The Sulphur Priest

by Adrian Boas

Overview

In this sweeping novel about one of the most fascinating periods in history, The Sulphur Priest weaves together two dramatic stories occurring six-and-a-half centuries apart at a medieval castle in the dense Mediterranean forest of western Galilee. In 1271, a young German squire was witness to strange and treacherous events that took place in the Crusader castle when it was under siege. In 1926, archeologists on an American-led expedition to the same castle in British mandate Palestine stumble on a concealed subterranean passage, and within it, a remarkable find. These two episodes come together to expose a double drama of secrecy, deception, alchemy, and murder. The Sulphur Priest is a must-read for anyone who enjoys action-packed historical fiction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781627878692
Publisher:	Wheatmark
Publication date:	03/08/2021
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Adrian Boas is an archaeologist and historian of the Crusades. He has excavated several crusader-period sites, including, for the past fifteen years, the fortress that serves as the principal location in The Sulphur Priest, his first novel. A professor emeritus at the University of Haifa, he has published several academic books.

Editorial Reviews

2021-06-14
A historical novel concerning 20th-century archaeology and the Crusades.

Boas presents two intertwining stories that take place more than 600 years apart. One is set in the 1920s as an archaeological team led by a man named John Riley excavates Montfort castle in what was then British Mandate Palestine. The excavation comes across a major point of interest: a subterranean chamber that may hold secrets about the castle dwellers who built it. The team, however, is plagued by disgruntled employee Larry Walker, who later becomes a disgruntled former employee with a dangerous penchant for explosives and whiskey. The second narrative is set in the year 1271, in which a young man named Hermann escorts the elderly Albert of Ulm, who’s set off to the East in search of his son, who, when he disappeared, was attempting to retrieve the arm of St. John the Baptist. Hermann and Albert have picked a poor time for their expedition, however; the threat of a Saracen attack on Montfort draws near. If push comes to shove, will the castle hold? As the book alternates between the 1920s and the 13th century, readers learn much about both eras; Riley’s team wants to understand what happened in Herman’s time by piecing together the past, when men apparently risked their lives in search of bizarre treasures. The 1920s team must deal with an unpredictable foe and, in the case of one of the characters, a love interest with a local woman named Bel. Still, the 13th-century plot generates more excitement; relatively modern concerns pale in comparison to the sheer wild danger of a castle under attack, and Boas puts readers in the midst of all the “cracking of wood and the crash and crack of stone” with little promise of help for the main characters. Yet, the overall narrative manages to maintain interest with the question of how the two tales will overlap—and what exactly was going on in that subterranean chamber.

An engagingly illustrative intersection of two distinct time periods.

Kirkus Reviews