The Road to Jerusalem

Crusades Trilogy Series, Book 1

By: Jan Guillou

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

For power. For passion. For glory.

The epic story of the Knights Templar.

Born in 1150 to a noble Swedish family and coming of age at a monastery under the tutelage of a Cistercian monk and a former Knight Templar, young Arn Magnusson is sent to fulfill his destiny beyond the cloister walls. But the world awaiting him is a place at odds with his monastic ways. And when the murder of a king engulfs Western Götaland into a whirlwind of intrigue and ruthless power plays, headstrong and naive Arn is forced to leave the woman he loves behind and take up arms to battle infidels in the Holy Land.

©1998 Jan Guillou; English translation copyright 2009 by Steven T. Murray (P)2020 Tantor

Went looking for trashy historical fiction...

And I got this. It's a very positive and more importantly to me NOT PREACHY view into Christian philosophy, at least thats how I see it. I never realized how universally atheist new books are becoming, and having just a good guy priest, not a former badass(there is one of these, though), not secretly working against the protagonist, or whatever trope that's going around, is ironically refreshing.

I believe somebody was complaining on here about a "misleading title". "They don't even get to Jerusalem til the end!", to which I answer: the book is called "the ROAD TO JERUSALEM and not "WE GOT TO JERUSALEM EARLY" That person sold me a book.

And most importantly ITS NOT ABOUT ENGLAND. I'm an American who knows more about Crecy than Gettysburg because historical fiction writers(and consumers, I imagine) only seem care about English history. Vikings, English Archers, English Knights. That's all we get. Even Christian Cameron had to make his protagonists English, even though theyre barely in England. We might get a France every now and again, but this is an incredibly well written book about medieval SWEDEN. Less England. More anything else.

TLDR, it's not what you're expecting, it's better. If you want big dumb dudes in shiny metal hitting eachother with sticks on horseback, this isn't for you. If you want a thoughtful look modern issues while looking into the past, this will be your jam.

captivating story

wonderful story! its good to finally read a book that portrays the Templars as honorably as they were.

Fenominal

The mixing of filosofy and recognition of different aspects of life combined with a lovely dry humor manages to envelop a fantastic story, with amazing characters into a absolute must-read. I keep returning to this trilogy. absolutely love it!

Outstanding historical tale of Scandinavian life in the 11th century

Beautifully written epic saga befitting ancient Scandinavia with such exquisite detail of life and culture of going back to the 11th centuries or more when Europe was still waging a Holy War in Jerusalem. Absorbing story and even more compelling and irresistible characters that one falls in love with instantly. Narrated brilliantly by Gildart Jackson who conveyed the nuanced emotions so deliciously that made it so supremely entertaining!

Excellent!

It took a couple chapters to learn the basics from the storyteller but curiosity won and I listened. I’m anxious for the saga to continue. Beautifully written!!

revist an old friend

I read the books to and from base on train when I was 20, here 15 years later I thought I'd do it with audible. and it was great.

The title is very misleading!!

If you want a story about the Knights Templar, this is NOT the book for you!!! This is the story of a young man before he becomes a templar and the history of his nordic countrymen.

Very interesting and well written.

I love series books, and want to read all of this series . I enjoyed the extremely well developed characters.
The author gave beautiful descriptions; I felt I was there. The characters were unforgettable.
The big picture of their lives, seen at the end of the story was profoundly deep.

Highly recommended

Don't be put off if you find the start a bit slow. This is a book which gets better and better the more you get into the story. It is the first book in a really amazing trilogy, which is one of my all time favourites. And book 2 is even better.

Great read

Well read and a great storyline. One that after a while draws you in and keeps you in suspense. Look forward to reading the next chapter in Arns journey.

Great story!

Vibes of Lord of the Rings. Narrator should study a minimum of Swedish pronouncination. That is the only backside....

Well I enjoyed it.

As a story goes, this one is worth a listen. Bring on the next one.

Fenominal!

If you are a fan of the movies or have only watched them i highly recommend this trillogy. My only complaint is the prenounciations are a bit off but hey, their Sweedish names so not a biggie😁

Great Story set in medieval Sweden

So well written I felt I was there. It was made into a top TV mini-series and then a Film in Sweden called “Arn: Knight Templar” in 2007. Enjoy!