Labyrinth

I loved reading this book because it’s a historical time-slip mystery. The story switches from 13th-century France to the more modern-day setting of 2005.

It tells the story of two women, Alaïs in 13th-century France and Alice Tanner in 21st-century France. The story skillfully weaves together the lives of these two women and transports you to the ancient Occitan city of Carcassonne. Not only did I learn about medieval France, but I also learnt a lot about religious persecution of the day and the brutality that accompanied that age.

Mystery, quest, treasure, and historical adventure, this novel has it all.

Labyrinth links a twelfth-century French heroine in a land of legends, castles, and knights with a present-day heroine who finds two ancient skeletons at an archaeological dig and is drawn into a quest for the Holy Grail.

I love mystical, historical quests, and mysterious symbols, especially when the setting is so real you feel you are there. This one kept me reading far into the wee hours and I enjoyed learning more about medieval France.

Labyrinth is the opening novel in Kate Mosse’s bestselling Languedoc Trilogy set in Medieval southern France.

This story focuses on the pivotal period in the 13th Century of the much-reported Albigensian Crusade called by Pope Innocent III and brutally conducted by the King of France through his barons to put down the Cathar Heresy, which had migrated across southern Europe from the East and threatened the very foundations of the Catholic Church at that time.

Mosse weaves an intricate web of intrigue and suspense, beginning with a modern archaeological discovery that opens up the door to an overlooked but… show more.

This book combines two different time periods, modern France and the Middle Ages, along with an archaeological background and real historical events.

Labyrinth is an enthralling classic which can be read as an introduction to the tragedy of a brutal religious crusade waged against the heretics of Carcassonne, by the nobles of northern France. Centuries later, a young woman working at an archaeological dig comes across the remains of the crusade and is connected to the past by what she finds. A mystery she is driven to solve.

Kate Mosses’ concept of time travel to another time zone as the… show more.

Kate Mosse gives readers a fascinating insight into the turbulent history of Carcasonne in many of her novels, including Labyrinth. In 1209, Alais is given an ancient and mysterious book by her father, which with two other books contain the secrets of the true Grail. But the Cathars, the ‘heretics’ at Carcasonne, are under siege from the Catholic church and the books must be kept hidden. Helping Alais escape are a young boy, Sajhe, the guide, Harif, and the wise woman, Esclaramonde. But others are also determined to locate the Trilogy, among them Alais’ own sister, the ambitious and… show more.

Labyrinth is primarily set in Carcassone, with its ancient cité that looks like a fairyland castle. We live close, and since it is one of my favourite UNESCO sites, I had to read Kate Mosse’s highly acclaimed novel.

Opening with a present-day archaeological dig, the reader is introduced to the first of two protagonists – a young volunteer whose disturbing discovery uncovers an extraordinary connection to her past. The plot shifts to the Middle Ages and a girl in Carcassone who finds herself embroiled in a secret she must keep. The links between the two women are slowly revealed.

Deceit,… show more.