Novels of Outremer

who controls the past controls the future

I was intrigued to say the least when I cam across this new (to me anyway) series of fictional books based in the Crusader Kingdom of Outremer (outre-mer meaning "overseas" - thus the kingdom over the seas).  So a brief recap before proceeding.

The Books of Outremer by Chaz Brenchley

His fantasy series The Books of Outremer tells the story of the struggle to control the land of Outremer - not only the war between the invaders and the native peoples, but also the factional struggles within each side, not to mention the magical beings who have their own mysterious reasons for intervening. And most of all, it is the story of a group of individuals, brought together by these public events, but trying to live their own private lives regardless.

See also: Melisende's Library - Book of Outremer

Hawks of Outremer by Robert E. Howard

A collection of historical short stories featuring Cormac Fitzgeoffrey, a participant in the Third Crusade.

• "Hawks of Outremer"
• "The Blood of Belshazzar"
• "The Slave-Princess" (completed by Richard L. Tierney)

read more here @ CBR dot com or @ Project Gutenberg Australia

Outremer by Nabil Saleh

Outremer is a novel of faith and heresy, loyalty and intrigue, set in the 13th century Levant. Aimeric and his young family seek peace in the Maronite community of Gibelet under Mount Lebanon, but there too he is entangled in conflicts. Oriental and Western Christians, Mamelukes and other Muslims, Jews and Druzes spend their lives in war and peace, compromise and confrontation, as their heirs do today as if nothing has changed and no lessons learned.

Though advertised as a "series" I know nothing more.

Outremer by D.N. Carter

Outremer is a powerful love story set during the Crusades of the 12th Century based upon real people; of love, loyalty, sacrifice and honour, but also unrequited love, jealousy, treachery and betrayals with consequences that echo out across the centuries to the present!

The reviews have been generous (see Goodreads, Amazon UK & Amazon) and so I was intrigued - anything set in this period of history - whether fact, fiction. fantasy - has always piqued my interest. I guess this may be another series that will be seeking a place on the Library shelves some time very soon.

read the article here that first drew my attention @ Female First

Book of Outremer

Anyone who is familiar with the history of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem cannot but be struck by the similarities in the Book of Outremer trilogy by Chaz Brenchley.

Book One - Tower of the King's Daughter
"The Kingdom of Outremer was born of blood and pain and passion; forty years on, enemies still threaten its borders and heresy still threatens its peace."

The First Book of Outremer is loosely based upon the first years of European settlement in the Holy Land after the First Crusade. It mixes a combination of magic and fantasy with the right amount of near history.


Feast of the King's Shadow
"The Kingdom of Outremer was raised on sands steeped in the blood of war, and to war it is returning. The Sharai tribes, bitter and divided in defeat, have regrouped in their stronghold of Rhabat. Observing an uneasy truce under the banner of the charismatic Hasan, they await the coming of the Ghost Walker, the long-promised deliverer of their people."


Hand of the King's Evil
"The Kingdom of Outremer was forged from the hot blood and cold steel of battle but a fragile peace has come at last. Still the threat of war stalks its borders and heresy lurks from within, the poison seeping from its own renegade state ... An army of poor is also marching to an uncertain end, following a preacher with a blessed relic and a gift for miracles."


Chaz on the Web:

• Official Website
• The Books of Outremer
• Murder Squad
• The Idle Solitary