The Black Rose, 1945

This is a delightful adventure story beginning in England and spanning the globe all the way to Cathay (China) and back. Young Walter of Gurnie, unable to marry the woman he loves sets out on a journey to the mystical land of Cathay after his father passes away. His goal is to make a name for himself and return to England with treasure and knowledge from foreign lands. The author makes good use of the period to set the mood of restlessness and the need for adventure. This is a very easy read and rates as a page-turner. Though written in 1945 it is full of adventure, suspense, romance, and revenge characteristic of modern fantasy tales.

Walter is the bastard son of an English peer. Because of his involvement in the Oxford University riots of 1273, he is forced to flee England along with his friend Tristram, leaving behind the love of his live. This book, as all Costain's novels, is well researched and thoroughly entertaining. The reader will follow Walter's adventures in exotic places such as Antioch, Cathay, Bombay, Venice, Marseilles. During his travels he will fall in love with another woman, and upon his return to England, he must submit to the king's decision on which of the two women he must marry: his first love, Engaine, or the "Black Rose". I highly recommend this book.

I first read The Black Rose in the late sixties while still in high school. I have read it at least 4 or 5 times since. I always disliked history in school but this book and others like it make history come alive. Admittedly, as Costain notes in his forward, he meant the book to be more about Edward I and Bayan of the Hundred Eyes, but became more caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. In spite of this, it is well researched and shows good attention to detail while keeping the reader truly engrossed in the story line. All the locales are marvelously described: Oxford, medieval castles and their mores, Antioch, Cathay, Bombay, Venice, and Marseilles. This is the story of how a young man born to a privileged family comes to believe in the rights of the common man and the journey that forces this change in his beliefs. It is also the story of a great love between the unlikliest of lovers; an illegitimate young man of noble English family and the sister of a powerful merchant of Antioch. It is a good read, as are all of Costain's books. Other books by Costain that are worth exploring are Below the Salt ( a sci-fi take on the Magna Carta era a la "Back to the Future), The Silver Chalice (about Joseph of Arimathea and the Apostles), and The Darkness and the Dawn (about Attila the Hun). All are very good reads, will get you interested in history, and ready to explore more detailed books on the subject.

At age 12, this was the first book that I read by Thomas Costain. I have since read as many as I could find. The book is filled with the rich details of life in olde England and Cathy (China). The book develops the characters to the point that you laugh and cry with them. While enjoying a love story and an adventure, you gain insight into the technical advances of ancient China and the difficulties endured on the overland trade routes to the Orient. A remarkable gem in Costain's crown of literary works.

A mix of enduring love, adventure and history. This is my favorite book of all time! Obviously it's Costain's best, and I've read them all.