Order Heretic: The Templar Chronicles by Joseph Nassise From amazon.com.
By Joseph Nassise
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Language: English
ISBN: 0743470958
Often people who read books about the Knights Templar take themselves a little too seriously and more often than not those who write them fall into the same trap. Occasionally a writer comes along who is not afraid to have a little fun with the subject.
Joseph Nassise is one such author, whose novel Heretic – the first in a planned trilogy called the Templar Chronicles – offers the reader an interesting take on the Templars.
Nassise’s Templars are not fighting infidels in the Levant with sword in hand – his Templars have traded their forged steel for .308 caliber sniper rifles and Cade Williams is just the man to lead them into battle.
But Williams is no ordinary Templar and possesses powers that the Templar trials didn’t dare dream of. Attacked by the supernatural entity that killed his wife, Williams emerged from the conflict physically scarred and gifted with the ability to cross over to the other side and to pick up psychic impressions and emotions from an object at the touch of his hands.
When a number of the Order’s cemeteries are desecrated, its Commanderies attacked and Templars killed only to be raised from the dead, Williams and his Echo team is sent in to get to the bottom of it.
The resulting story is 295 pages of page turning action that combines the finest in modern horror with the action and adventure of a Mack Bolan novel.
Nassise’s Templar Chronicles has already been picked up for adaptation as a six issue comic series and UK based Markosia Enterprises Ltd. is planning to publish the series later this year. In addition the first novel has been made into a podcast, which can be tuned into via www.thetemplarchronicles.com.
Although Nassise is a relative newcomer to the horror genre, the Arizona based writer has already published four novels and has received a great deal of critical acclaim for his work.
The author served as president of the Horror Writers Association from 2001 until 2005 and in so doing adds his name to such well-known authors as Brian Lumley and Dean Koontz who have also held the post. Nassise was also nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and the Horror Guild Award for his first novel – Riverwatch.
If you are looking for a Templar inspired work of fiction that takes you to the edge of reality and the edge of your recliner, I cannot recommend Heretic enough – you’ll be eagerly anticipating the release of the sequel.
Order Heretic: The Templar Chronicles From amazon.com.
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TemplarHistory.com was started in the fall of 1997 by Stephen Dafoe, a Canadian author who has written several books on the Templars and related subjects.
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