Pilgrim

Name: Pilgrim
Rating: 3.5 (32 reviews)

by James H. Jackson Book 2 in the Crusader Trilogy series.

First published 2008

Amazon

3.0(32)

In 1212, young pilgrims from the Rhineland join the movement later remembered as the Children’s Crusade, believing they can reach Jerusalem and recover the True Cross lost after the Battle of Hattin. Among those travelling east are Otto, a young noble searching for his missing Hospitaller father, and Brother Luke, a Franciscan whose private purpose remains concealed.

The journey carries the pilgrims through hunger, exploitation and religious violence towards the surviving Crusader territories. Rival factions in the Holy Land pursue their own plans, while the children’s faith makes them vulnerable to adults who intend to use or betray them. Otto and his companions must survive the route and discover whether the sacred object they seek can justify the suffering imposed in its name.