Knight of Jerusalem: A Biographical Novel of Balian d'Ibelin (Balian d'Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem) Paperback – 15 Sept. 2014

I had been looking for a book about Balien ever since The Kingdom of Heaven was first broadcast, but a book about the historical Balien not the product of Hollywood. After some research I discovered the real Balien, not the blacksmith from France so enchantingly played by Orlando Bloom. This book was like manna from heaven!!! Although Balien figured so heavily in Outreamer he seems to have been despatched to the mists of time by The Lionheart and all that has been left was the bare bones of such an inspirational figure. Thank goodness that Miss. Schrader has, with obvious copious amounts of research, have breathed life into Balien and given us, the reader, a flesh and blood character. I could not put this book down and can look forward to the following two parts of the Balien trilogy. Well done Miss. Schrader. An excellent book.

I found this first book of the trilogy of Balian of Ibelin amazing and had me hooked from the first page. A story of a landless knight seeking his fortune and a boy who would be king (despite being inflicted with leprosy), who wanted the love of his family and to have a loyal friend. Together, with the political dramas of court, a love that grew between two unlikely people, and two faiths colliding in warfare; this first episode has it all. With her insight and descriptions ranging from the scorching heat and landscape, people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, the different types of knights, lifestyles, clothing, etc. - All these things easily transported me to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Battles were described with a candid view and brilliance bringing the reality of the horrific carnage battles bring and their consequences.Family trees, historical notes, maps, and a glossary was invaluable too and shows the painstaking research done by the author..I would recommend this book to everyone. Bring on episode 2!

Helena is a very talented writer and one of the other great things about her work is that she is very strong in keep historical accuracy in her work as far as details, dates and places are concerned. The only drawback I can see clearly is something that plagues the best of historical writers too. She uses modern culture and sensibilities and sensitivities to create her story. This takes away a bit from the story's plausibility. That is a major flaw but then without it, the book would have been perfect. Nonetheless this is still a superlative book that really brings Balian of Ibelin alive in the mind of the reader. Of all the historical fiction authors I have read, only Stewart Binns seems an equal of Helena as far as storytelling is concerned.

From reading the reviews I expected more. The research is shaky, the plot basic, the characters one-dimensional and the writing simplistic and full of cliches. A shame. Balian d'Ibelin is a fascinating character with a rich story.

Entertaining and well-written novel based on one of the more fascinating time periods in history. Characters are nicely drawn and are true to their real life counterparts. The story will be somewhat familiar to those who have studied the Crusades. Recommended, looking forward to reading part two.

Good story and well told. Not quite at the level of the best historical novelists as I couldn't always get a clear picture of the actions in my own mind, but still damn good. I will be reading the others in the series with pleasure.

I found this historical fiction very educational as there is little interest in the world of the Crusades. The Author is to be congratulated for the hard work put in to build this novel

A must if you want to know history of balian of ibolin from Kingdom of heaven