Reviews
Reviews of Taking the Cross
Taking the Cross was reviewed by the Historical Novel Society on 1 November 2014:
The Albigensian Crusade proclaimed by Pope Innocent III in 1208 and launched in 1209 against heretic sects in Languedoc forms the backdrop for Charles Gibson’s fascinating and highly dramatic debut novel Taking the Cross… Read more…
Taking the Cross recently went on tour on FranceBookTours.com
Oct. 14 Review:
Gibson brings the carnage and destruction of the Albigensian Crusade with clarity in impeccable detail. His prose is outstanding, you will feel transported to this brutal time in history.
Gibson dives right into the narrative from the start, I could not put the book down. It is gripping, heartbreaking and suspenseful. Read more…
Oct. 17 Review:
Oct. 18 Review:
I really like the authors writing style, the story flowed smoothly with enough descriptions that I was able to visualize the setting and feel of the time period. His knowledge and love of this period in history is evident. Read more…
Oct. 19 Review:
The suspense and action of battle will give the hardiest reader of war stories the shivers. The violence is graphic but not gratuitous and is true to the age. The characters have substance, whether a heroic night or a young woman in a new religious order trying to learn the secret of a letter from her father. Read more…
Oct. 20 Review + Author Interview:
Gibson doesn’t back down from arriving the reader straight into the heart of the battle of where this particular story alights during the Crusades of the 13th Century. This is an incredible debut novel because the suspense continues to heighten and pull you deeper behind the veil of what you once thought the story was writ about rather than what is starting to become revealed at it’s conclusion. Read more…
Oct. 21 Review:
VERDICT: Brilliantly weaving together major elements of French Medieval culture, Taking The Cross makes you relive an essential page of the 12th century fight between the established Christian powers and the so-called heretics. Packed with powerful symbols and images, action and suspense, it will actually teach you history while leading you on a fast paced adventure. Read more…
Oct. 22 Review + Excerpt from Taking the Cross:
I really enjoyed “Taking the Cross” by Charles Gibson. There were so many layers to this story that it made it for a gratifying read. I really liked the historical context that it specifically discusses. I really learned so much that I had no idea about! Read more…
Oct. 26 Review and Guest Post:
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