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| Category: Fiction:Historical |
(requires Adobe Reader)
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| About the Book | |
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Hospitaller is an epic tale of a knight who is undergoing many trials, and whose faith is being tested to the breaking point. His parent's die and they are denied a sacred burial in the churchyard. His only relative left is a sister who is being courted by his liege lord. Our knight is in dire financial condition after caring for his sick parents, and his liege lord threatens him with expulsion. The church offers to save him and his parents if he "takes the cross", and goes to the holy land to help take it back from Saladin. The Pope is offering liberal indulgences to all who go. His liege lord also offers to save his property if he allows him to marry his sister. However, his liege lord may not have his best interest in mind. Facing many conflicts, and feeling alone in the world he cries out to God in his anguish--even challenging God to explain his current mess to him. Soon, he receives a reply from an angel of the Lord; the angel tells him to go on crusade. However, he is to go anonymously, and take no glory upon his name. He is to join the humble Hospitaller Knights, and “take the cross.” What follows is an epic adventure in which he will meet many interesting knights, nobles, ladies, peasants, enemies, kings, a sultan, and truly affect the outcome of the Third crusade. He will fall in love with a noble woman, fight many battles, face many strong enemies, and through faith, persevere. All this he does while remaining an anonymous humble servant of God. When he returns home, he will find a far different world than the one he had left.
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| About the Author | |
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Joseph Lessard was born in Lynn MA in 1960. He graduated from Burlington high in 1979. He served fifteen years in the USAF, and earned a B.S. in management. He married in 1985 and has two sons in college. He is an avid student of ancient, Christian, and military history. |