Author: Brandon Wilson

Publisher: Pilgrim’s Tales

ISBN: 978-0-9770536-9-8

Brandon Wilson is the award winning author of adventure travel books. His photography has won awards from numerous magazines including National Geographic Traveller and Islands. Brandon enjoys trekking long-distance walks to inspire others to discover life’s possibilities.

When Brandon is not doing what he loves best (trekking hundreds of miles) he can be found on the slopes of a volcano in Hawaii where he currently lives.

Along The Templar Trail is a book destined to inspire others. It is the quest of two men who decide to trek across eleven countries and two continents towards their chosen

destination - Jerusalem. Together they cross lands that were once used as battle fields and with each new place they encounter, they learn about the cultures of the people. For every step of the way, Brandon hopes to be able to spread the message of peace. Can he spread his message and what’s more, can the two friends complete their challenge?

Through their adventures, we see how these two new friends interact with one another and build up a close friendship, share laughs and ultimately help each other when their spirits are low.

I was a little put off by the beginning, I didn’t quite understand it and I thought the author could have made it much more exciting. However as I read on, I managed to get into this historic quest shared by the duo. Wilson gives us a rich detail of the surroundings, the people and how he feels. Every now and again, we are given a “planned route map” on which we are able to see the route Wilson and his walking companion trekked. It is good that Wilson managed to include this in his book as it really does give readers a clearer vision of his route. Towards the middle of the book there is a photo montage, with pictures of the areas he visited during his time trekking to Jerusalem.

There are some interesting photos, one of the Good Enough to Eat sculpture of a hand holding a bowl of fruit in Turkey. Another is inside a Mosque in Edirne where we can clearly see the detail on the walls and pillars. Another one is of The Edicule, Tomb of Christ.  Fascinating stuff, especially to those people interested in that kind of thing.

This is a fast-moving and inspiring book aimed at readers who enjoy travel memoirs. With every chapter, we learn about the challenges that faced Wilson and his French friend as they walked the seven million steps for peace. We encounter the friends they made and the cultures they were lucky enough to learn about.

I feel sure there is a big fan base out there for this kind of literature and previous readers of Brandon’s other books, will be snapping this up. Great, touching and hugely interesting.

The above review of the ARC copy was contributed by: Jessica Roberts: Jessica has been a book reviewer for a newspaper and a national women's magazine and is working on a novel. To read more of Jessica's reviews CLICK HERE 

(Along The Templar Trail will be published and available after Jan, 2008)