This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Having read a number of accounts of the expungement of nearly several hundred thousand Cathar heretics, I was intrigued by the story and the legend of their hidden relic. It was a genocide by the Church of Rome that is largely unknown. Then in the 1930s Otto Rahn and the Nazis are convinced the hidden relic can be located. An extraordinary but true story that just needed to be told. Considerable research was required and I visited the Cathars' Montsegur in France twice to investigate the site and talk to locals. The result is the most comprehensive story of the Montsegur Cathars and of Otto Rahn ever written.
However, more importantly, I imagined what the Cathar relic really was and just why it was so important. The fictional tale, based on the background history, for the search of the Cathar cache had to be completely plausible and the eventual discovery needed to be a find that would shock the world but be highly believable.
The book is both interesting and intriguing and with an informative epilogue.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
The Heretics' Revenge: The Final Search for the Holy Grail is a work of historical fiction written for adults by author Martin Barrett. In this epic adventure, which features no graphic content and is accessible to all readers, we find ourselves embroiled in the intrigue of a pair of intrepid questers who seek the secrets that will lead them to rediscover the hidden riches of the persecuted Cathars of the 13th century. Following clues from Nazi treasure hunters back to the very foundations of the Church of Rome itself, this is a rich and complex adventure that combines real historical details with a modern-day sense of pace and mystery.
A good historical novel can both teach and entertain at the same time, and author Martin Barrett strikes an excellent balance of both in this complex yet exciting read. Steve Jackson and Manon Lubin make a feisty pair who are able to work out the winding plot and guide us through it, but the real star of the show here is Barrett’s own narration and the extensive research and knowledge which is put into the plotline. Otto Rahn’s story particularly intrigued me, especially coming from his background and the tragedy surrounding his death, and his research into the Cathar cache is just one of many fascinating tidbits that are described with beautiful language to show off their true wonder. Overall, The Heretics' Revenge is an involved and rewarding historical read for fans of true accuracy and intrepid adventure.
