Silk Road immediately drew in this reviewer due to the period and plot line it presented: the Crusading Templar knight, and the Dominican Friar that accompanies him, moving through the empire of the Mongols in search of a treaty against the Saracens. Having read fiction and factual works around both the crusades and the Mongolian empire I had already bought into the novel before I even turned the first page.

With his characterisations Falconer does not disappoint. The main protagonist, Josseran, is a wonderfully tortured soul. There is a dark back-story alluded to for much of the novel about why he took the crusade and joined the Templars, complementing his daily doubts about the strength of his faith and Christianity itself. As the story progresses there is an excellent change in the knight’s perspective, ensuring a character arc that makes us all the more sympathetic to Josseran’s plight in dealing with not only his past but also the present.

Falconer also balances his Templar well with the Dominican who is his travelling companion. Representing all that we would come to expect from the ‘blood and iron’ church of the Crusades, William is also tormented by his own inner demons. His regular flagellation with a switch after nightfall is a vicious demonstration of this borderline insanity when he battles with his faith. This character is hardly likeable, but in so creating an almost anti-hero to stand beside Josseran Falconer seems to show well the contradictory nature of this period of history.

In support of these two well-moulded characters there are a host of others. The Mongols strike all of the right cords with their fierce independence and commitment to life on the plain, and the court of Kubilai Khan has all the catches of Chin civilisation that so famously destroyed the identity of the Mongolian Empire.

As a personal journey for the two Christians, Silk Road is a stimulating read and a demonstration of how to weave a character into a believable tapestry. The plot itself does in places slow to a crawl, and there are certain aspects of their journey that seem somewhat unnecessary, though this is not to the extent that it makes the book a great deal weaker. There is still sufficient progression in the plot, and crucially the character arcs, that a reader will still take something away from each chapter.

The only other criticism is not even one of Falconer himself, but of the age he is committing to the page. There are several moments of vicious violence or degeneracy that made this reviewer baulk momentarily, especially knowing that the events are entirely plausible. So this is not so much a problem with the novel, but with the cruelty of past ages. Which is if anything a strength in Silk Road – it draws out an emotive response, for better or worse.

Silk Road then is a highly recommended read. Falconer demonstrates exceptional characterisation and covers a period that is itself fascinating. He manages to illustrate superbly how, whilst the Christians were battling the Muslims for the Holy Land, the Mongolian Empire had quietly taken vast swathes of the known world merely though horsemanship and the strength of their bow arms. Falconer certainly shows how fortunate the western world was that their Empire crumbled.

Silk Road shows the flaws in humanity, be they Christian, Muslim or Mongol. In so doing it unites the factions in their viciousness. Falconer might not show much faith in humanity, but he makes the failings well worth reading about.

Read Colin Falconer’s piece about researching the book

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