Labyrinth (The Languedoc Trilogy)
July 2005. In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig, stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery-two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth.
Eight hundred years earlier, on the eve of a brutal crusade that will rip apart southern France, a young woman named Alais is given a ring and a mysterious book for safekeeping by her father. The book, he says, contains the secret of the true Grail, and the ring, inscribed with a labyrinth, will identify a guardian of the Grail. Now, as crusading armies gather outside the city walls of Carcassonne, it will take a tremendous sacrifice to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe.
Eight hundred years earlier, on the eve of a brutal crusade that will rip apart southern France, a young woman named Alais is given a ring and a mysterious book for safekeeping by her father. The book, he says, contains the secret of the true Grail, and the ring, inscribed with a labyrinth, will identify a guardian of the Grail. Now, as crusading armies gather outside the city walls of Carcassonne, it will take a tremendous sacrifice to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe.
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Community Reviews
This book had a lot of potential. It really did. But it was too long for the story (and I read Jordan, Rothfuss and Martin, so I can take on a long story, enjoy it, and beg for more.) It was interesting at the beginning, lost steam and I struggled to keep reading in the middle, and picked up the quality again at the end so that I read the last 50 pages well after I should have been asleep.
Two things bugged me - the way Mosse did the reincarnation bit, and having either too much or too little information about some minor characters. First of all, since the whole thing is built on reincarnation, then spend more time on that aspect of the underlying religion, at least more than one sentence. Secondly, the author is English, writing for an English speaking audience. She needs to do a better job of making the names of minor characters that actually are sort of important being things that stick in an English speakers mind. Or, she needs to develop those characters more and not introduce them at the same time as others so that the names stick. I put the blame more on her than on me because I can keep the characters straight in The Wheel of Time (which has more characters than my home town), or Battle Royale (where the names are Japanese and sometimes differ by only one letter).
Two things bugged me - the way Mosse did the reincarnation bit, and having either too much or too little information about some minor characters. First of all, since the whole thing is built on reincarnation, then spend more time on that aspect of the underlying religion, at least more than one sentence. Secondly, the author is English, writing for an English speaking audience. She needs to do a better job of making the names of minor characters that actually are sort of important being things that stick in an English speakers mind. Or, she needs to develop those characters more and not introduce them at the same time as others so that the names stick. I put the blame more on her than on me because I can keep the characters straight in The Wheel of Time (which has more characters than my home town), or Battle Royale (where the names are Japanese and sometimes differ by only one letter).
Was great to read this book while on holiday in the region. Made me connect to the area and it’s fascinating history more. Credit to the author for all her research and being able to weave together the history and a compelling narrative. I’m always a bit of a sucker for dual / interlocking narratives so I really enjoyed this book. Huge commitment with 700 pages but worth it I think.
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