Oh dear me. This was really two books in one, with the most spurious connection between the two. On one level you've got a tale of the 1200s in southern France, connected to the Cathar persecution, and the protection of a religious treasure. But the treasure that is in danger isn't actually a Cathar treasure - but one from a strange mish-mash of religion that is from all creeds and none. Overlaid on this is the same story, with (so you're supposed to accept) descendants of the same people in the first story, who have, by some strange quirk of genetic fate come to play the same roles 800 years later. The memory transferance betwen Alais/Alice seemed contrived. In a sense, either book would have been OK - it's hardly great literature, but readable - but together it was just terribly far-fetched and ludicrously long. Tosh and I wont be looking the auther out again...
