"Mary Jacober - The Black Chalice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jacober Mary)

[version history]




The year is 1134. In an isolated German monastery, an aging monk begins the history of a
war. It is in part his own story, for he was there, thirty-one years before, as squire to the
proud Crusader knight Karelian of Lys.

But even as Paul begins his history, a strange encounter with the Otherworld enchants his
quill. He can no longer write the cautionary Christian tale his superiors expect; he must
write what he truly remembers...

A powerful duke returned from the Crusades to build a new empire for himself and his
God. One woman set her hand against him: a pagan witch of ethereal beauty, keeper of
the Grail of Life. Caught in between was Karelian, a disillusioned warrior hero who
hungered for a loveтАФ and a truthтАФ he could live with.

Their passions and pride, courage and convictions shaped Paul's futureтАФand now shape
the tale he is to tell...

"This one really has it all!.. She creates superbly subtle characters, men and women both.
This one deserves to be a classic"
тАФDave Duncan,
author of The King's Blades series




"A novel grand in narrative grand in ideas and, especially, grand in ambition.. A tale of
love, honor, betrayal and terrifying ambition... Jakober's narrative vision is strong: she
offers vivid scenes of battle romance, political scheming, wild magic, religious conflict and
love."
тАФ Edmonton Journal
Praise for The Black Chalice

"An exciting and thoughtfully adventurous historical fantasy ... A tale of love and betrayal,
centered on the never-ending battle between the gods of the sky with their contempt for
the body, and the gods and goddesses of the earth, who always remind us poor humans
that we belong here. It's a sharply observed, passionately argued, exciting and compelling
fantasy."
тАФ The Edmonton Journal


"A powerful tale of ambition, delusion, obsession, and betrayal, focused upon four
memorable characters . . . This skillfully evoked sense of real-world strangeness allows
the fantasy elements ... to blend seamlessly with the historical ones, to form a unified and
convincing whole. It's a combination that will appeal as much to fans of historical writers
like Cecelia Holland as to fantasy buffs . . . The work of a major talent: intelligently
conceived, beautifully written, powerfully absorbing, deeply moving."