In book one of the Celtic Crusades series, a Scottish boy travels to Jerusalem to try to regain his family's stolen lands, and ends up saving the relic Iron Lance that pierced Christ's side. In the year 1095, Pope Urban II declared war on the infidel. Kings, princes, and lords throughout Europe have joined the Crusade. To Murdo Ranulfson has fallen the duty of guarding his family's interests while his father and brothers fight to win Jerusalem. But when corrupt clergy prove enemies rather than protectors, Murdo must leave his native Scotland in search of his father. In the company of monks and warriors, he journeys far beyond the rolling fields of home, beyond the fabled Constantinople and the brooding walls of Antioch, to the Holy Land and the sword points of the Saracens. There, where blood, suffering, and human evil at its most horrifying are shot through with rays of the miraculous, he obtains the relic that will guide his life and the lives of his descendants for centuries. And there he grows from a callow youth to a man, trading cynicism for faith and selfishness for the heart of a leader. Steeped in heroism, treachery, and the clamor of battle, The Iron Lance begins a remarkable, masterfully woven epic trilogy of a Scottish noble family fighting for its existence and its faith during the age of the Great Crusades — and of a secret society that will shape history for a thousand years.About the Author: Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of fantasy and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium, the Song of Albion and Dragon King trilogies; The Pendragon Cycle, an Arthurian epic; and the science fiction novels Empyrion I and II and Dream Thief. Author Biography: Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of fantasy and imaginative fiction. He is the author of many books, including Byzantium and the Pendragon Cycle series. He lives in Oxford, England, with his wife and sons.