Rebirth — John Wilson

…an astonishingly nuanced and masterfully told story…—Quill & QuireThe Heretic's Secret Trilogy is a rollicking historical adventure set during the bloody 13th century wars against the Cathar Heretics of Languedoc. When the armoured knights of Pope Innocent III swept south in 1209, most thought they would be gone by summer's end but, led by the fanatical Arnaud Aumery and the ambitious Simon de Montfort, they stayed for three fiery decades. In that time they slaughtered thousands of Cathars, burned countless towns and castles, destroyed a thriving country that rivaled France in power and culture, and created the foundations for the shape of western Europe we recognize. Simon de Montfort's land grab has angered King Pedro of Aragon and he is marching north with a vast army intent on destroying the crusade. The armies meet on a hillside outside Muret and the result will determine the history of Languedoc. The battle also draws in Adso, Peter and John. Adso must fulfill his oath to kill Oddo, Peter must discover the path that God has chosen for him and John discovers a valuable, but extremely dangerous, piece of information that could finally stop Aumery. In the end, the Crusade and Adso, Peter and John's involvement in it will change the future, but in ways that none of them imagined in their wildest dreams.…a brave book, an unsettling book, and one that is very much needed at this time.—The Globe and Mail