The Books of Outremer
Once upon a time, a band of believers set out to win control of the holy places for the faithful. It was a long and dangerous journey, and at the end of it they found people whose ways of life were utterly strange to them, who had skills and built cities they could never have imagined. There were miracles, too, and objects of unearthly power, for those who believed. Yet somehow they managed to carve out a group of little kingdoms of the faithful, and to hold on to them for generation after generation. And they called them Outremer, the Land beyond the Sea.
Is this a true story? There are two answers. One is, yes, it is a true story, and you can read about the Crusader Kingdoms in the history books: a good place to start is Sir Steven Runciman's three-volume A History of the Crusades (Vol. I, Vol. II,Vol. III).
The other answer is, yes, of course it's a true story, and Chaz Brenchley invented it. 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.
Tower of the King's Daughter, the First Book of Outremer, is set in the stronghold of Roq de Rançon, in the north of Outremer, where Marron comes as a novice in the military order of Ransomers, where Julianne comes to meet the Elessan baron she must marry, where Jemel comes as a member of an attacking army and where Elisande comes, but won't say why. In Feast of the King's Shadow this unlikely group travel across the desert to the hidden city of Rhabat, by the Dead Waters. Here, in the stronghold of the Sharai, the traditional enemies of their people, Julianne and Elisande forge unexpected friendships... In Hand of the King's Evil, the Third - and last - Book of Outremer, friends and enemies alike converge on the hidden principality of Surayon, choices are made and secrets revealed.
This website explores the world of Outremer, the magic in it and the factual history behind it, and the interplay between the two.
More about The Books of Outremer, including how to buy the books:
- Menu for The Devil in the Dust and Tower of the King's Daughter
- Menu for A Dark Way to Glory and Feast of the King's Shadow
- Menu for Hand of the King's Evil and The End of All Roads
- Outremer over the sea - editions outside the UK / covers gallery.
- View the guestbook - and if you'd like to write a message too, so much the better!
- Links page - other websites you might want to visit.
Use this logo to find the latest addition to the site.
- Look for the page you want on the Sitemap, or use the search box above to search Chaz Brenchley's websites.
And if you have any comments or suggestions, or if there is anything else you would like to know, why not .
The Books of Outremer (and many of the other books mentioned in this website) can be ordered from Amazon; all you have to do is click on the underlined titles. Or use the search boxes below to buy any other product from Amazon, in the UK or the USA - they will send books anywhere in the world.
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The Books of Outremer © Chaz Brenchley 1998 / 2003
The Outremer website © Jean Rogers 1999 / 2010
Chaz Brenchley is a participant in the Amazon Europe S.a r.l. Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk/Javari.co.uk/Amazon.de/Amazon.fr/Javari.fr/Amazon.it.
Last update: 23rd February 2011.