Gods of War — J.T. O'Brien

When the raid is completed that rainy March night in 1072 A.D., Charles the Merciless counts his spoils. He and his raiders have captured twentyfive men, fourteen women, five dozen gold coins, twenty-five small silver bars, an assortment of jewelry, and one baby boy with blond hair, green eyes, and a telling birthmark.

Sold into slavery, the boy, John-the son of Robert and Mary Joinville and the grandson of Baron William Joinville-leads a difficult life at the Abbey of Lille. Tutored by a monk, John becomes not only a talented shepherd, but an educated young man. John yearns to become a knight. When his opportunity arises, this shepherd boy shows his true mettle as a leader and a warrior. As a knight of Baron Legran, he and his compatriots join God's Crusades where the battles never seem to end.

The Arab and Turkish people have never forgotten the Crusades, even 1000 years after the fact. Gods of War provides a unique, historical look through John's eyes at the advance of Christendom into the heart of Islam.