Boy, was I disappointed when I picked up this one. I knew it was the last one in the series and that my happy place was about to close, but I didn’t realize that it had already closed. This story focuses on the now adult Father Pagan and his new scribe Isidore.

Isidore has epilepsy and is suspected of being possessed because of the seizures. (Please, there are people now who think epileptics are possessed.) This has isolated him from most of society so he’s turned to books and the Church and gotten a little bitter and suspicious in the process. He’s pretty sure he’s going to spend the rest of his life in this little backwater town in France when Father Pagan, the Archdeacon of Carcassonne (and this is where all the people who caught my reference to Simon De Monfort on the last review gasp), appears. Father Pagan’s current scribe is ill and Pagan is, predictably, angry about it. Pagan demands to know if Isidore can read and write and when he gets an affirmative, dumps his sick scribe and promotes Isidore. Then they take off for Carcassonne where Father Roland is hoping to avert the crusade headed their way. Isidore first hates Pagan because he is rude, but with time he sees that his new master is a great man. Unfortunately, about the time he figures this out is when the Crusaders are headed for Carcassonne and they may be fighting a holy war, but they’re doing it for the profit. After all, it’s cheaper to kill someone than to buy their land from them.

The writing is great. Jinks is a master of telling a full story without slowing down the pace. You get a complete picture of everything including the scent of a besieged city. She also doesn’t soft-pedal the crisis, though she also doesn’t get too explicit with the gore. The history is also accurate. I had first read about the Albeigsian Crusade in Otto Freidrich’s The End Of the World, which is really fascinating for adults, but maybe not for intermediate readers. I’m still amazed that there’s a book for this reading level on this fairly obscure time in history. The fact that it is accurate also amazes me.

So why didn’t I like it? Mostly because I’m a big whiner. I liked Pagan. He was clever and funny and sarcastic. I wanted Pagan. Isidore is ok. He’s smart. He’s young and has a lot to learn. He’s observant. He’s even got a handicap should make me like him more. But I don’t and it’s just because I liked Pagan so much. I think if I had read the Pagan trilogy and then started on the Isidore book (or books. I can dream.) I might have been perfectly fine though that would have screwed up the history. Pagan simply could not have remained a teen and participated in the Albeigsian Crusade. He had to age. I do think the best option would have been for Jinks to have written a Pagan Trilogy and then gone into the Isidore stories. He really didn’t have any time to grow on me. But, like I said, I’m a whiner.

For students of history this is a real gem of a find. For intermediate readers this is really a treasure. Even reluctant readers can enjoy Pagan and Isidore’s tart humor and their adventures are exciting too. The fact that these stories are set in the actual history is great. Once the kid in question is finished reading the books you can spring on them the fact that this stuff happened. And if you are an adult and are looking for something fast and engaging, these are great stories.

Other Pagan Books
Pagan’s Crusade
Pagan In Exile
Pagan’s Vows



Recommended: Yes