalem. A Holy War begins. **** This terrific historical novel runs from May - September of the year 1565. (Not including the Epilogue which takes place in 1566.) I am astounded at the historical authenticity within the pages. If you are not familiar with the events of this time frame, as I am not, then make use of the glossary that the author is gracious enough to provide. The glossary gives names, items, terms, and characters. A map of the battle grounds and of Malta can be found in the front of the novel. I found the story to be engrossing, but at times it slowed a bit too much for my personal liking. The characters are well developed and the story line runs pretty smooth. Highly recommended. **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews. Comments (2) | | (Report this)