Whanganuilibrary.com
Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

The jester / James Patterson with Andrew Gross.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublisher: London, England : Headline, 2003Description: 532 pages ; 24cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780755349463
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: Freedom - in eleventh-century France, it is a luxury enjoyed by only the King and nobility. For the serf, it is surely worth fighting for. But is it worth dying for? Arriving home disillusioned from the Crusades, Hugh DeLuc discovers that his village has been ransacked and his wife abducted. The dark riders came in the dead of night, like devils, wearing no colours but black crosses on their chests, leaving no clue as to who they are. Knights they may be, but honour and chivalry are not part of their code. They search for a relic, one worth more than any throne in Europe, and no man can stand in their way. Until Hugh, taking on the role of a jester, is able to infiltrate the enemy's castle where he believes his wife is being held captive. And when a man is fighting for freedom - for his wife, and for everything he holds dear - he will prove a formidable opponent.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Fiction Davis (Central) Library Fiction Collection Fiction Collection PATT Available T00809645
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Freedom - in eleventh-century France, it is a luxury enjoyed by only the King and nobility. For the serf, it is surely worth fighting for. But is it worth dying for?

Arriving home disillusioned from the Crusades, Hugh DeLuc discovers that his village has been ransacked and his wife abducted. The dark riders came in the dead of night, like devils, wearing no colours but black crosses on their chests, leaving no clue as to who they are. Knights they may be, but honour and chivalry are not part of their code. They search for a relic, one worth more than any throne in Europe, and no man can stand in their way. Until Hugh, taking on the role of a jester, is able to infiltrate the enemy's castle where he believes his wife is being held captive.

And when a man is fighting for freedom - for his wife, and for everything he holds dear - he will prove a formidable opponent.

Freedom - in eleventh-century France, it is a luxury enjoyed by only the King and nobility. For the serf, it is surely worth fighting for. But is it worth dying for? Arriving home disillusioned from the Crusades, Hugh DeLuc discovers that his village has been ransacked and his wife abducted. The dark riders came in the dead of night, like devils, wearing no colours but black crosses on their chests, leaving no clue as to who they are. Knights they may be, but honour and chivalry are not part of their code. They search for a relic, one worth more than any throne in Europe, and no man can stand in their way. Until Hugh, taking on the role of a jester, is able to infiltrate the enemy's castle where he believes his wife is being held captive. And when a man is fighting for freedom - for his wife, and for everything he holds dear - he will prove a formidable opponent.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Another departure for Patterson after Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas: home from the Crusades, Hugh must play the jester to find his wife, abducted by knights. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Just who is writing the coauthored Patterson novels makes for interesting water-cooler chat, but whether the majority of words are contributed by Patterson or Gross, this terrific new novel is prime Patterson all the way, another step in the author's application of his patented storytelling style to a multitude of genres-in this case, historicals. The title character is, when introduced in 1096, an unassuming innkeeper in a French village oppressed by the local nobleman. To earn his freedom, Hugh de Luc joins the Crusades for a torturous, bloody march toward Jerusalem that occupies the book's first third and ends with him escaping the madness around him by deserting back to France, in possession of some minor treasures-or so he thinks. Back home, he finds that his beloved wife has been taken captive by the odious nobleman, and his infant son slain. Seeking his wife and revenge, Hugh adopts the guise of a jester in order to enter to the nobleman's castle, where he begins to fall in love with a young noblewoman, and she with him. In time, Hugh finds his wife, only to experience tragedy, and learns that the nobleman is searching for him, as he is believed to have carried back from the Crusades the greatest holy relic of all. Returning to his village, which has been destroyed during the nobleman's hunt for him, Hugh persuades his townspeople, then surrounding towns, to rise up in revolt against the corrupt nobleman and his henchmen. From start to finish, this is supersmart popular fiction, slick yet stirring, packed with colorful details of medieval life, bursting with unforgettable characters and clever tropes and themes. Patterson's fans will adore this one. (Mar. 3) Forecast: More than any Patterson since Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, this book has the potential to expand the author's already huge fan base. Its tag line alone ("Every thousand years or so, a great adventure comes along...") will draw in browsers, as will a fabulous cover featuring a gold castle and the title in bold red; anyone who reads one page will be hooked. Expect this to hit #1 with ease. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Patterson takes a break from his two police-thriller series to tell the story of a very different character: Hugh De Luc, a common man who goes to fight in the Crusades in 1096. Hoping to win his freedom from the tyrannical Lord Baldwin, Hugh leaves his beloved wife, Sophie, to head for the Holy Land. The Crusades wear Hugh down, and he is horrified when a brutal Tafur warrior slaughters a Turk who has just spared him. Discouraged, Hugh takes a few relics and heads home, only to discover his home has been burned down, and his wife taken by knights he suspects were sent by Baldwin. Convinced his wife is still alive, Hugh sets off for Baldwin's castle, Treille. Along the way, he is attacked by a wild boar and saved by Emilie, a lady-in-waiting to Anne, a noblewoman whose husband is also fighting in the Crusades. Emilie and Anne take him back to Boree, where he recovers. When Hugh finally tells his story to Emilie, she comes up with a novel idea for getting him into Baldwin's castle: he can pose as a jester. Replete with his trademark short chapters and surprising twists and turns, Patterson, along with coauthor Gross, keeps the excitement levels high in this rousing adventure tale. --Kristine Huntley

Powered by Koha