After finishing ilium I needed a palate cleanser, so I went back to what's probably my favorite genre: historical fiction. Colin Falconer and Silk Road have been on my list for a while.

I liked this book, but didn't love it. The premise is simple: a Templar knight in Acre is sent as the bodyguard of a Dominican friar who has been sent by the Pope to treat with the Mongol Khan and establish a Catholic foothold. The Templar, Josseran, has also been asked to try and make a military alliance with the Mongols so they can help drive the Muslims out of the Holy Land.

The events in the novel are based on real events. Our character end up traveling all over the step, making their way to China and getting caught up in the Mongol civil war. The action is brisk and the story moves along at a fast pace. The writing isn't especially flowery or evocative, but it gets the job done.

I like some of the characters (Josseran is interesting), but the Domincan William is pretty one-note and his interactions in the story became stale, until the very end of the novel. I also wasn't a fan of the romance plotline that took over the novel - it felt underdeveloped throughout the story and for it to become the major focus of book felt a bit out of place for me. I understand it, but it didn't quite hit for me.

This is a pretty strong adventure novel. It's definitely a page-turner. Don't expect a literary masterpiece, but it is a nice quick ride rooted in history that doesn't often have a light shone on it in the genre.