When the king of France orders a mass arrest of the Knights Templar as a pretext to seize the noble order's legendary treasure, a handful of fugitive knights-turned-outlaws band together to stop the tyrant by pulling off the greatest heist of the 14th century. With gorgeous illustrations by LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland, this 480-page, full-color, hardcover graphic novel by Jordan Mechner is itself a treasure.
"With Templar, Jordan Mechner combines true flair for classic adventure with a firm grasp of medieval history, for an unforgettable tale of love, gold and glory."
— David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, creators of HBO's Game of Thrones
"Templar is a beautifully executed historical thriller... A classic caper story filled with glorious and horrible swordfights, skullduggery, torture, romance, banditry, piety, bravery and treachery... Once I picked the (massive) book up, I couldn't put it down. This is some great and exciting storytelling."
— Cory Doctorow for Boing Boing, Author of Homeland and Little Brother
"Templar is chockablock with clanging sword fights, lusty brawls, treasure heists, romance, betrayal and comic-relief narrow escapes. All of this, combined with Mechner's extensive research, gives Templar a headlong narrative propulsion."
— The New York Times Book Review
"Dense but very fluid, captivating the reader from the start. Jordan Mechner weaves a romantic story skillfully mixing chivalry, love, friendship, humor and adventure in a spirit that Alexandre Dumas would not have disowned... The tale he has written fits perfectly into a solid historical framework, outlining a plausible version of the mystery surrounding the mythic Temple treasure, which has spilled so much ink and fueled so many fantasies... By placing their story at the human level, [Mechner, Pham and Puvilland] have created a masterful epic that will delight fans of grand, novelistic stories."
A lot of people have heard of the Knights Templar, thanks to their cameo appearances in modern-day conspiracy thrillers like The Da Vinci Code and Assassin's Creed. Not so many know the true historical events that gave rise to their legendary mystique.
The arrest and trial of the Templars in 1307 was a scandal that rocked the medieval world so deeply that its echoes still reverberate today. It was more sensational, gripping and heartbreaking than anything a writer could invent.
In writing Templar, I wanted to weave a swashbuckling romantic adventure in the spirit of Alexandre Dumas — an entertaining fiction that nonetheless conveys a truthful picture of the world as it was then.
I love LeUyen's and Alex's artwork. It's fluid, humorous and expressive, intimate and epic, and grounded in scrupulous historical research. They both come out of Dreamworks feature animation, LeUyen is an award-winning children's book illustrator, and I'm immensely proud of what they've achieved with Templar. I can't wait for readers to discover it, too.
Templar was published by First Second Books/Macmillan in a 480-page hardcover edition in July 2013. (Book One was previously published under the title Solomon's Thieves). It was published in France by Akileos, and re-released in a new hardcover edition in April 2019.
LeUyen, Alex and I had so much fun collaborating on Templar, we hated to stop! So went and made another book together: The Making of Templar. And we're giving it away for free.
As usual for our projects, this one grew to be a little bigger than we expected — but no regrets. The Making of Templar is an 86-page e-book, lavishly illustrated with LeUyen and Alex's sketches and behind-the-scenes materials, in which we discuss our work process and five-year journey making Templar.
Topics include:
If you haven't read Templar yet, never fear; we've steered clear of spoilers.
We hope you enjoy The Making of Templar — and Templar, too!
Download The Making of Templar:
"Mechner's experience as a screenwriter [results] in a fast-paced and unexpectedly moving adventure against one of the great historical dramas of the Middle Ages... Templar is yet another terrific book from First Second."
— Review on Tor.com
"[The Templar history] constitutes a searing, sobering counterweight to the story's high-wire derring-do and jovial camaraderie. Add to all that a nifty Ocean's Eleven–style caper, outstanding artwork, and enough romance to get the heart invested, and you have an epic adventure comic for the ages."
— Booklist (Starred Review)
Templar wallpapers are available to download for free in the Library.
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