The Flowers of Evil is the sequel to Simon Acland’s The Waste Land and continues the adventures of Hugh de Verdon, the crusader knight.
It takes up his story in the early years of the twelfth century, a turbulent period when the victorious First Crusaders fought to hold on to the lands they had won in Outremer. Unfinished business from The Waste Land takes Hugh on a journey of vengeance and fulfilment to Aleppo, Damascus, Petra and Jerusalem. He battles his old adversaries Baldwin of Boulogne, now King of Jerusalem, Hasan-i Sabbah and the Assassins, and encounters the Knights Templar.
Hugh's story is once again retold by the dons of St. Lazarus' College, Oxford. They have been delighted by the commercial success of The Waste Land and hope to repeat their achievement with The Flowers of Evil .
Highly acclaimed from the outset, The Flowers of Evil will appeal to those who enjoyed Acland’s The Waste Land and readers with an interest in historical fiction.
’Not many books make you glad you have woken up at 6 when you are on hols. I read this one and The Waste Land whilst on family holiday. I found myself waking up earlier and earlier just for a couple of hours of the next adventure of Crusader Hugh. A great read and quite thought provoking. A masterful interaction of historical fact and good storytelling’ - Amazon review
‘Intelligently and perceptively written, The Flowers of Evil is a welcome and worthy addition to The Waste Land , Acland's debut, which we waxed lyrical about when it was published last year. Rest assured it's well worth a read whether you're a historical fiction fan or not’ – lovereading.co.uk
Simon Acland read French at Oxford University and spent 25 years as a venture capitalist. His debut novel, The Waste Land and its sequel, The Flowers of Evil were both highly acclaimed. Simon Acland also writes about, and lectures on, venture capital.