The Road to Jerusalem

Fate sets a young Swedish noble on a course for war in the Holy Land in this international bestselling epic trilogy opener.

Born in 1150 to a noble Swedish family and coming of age at a monastery under the tutelage of a Cistercian monk and a former Knight Templar, young Arn Magnusson is sent to fulfill his destiny beyond the cloister walls. But the world awaiting him is a place at odds with his monastic ways. And when the murder of a king engulfs Western Götaland into a whirlwind of intrigue and ruthless power plays, headstrong and naïve Arn is forced to leave behind the woman he loves and take up arms to battle infidels in the Holy Land.


The first book in the international bestselling Crusades Trilogy, this thrilling epic of betrayal, faith, blood, and love sets "a Shakespearian quest for power" (Corriere della Sera, Italy) against the backdrop of the Holy Wars, witnessed through a vibrant, unorthodox lens.

Praise for The Road to Jerusalem
"The first volume of Jan Guillou's new trilogy . . . involves Swedish politics, familial drama, social oppression, ice fishing, wolf-hunting, political assassination, young sex and the Knights Templar. It's a great book." —The Washington Post
"Already a best-seller in Europe, this volume will appeal to fans of faithful medieval military fiction." —Booklist