Crusade Book 2 – Qa’dj
Crusade Book 2 – Qa’dj, by Jean Dufaux & Phillipe Xavier, Cinebook
THE SCENE was set for an epic adventure in Book 1 of this series and it charges across the desert landscapes in this continuation; forcing us to keep pace or be damned like many of the protagonists we encountered last time round.
Gauthier of Flanders heads towards his destiny, and even if it’s a dark one at least he’s bought himself some time in refusing to fight the Moors. Robert of Taranto, who connived to do so, lost heavily and appears already to be damned, despite which his lover – and Gauthier’s wife! - employs the services of a mercenary overlord known as The Lord of Machines... whose army’s appearance has artist Phillipe Xavier edging towards the complex otherworldly detail of his namesake, the legendary Phillipe Druillet.
Meanwhile, the Saracen lord Ab’dul Razim extends the cause of nobility even further by personally arranging the rescue of a captured Lady Syria; dragging him one step further towards an alliance with his supposed enemies, if my predictions from Book 1 continue to hold true.
While all this pox-ridden real world style politics goes on, Gauthier himself meets with djinns and monsters alike, as fantasy continues to be weaved on the perimeters of this story.
It’s fast-paced this one, and you’ll find yourself wanting to read it again to ensure you’re keeping a scorecard because characters are turning up all over the place who just might prove important down the line.
Sponsored by Target Media.
