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Critic's Corner
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Dr. Alberto Mazzini pushed through the crowd of agitated reporters blocking the steps of the Musee d'Histoire in Boree, France. Renee Lacaze, the director of the museum welcomed the distinguished national director of the Vatican Museum. Mazzini had come to Boree to inspect a holy relic uncovered at a recent construction site. "‘You say the relic was unearthed in a grave?' Mazzini asked. Lacaze smiled and confirmed the find. ‘The grave belonged to some long-forgotten duke who died in 1098,' she said." The duke fought in the Crusades. It is known that he actually went to seek out relics from the time of Christ, and it appears he found what he sought. Lacaze explains to Mazzini that she is from Boree and that there have been stories for hundreds of years about a lost relic. Mazzini stared at the artifact laying on a plain white sheet on an examiner's table, as humble as such a precious thing could be. A reverent force gave him the urge to kneel on the stone floor. "Finally, that's what he did—as if he were in the presence of Jesus Christ. Then, Lacaze said, "I waited until your arrival to place a call to Cardinal Perrault in Paris. "Forget Perrault." Mazzini looked up, moistening his dry lips. "We are going to call the Pope." At this point, Lacaze said, "The local lore, it always said a precious relic was here. Just never that it belonged to a duke. But to a man of far more humble origins." "What sort of lowborn man would come into such a prize? A priest? Perhaps a thief?" "No." Renee Lacaze's brown eyes widened. "Actually, a jester." Suddenly, the authors put you in a small village in southern France. The year is 1096. Here in Veille du Pere, you meet Hugh De Luc, an inn keeper, his wife Sophie, and a number of villagers living the life of serfs owned by Baldwin, the Duke of Treille. The Army of the Crusade went through the village only a few days ago led by Peter the Hermit, but Hugh did not join them. Those that did caused other villagers to pay a terrible price at the hands of Baldwin's chatelain, the knight Norcross. Hugh realized that Norcross and his men were in the village snooping for signs that Baldwin's own subjects had taken up the cross. Many innocents were slain by the Duke's knights and a warning given that anyone leaving for the Crusades would bring down even more wrath on those remaining. Hugh talked with his wife telling her that there would always be another Norcross, another tax levied upon them, other children murdered, until they were free. He also told her that Raymond of Toulouse was forming an army that would be leaving for the Holy land in a few days. Hugh wanted to join them. Raymond promised freedom to anyone who joined him. Since Raymond and Baldwin were aligned, the old Duke would have to honor the pledge given to free any serf who followed Raymond. Hugh would not be going for the glory of the Lord, no, he would be going for the riches, the holy relics worth more than a thousand inns like his, and for freedom. Hugh returns to his village after the First Crusade, two years have passed. He'd found only a few trinkets and a wooden staff in his quest, no glory, no real honor. He was weary from battle and disillusioned by the carnage he'd witnessed. He looks forward to seeing Sophie and resuming his life as a free man, but finds his nightmare is just beginning. Baldwin did not honor Raymond promises. In Hugh's absence his young son is killed and his beloved wife, Sophie, abducted by Baldwin's knights. They said they were in search of a precious relic dating back to the Crucifixion, and when it is not found Hugh's Inn, and other homes in the village are burned. Hugh, heartbroken, determines to find Sophie even if it means his own death. Taking on the role of a jester, Hugh infiltrates the court where he believes Sophie is held captive. There he confronts men more evil than he ever imagined and embarks on an epic battle to restore his broken life. This is only the beginning of Hugh's adventures. The rest of the story is awesome. Each character in this novel is carefully crafted. The settings and actions fire your imagination, and show graphically the horrors of the Crusades and the Middle Ages. This is an era that has never aroused my curiosity, but Patterson and Gross have turned their story into a thriller with dizzying action and breakneck speed. The result is I came away feeling I'd learned a great deal about man's inhumanity to man, and the force of a love that knows no bounds. I have no idea how much of this tale is Patterson's or how much is Gross's, but it is a classic story of good against evil. The authors most certainly did their research and list a number of references in the back of the book which provided information and background for both setting and characters in this novel. The authors acknowledge that "The Jester" is in all ways, a work of fiction, an entertainment, and while painstaking care has been paid to historical detail and times, now and then a fact has been stretched or a truth bent for the sake of the story. It is a pleasure to recommend "The Jester" to those who enjoy a tale well told.
(Jones is a published writer & literary critic) |
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The
Jester 
