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ayejaydee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
turtlesaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting look at the Crusades and knights Templar from inside. It truly read like a story, not a history lesson, although the author definitely did his research. There are source notes at the end, and I plan to look for them at the library.
The knights are presented as human with failings and moments of heroism. Greed is a major theme, with the cost of the Crusade putting the squeeze on everyone and the Templar's treasure seen as a plum to be plucked by those in power.
The art has a pleasant neutral to dark palette, and the frames are not too wordy, keeping the focus on the visual.
Great concept, and execution.
The knights are presented as human with failings and moments of heroism. Greed is a major theme, with the cost of the Crusade putting the squeeze on everyone and the Templar's treasure seen as a plum to be plucked by those in power.
The art has a pleasant neutral to dark palette, and the frames are not too wordy, keeping the focus on the visual.
Great concept, and execution.
kinx128's review against another edition
5.0
It is going to be very difficult to find the words to describe how many I love this book; but, I’m going to try. Everything about this book is amazing. From the story, to the characters, and to the powerful images, this is a perfect book. I found it to be incredibly rich in historical detail, both in the story and the illustrations. From the first page of the forward where Jordan Mechner compares the Knights Templar to Jedi Knights, I knew I was hooked.. After reading that, I could not put it down!
The story in Templar is very intense and fast-paced. You are watching men who have been tortured and forced to renounce everything they believe trying to survive with their honor. Mechner, Pham and Puvilland were able to capture the absolute horror of the demise of the Knights Templar. The illustrations powerfully depicted how the knights were forced to confess their alleged crimes through torture. The images are subtle but at the same time horrifying.
Throughout Templar, these surviving knights are struggling to redeem themselves to their beloved Order. The main character, Martin, continued to see ghostly, fallen knights that would lead him to his salvation. I found those images very powerful.
Templar is not all violence and gore. There is humor and a bit of romance as well. There were many times I was laughing at loud at some of the antics of the knights. I liked the use of humor to lessen some of foulness surrounding the characters. Along with the romance, there is a bit of a love triangle which also lessens the dark storyline. It is a very bittersweet love story.
Templar is such a unique read. I had never seen historical fiction in the graphic novel format. It was a truly amazing reading experience. I loved every page!
The story in Templar is very intense and fast-paced. You are watching men who have been tortured and forced to renounce everything they believe trying to survive with their honor. Mechner, Pham and Puvilland were able to capture the absolute horror of the demise of the Knights Templar. The illustrations powerfully depicted how the knights were forced to confess their alleged crimes through torture. The images are subtle but at the same time horrifying.
Throughout Templar, these surviving knights are struggling to redeem themselves to their beloved Order. The main character, Martin, continued to see ghostly, fallen knights that would lead him to his salvation. I found those images very powerful.
Templar is not all violence and gore. There is humor and a bit of romance as well. There were many times I was laughing at loud at some of the antics of the knights. I liked the use of humor to lessen some of foulness surrounding the characters. Along with the romance, there is a bit of a love triangle which also lessens the dark storyline. It is a very bittersweet love story.
Templar is such a unique read. I had never seen historical fiction in the graphic novel format. It was a truly amazing reading experience. I loved every page!
rbreade's review against another edition
This is a well-researched graphic novel set in France, 1307, at the time when the King of France outlawed and destroyed the Knights Templar, who were left to their bloody fate by their employer, the Pope. Mechner's command of the politics of the time is strong, and his story is riveting, with skillful threads and echoes from sources as diverse as Alexandre Dumas, Umberto Eco, Ocean's Eleven, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. His bibliography provides a road map to his source material, including maps and architectural drawing of Paris during the Middle Ages.
jkenna1990's review against another edition
5.0
This was amazing! This was one of the longer graphic novels that I've read recently, which was wonderful. The story was very good and easy to follow along. I would absolutely recommend this, especially if you like history.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
3.0
So I got this from the Amazon Vine program because I thought my 11-year old son might enjoy it. He read it in a day and gave it the "meh". It gets a little better from me but not a lot. It's kind of light hearted and silly but does tell the story of the templars so it gets pretty dark sometimes once the inquisitors get involved.
I was a bit surprised that this was marketed as a young adult book but early on one of the templars calls the king's soldiers "a bunch of pussies". Later some mentions "...when you were sucking at your mother's tit". I mean these aren't dispicably filthy phrases but it just seemed like they would be more worried about parents being angry. I definitely don't use those words in front of my son and don't expect him to use those words in front of adults. Looking at the amazon page now though I don't see anything about YA.
Anyway the guy gets points for mentioned Umberto Eco's Focault's Pendulum (one of my favorites) but I think I would rather read this story in novel format with a much more adult tone (hopefully including many dispicably filthy phrases).
I was a bit surprised that this was marketed as a young adult book but early on one of the templars calls the king's soldiers "a bunch of pussies". Later some mentions "...when you were sucking at your mother's tit". I mean these aren't dispicably filthy phrases but it just seemed like they would be more worried about parents being angry. I definitely don't use those words in front of my son and don't expect him to use those words in front of adults. Looking at the amazon page now though I don't see anything about YA.
Anyway the guy gets points for mentioned Umberto Eco's Focault's Pendulum (one of my favorites) but I think I would rather read this story in novel format with a much more adult tone (hopefully including many dispicably filthy phrases).
nicolaspratt's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting depiction of the events surrounding the Templars. Great illustrations and an easy and exciting story to follow.
skybalon's review against another edition
4.0
Nice historical graphic novel that will teach you more about the Templars than you probably already knew. May not be 100% historically accurate but feels closer than most conspiracy theories. Not the best drawn graphic novel that I've ever read, but still nice and overall well worth the read.