BRETHREN is a fabulously rich and exciting novel set on the eve of the last Crusade, at the end of the thirteenth century. Before young Will Campbell can take his place in the all-powerful Order of the Knights Templar, he faces a long, hard apprenticeship to the foul-tempered scholar, Everard. As he struggles to survive in the harsh discipline of the Temple, Will must try to make sense of his own tragic past, the dangerous mystery that surrounds Everard, and his confused feelings for Elwen, the strong-willed young woman whose path seems always to cross his own. Meanwhile, a new star is rising in the East. A ruthless fighter and brilliant tactician, the former slave Baybars has become one of the greatest generals and rulers of his time. Haunted by his early life, he is driven by an unquenchable desire to free his people from the European invaders of his homeland. These two men are destined to collide, as Templar Knight and Muslim warrior, in that extraordinary clash of civilizations known in the West as the Crusades.