An interesting and somewhat different Rosslyn/Knights Templar fantasy. Although the ending was a bit of a let-down, I'd recommend this for anyone interested in this genre. Anything more would reveal too much of the plot so suffice it to say, it's good escapist reading for a cold winter night or a hot summer day and the beach. ( )

Ian Graham, television presenter, is hired to do a series of programs on mysterious places, starting with Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh. When he is thrown back in time to 1307, he finds himself on a pilgrimage with two other Templars, in search of mysterious healing music that only he can hear. But the end of the Templars is only a few months away, and he is desperate to return home to his own life.

Odd but good. ( )

Ian Graham, a British television personality, was visiting Rosslyn Chapel to film a documentary when he was transported to Spain in 1307. Perhaps you remember Rosslyn Chapel from the end of The DaVinci Code, if so prepare yourself for more Templar nonsense. The reader follows Graham on his journey across medieval Europe and looks on as he collects biblical treasures such as the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail until he reaches Paris and meets Grand Master De Molay. At that point, an average book, with too much biblical mysticism for my taste, went straight downhill. I’ll avoid giving away the ending in case anyone is interested in reading this Dan Brown knock off and I’ll just say the ending involves time travel and Deoxyribonucleic acid. If you think The DaVinci Code is a great book then you might enjoy this but I think there are too many similarities. If you didn’t like it or only thought it was OK then I would recommend not reading A Song in Stone. ( )

The premise: I'm not even going to try and summarize this, so we're going to the WotCD site for this one:

Friday the 13th of October
1307

A fateful day for the powerful Order of the Temple.

Arrested by the King of France, betrayed by the Holy Father, the Templars will cease to exist.

And Ian Graham, twenty-first century television personality, has just found himself in 1307 -- and an initiate of the Order.

He has ten weeks to escape death or torture -- if he can find his way home.

My Rating

Glad It Was Free: I received an ARC thanks to LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's Program, but it's currently available in hardcover, so if this is something you're really interested in, I'm tempted to say wait for the paperback or get it from the library. It's an interesting book and enjoyable on the whole, but lacking in certain respects that drove me personally a little batty as far as the time travel is concerned. In terms of writing, it's a very smooth, clean style. The subject matter of the Templars and the healing music of the Rosslyn Chapel and Hunt's take on what the Holy Grail really is is all really interesting and different than that of Dan Brown, so if you're predisposed to the subject matter, this might be the book for you. It's not a page-turning cliff-hanger like The DaVinci Code, rather it's much quieter, but far better written in terms of technique and style. It's enjoyable, and there's not much else I can say beyond that, but I'm glad it was free.

Review style: two sections, what I liked and what I didn't. Expect some spoilers.

The full review, if spoilers don't bother you, may be found in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Walter H. Hunt's A SONG IN STONE

Happy Reading! ( )

I enjoyed the travel aspects of this book, I got to go to some new places and I liked that. but the plot was weak and I did not feel fulfilled at the end of this book. It could have gone in a lot of directions but it did complete what it seemed to set out to do.

It did keep me interested enough that I finshed this book, I liked the concept but not the final execution. ( )