Omnibus Books, 1994 – newest
edition, Allen & Unwin, 2007

Book Two in the ‘Pagan Chronicles’

Available from
Allen & Unwin
Amazon
iTunes

Other books in the ‘Pagan Chronicles’
Pagan’s Crusade | Pagan’s Vows
Pagan’s Scribe | Pagan’s Daughter

The second book in the Pagan Chronicles is set in 1188, after the Infidels have conquered Jerusalem. Forced into exile, seventeen-year-old Pagan escapes to France with his Templar lord, Roland. But Roland’s homecoming is marred by conflict as his violent family clash both with their neighbours and with each other.

This title is also available in the United States (Candlewick Press) and Germany (Carl Hanser Verlag).

‘Readers will laugh and weep along with these vividly rendered wanderers.’
Kirkus Reviews

‘The fierce bond between knight and squire has only grown stronger.’
The Horn Book

‘Along with the dram and darkness, readers will find intensity and, yes, humour. Series fans may find other books set in the Middle Ages pallid after this one.’
Booklist

‘This reviewer cannot remember a more compelling or rewarding page-turner.’
Voice of Youth Advocate

‘Catherine Jinks has created a marvellous sequel to Pagan’s Crusade.’
The Sunday Mail

  • Andrea Charais

    I just wanted to say that ‘Pagan Chronicles’ was the first series I ever read from you, and I had never read a book with such brilliant dry sarcasm like that before. To this day, along with the ‘Genius’ series, I love going back and rereading them. :) Thanks for all your hard work and making such interesting worlds for the rest of us to explore!

    • Catherine Jinks

      Thank you so much, Andrea. How lovely that as people grow up, they still remember … it’s very touching. Thank you.

  • Avi Anflight

    Hi, Catherine! My friend and I are students who have recently stumbled across your series by chance, and we both have to say that your books are some of the finest we’ve ever read. Your writing is incredible, and so are your characters. One of the most incredible, in fact, is Jordan, who was introduced to us in Pagan In Exile, and who we continue to find charming and likeable even after we’ve finished your books. We only have one question; will Jordan ever get his own book? And, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would you be interested in doing a Q ‘n A with us?

  • Catherine Jinks

    Thank you so much, Avi! I really appreciate hearing from you. I’m afraid there’s pretty much zero chance of Jordan getting his own book, after all these years (apart from anything else, it’s getting harder and harder to publish ANYTHING these days) but I’ll certainly do a Q and A with you. I should warn you, though, that after twenty-odd years my memory of the plot developments and characters in the Pagan series isn’t what it used to be!

    • Avi Anflight

      Thank you! We’re honored to get the chance to talk to you, even if it’s not in person. We’ll compose a list of questions as soon as we can, and then send them to you even sooner.

  • Avi Anflight

    Here are our questions:

    1: What got you interested in the Middle Ages and are there any other eras in history you enjoy studying?

    2: How’d you come up with the names for your characters?

    3: Is there anything that you left out of the books that you wish you included?

    4: Have you thought about what would happen in the later books if Pagan went with Jordan?

    5: We noticed that the third brother of Roland and Jordan wasn’t talked about much. Roland and Jordan obviously don’t get along, but how do they feel about their other brother?

    6: Pagan has some unique insults. How’d you come up with those?

    7: What inspired you to write Babylonne?

    8: What is Jordan’s son like?

  • Catherine Jinks

    Okay – here goes!
    1. I got interested in the middle ages when I was about 12. I’m a very visual person so I think it was mostly about the clothes and cathedrals back then (so beautiful!) but the more research I did, the more interested I became – probably because the medieval mindset is so different from ours. The Roman and Renaissance mindsets are really easy to identify with (Stratford on Avon and its Tudor inhabitants seemed so FAMILIAR to me) but digging down into the way medieval people thought became my major interest when I was at university.

    2. All the names of my characters were collected during historical research – and believe me, I did a lot of it. I used to collect names for future reference. Pagan (Paganus) was my biggest find.

    3. Well – Pagan’s life between ‘Pagan’s Vows’ and ‘Pagan’s Scribe’ would have been interesting, but since most of it took place without Roland, it wouldn’t have been relevant. I’ve got a feeling that Pagan’s love life in those years might have been especially interesting.

    4. I don’t think it would have been much fun because poor old Jordan wasn’t having much fun. And the thing is – Pagan would not have been able to advance as much as he did in the church. That was the thing about the church – it was the one institution that gave low-born people a chance to shine. The same thing happened at King’s courts occasionally, but those courts were always cess-pits of intrigue and back-stabbing. If Pagan had stayed with Jordan, he would have been stuck in the same position forever – unless a king HAD noticed him, but that would have been unlikely, stuck out in the boondocks of Languedoc.

    5. Oh, I think they probably regard him as an extension of their father, since that’s what he obviously is. Roland takes after his mother, Jordan is a mixture of father and mother, and third brother (I’ve forgotten his name!) is a little clone of his dad. And we know how Roland and Jordan feel about their dad.

    6. I guess I just had to come up with similes that were era-appropriate. It meant I had to think harder.

    7. I just wanted to see what happened to Pagan’s scribe when he grew up.

    8. Now that I couldn’t tell you. It depends. On the one hand, I can see Jordan being a simply awful father to a clodhopper he didn’t see much. On the other hand, if the kid was in any way smart and delicate and more suited to the church, I could see Jordan being more sympathetic. In neither case, however, can I see him being very hands-on. Aristocrats weren’t, generally.
    I CAN imagine a scenario where Jordan doesn’t see the kid for years, for some reason (wife fled back to her own family, Jordan went off to war, whatever) and after about ten years comes back, sees what the kid is developing into, disapproves and swoops down to interfere mightily, causing a huge ruckus. I can see the kid hating him at first and then coming to adore him. I CAN see that..

    Hope that helps! It’s such a boost to know that somewhere out there, people still love Pagan – it’s amazing the way those books keep on keeping on. I suppose that’s the great thing about historical novels …

    • Avi Anflight

      We’re crazy about the books, Mrs. Jinks! We just bought the whole series, and we’ve drawn fan-art and the like.
      One last question, from me. It’s a bit awkward, but it’s a real question; are you aware that there are people who ship Jordan and Pagan? And was that expected?

      • Avi Anflight

        Also, thank you so much for answering our questions. We’ve always wondered what it’d be like to talk to you – you’ve truly changed our lives with your writing.

  • Avi Anflight

    We’re crazy about the books, Mrs. Jinks! We just bought the whole series, and we’ve drawn fan-art and the like.
    One last question, from me. It’s a bit awkward, but it’s a real question; are you aware that there are people who ship Jordan and Pagan? And was that expected?
    Thank you so much for answering our questions, and sorry for the repost of our comments – we were worried you hadn’t seen them. In all honesty, we’re just honored you’d reply as quickly as you did!

  • Avi Anflight

    Ah, okay. We were just curious! Thank you for your time, Catherine, you’re super nice and, once again, we’re honored that we got to ask you the questions!

  • Avi Anflight

    Hey, Catherine!
    We were planning on wishing you a happy holidays, but time just slipped away from us! I hope you had a great Christmas and that the new year is merry and bright!
    (From both Avi and Elymas)

    • Catherine Jinks

      Aww, thank you so much! And the same to you! I hope you got lots of lovely presents and that there was at least one book among them – I don’t care whether it was one of mine or not!

      • Avi Anflight

        Don’t worry, there definitely was! Have you ever read The Glass Castle? It’s a memoir about a girl and her siblings who have to take care of themselves because of their drunk father and irresponsible mother, and how life works out for them. Personally, I prefer fiction, but any book is fine with me.

        • Catherine Jinks

          Oh, I’ve read about it but I haven’t actually read it. You must tell me if it’s any good. It probably is, if they made a film out of it!

          • Avi Anflight

            I definitely will!

  • Avi Anflight

    Hey, Catherine!
    It’s been super long since we’ve contacted you, and I’m sorry for that, but I’ve got cool news! Elymas and I are planning on going to a Renessiance Fair soon, and when we’re there we’re going to be wearing our Roland and Jordan costumes!

  • Catherine Jinks

    Fantastic, Avi – a Renaissance Fair! You’re so lucky; we don’t get those around here. And the only time I dressed up medieval was about thirty years ago, for a mayoral ball. (My old medieval history tutor was the mayor!)

    Have a great time – and I hope people ask you who you’re meant to be, so you can tell them!

  • http://www.facebook.com/hyperion79 Trisha L

    Hi Catherine , Pagan was (is!) one of my favourite series as a kid, and I’m loving watching my 10 year old daughter discover him. She’s devoured Pagans Crusade, and it’s restarted her desire to read aloud to me so that we can both delight in his (your!) wit. Looking forward to exploring all that I’ve missed in the past…. Decades…. In your catalogue .

  • Catherine Jinks

    Oh boy, Trisha, that makes me feel SO OLD! At least she’s not your granddaughter, I suppose! But seriously, thanks so much for taking the time to send me such a lovely message; it’s heart-warming to know that people are still reading and loving Pagan after all these years. I’ve always thought of him as a separate entity from myself – he had a mind of his own, somehow, right from the start – and he deserves to keep living in people’s heads.

  • Avi Anflight

    Hello, Catherine!
    It’s been forever, but we have no other way to contact you! It’s also summer again, and Elymas and I are planning to go to Cedar Point (it’s the best amusement park ever) in our Roland and Jordan costumes or, more likely, just clothes that they would wear! I know we’ve told you this before, but your books have changed our lives and really shaped our friendship. I have (almost) the complete set on a special bookshelf on my desk! You probably get this a lot, but you’re an incredible author, one of the best we’ve read from! Have an awesome summer!

  • Catherine Jinks

    Hi Avi! How could I forget you and Elymas? You seem to be my biggest fans at the moment! But it’s not summer here – it’s winter, because we’re in the southern hemisphere, and it’s getting really cold (though not, I’m sure, as cold as it must get over there – most of Australia never gets snow, and where I live we might get a scattering of snow once or twice a year.) You must be in holiday, thought, so that’s great. And I’m glad to hear you’re still wearing your costumes – that you haven’t outgrown them.

    Any time you want to keep me posted about your activities, I’d be happy to hear from you – especially if those activities are Pagan-related. Personally, I just came back from a two-week holiday in Japan, so I got a snippet of summer, at least. Hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation!

  • Avi Anflight

    Hey, Catherine! Guess what? We just got back from the Renaissance fair! It was really fun, and our costumes looked incredible. I wanted to tell you before we went, but Elymas said we should wait, and now I’m glad we did, because now we can tell you about it!

    • Avi Anflight

      also, if there’s any other way to contact you besides the forums, PLEASE let us know..we don’t want to clog these up any more than we’ve been doing!

  • Catherine Jinks

    Hooray! So what did you do and see? Jousting? Spinning? Details, please!

    You’re not clogging anything up, and anyway it’s better if we talk here because I don’t want to post my email address on the internet for all to see, or I might end up with loads of spam.

    • Avi Anflight

      We DID see jousting! It was really awesome, even though every knight Elymas and I cheered for lost. My favorite part of the jousting was when the knights fought in a more melee fashion, though – it felt more exciting. There were stands for all sorts of medieval clothes and toys and food, and people dressed up as everything from knights to mermaids! It was incredible!

  • Catherine Jinks

    OMG it sounds fantastic. Wish I’d been there. Why didn’t anyone have this sort of thing when I was young?

    • Avi Anflight

      We wish you were there, too! It’d be awesome to be Roland and Jordan alongside their creator – kind of like an “Are we doing this right? Are we doing this right?” sort of thing. You would’ve loved the fair! Elymas bought a turkey leg but couldn’t finish it even when I helped..we don’t know how the folks back then managed!

  • Catherine Jinks

    Well – I guess no one had turkey legs in medieval Europe. But a swan’s leg would have been just as bad!

  • Avi Anflight

    Hey, Catherine,
    I know it’s been a while, and I’m sorry if this is an odd question, but I don’t know how else to contact you and ask. This has nothing to do with your books, but Elymas and I have heard about the fires in Australia, and we just want to know if you’re alright.

  • Catherine Jinks

    Hi, Avi! Lovely to hear from you! And you’re so kind to be worried about me. I have been surrounded by fire for the last month or so – to the south, north and west – but nothing has yet burned down, luckily. The smoke has been appalling (I’ve had to wear a mask inside, sometimes) and my dad had a bad couple of days, with the field at the bottom of his road going up, and my poor brother – who’s in the local fire brigade – was working 16 hour days for four weeks, putting his life on the line, but we’ve been SO much better off than thousands of other people.

    I took a trip through some of the fire grounds two days ago, and it was appalling – I don’t even want to think about what’s happened to the wildlife – but we’ve had rain for the last week, so that’s something. Unfortunately, other parts of the state are still burning – and right now I’m sitting in an appalling dust storm because of the drought inland!

    But I hope you’re alright over there, with no extreme weather around. Be grateful for any moisture you’re getting, even if it’s snow. We all need to be more grateful for our land generally, I think.

    • Avi Anflight

      It’s so relieving to hear that you’re okay! We’re fine over here, so you don’t have to worry about us. I’ll hopefully be getting a job soon, so I can donate to charities that are helping to put out the fires. Glad you’re safe!

  • Avi Anflight

    Hello, Catherine, it’s Avi again! Once again, it’s been a while.
    Elymas and I are still trying to get your books noticed by our peers – we’ve gotten some of our friends to start reading them! We haven’t stopped loving them; they’re genuinely still our favorite book series of all time!
    I hope you’re doing well. I just thought it’d be a good time for another check-in. Because of this virus, we couldn’t attend another Renaissance fair, which really bummed us out..but nevertheless, we’re still loving your knights!

    • Catherine Jinks

      Hi Avi – sorry it’s taken me so long to reply – I’ve been away from my computer. And thank you so much for checking in. We’re pretty good here in Australia – daily infections down to single figures in two states (including mine) and the other five states have nothing at all, some for months, so I’m just fine. I’m sorry you had to miss your Renaissance fair, but at least you’re both well! Can I ask if you’ve seen the Bernard Cornwell English TV series ‘The Last Kingdom’? I really think you’d love it – I did. It’s about the relationship between Alfred the Great and this Anglo-Saxon raised as a Viking called Utred. Takes an episode or two to really get going but as soon as Alfred appears it takes off. (I LOVE Alfred.) Anyway, you should definitely get hold of it, if you haven’t already. You’ll binge it, I guarantee. And I THINK you’re old enough by now, though there is rather a lot of violence.

      • Avi Anflight

        What a coincidence!! We’ve both started that show, but we’ve only made it to the second season – I’ve gone further with another friend. I love Uhtred so much; he’s such a good character in my eyes. Elymas and I are still not able to get out much but we try and see each other every Friday or so. Our Netflix watchlist is ever-growing and quarantine won’t stop us from doing our best to complete it! Happy birthday, by the way!