THE UNICORN ROAD

TITLE: THE UNICORN ROAD
AUTHOR: MARTIN DAVIES
Pages: 324
Date: 18/07/2009
Grade: 4.5
Library

It's funny how there may be months of years during which you don't come accross a certain subject in your novels, only for it to come up in two books in quick succession. In this cast it is the Cathars who, after having featured in THE BOOK OF LOVE, also make an appearance here. But, although the Cathars and their treasure do feature in this book, this is not their story.
Instead this is the story of a father, trying to piece together what has happened to his young son.
It has been years since Benedict, still only a boy, left with a famous scholar on an expedition to the East in search of mythical creatures. Since then, none of those who left on the expedition has been seen or heard from.
Now, the father waits on the coast of southern Spain, waiting for his son's return or news of his faith.
Through the stories the father hears as well as descriptions of the expedition itself, the reader learns more of the boy's journey, the people he travelled with and their histories as well as the mysterious peoples and customs of the East.
Set in the middle ages,this was a fascinating story with many layers and characters not being quite what they seemed. It was also a book that I only got to fully appreciate once I had finished the story.