Ironclad is a new movie to be released in 2010 about a Knight Templar who helps defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John, played by Paul Giamatti.

Keeper of the Grail is the first book in a new series of young adult novels by Michael P. Spradlin. If the first book is any indication of what’s to come in the rest of the series, readers are in for a treat over the next few years.

The only thing I don’t like about this book is the title, which was not the author’s choice. Like many publishers, the publishers of the Dummies series wanted to cash in on the Dan Brown pony, and chose a name to go along with that train of thought. Now that I’ve gotten that commentary out of the way, let me state that one should not be dissuaded from buying this book based on either the Templar Code or Dummies part of the title.

There is an amazing amount of information in this little book, and some very fine illustrations as well. The book is the work of a scholar (who also happens to be a very good writer) and avoids sensationalism – and the story is sensational enough by itself.

If ever a book resembled a Wikipedia entry, this one is it. Actually that isn’t a fair assessment for two reasons.

The Trial of the Templars was written by Malcolm Barber, an academic specializing in medieval history. Barber is considered to be the world’s foremost authority on the Knights Templar. The book was originally published in 1978 and remains one of the staples of Templar and medieval history.

Dr. Ralls latest book on the Templars is a much needed resource and one that I’m sure will please both general readers and those who are more familiar with the Templars. Over the course of 300 pages, Ralls presents a wide variety of Templar and Templar related themes in digest format, providing a quick reference on the subject at hand.