My first thought when I heard about Templar Traitor by Angus Donald was “ooh, Templars – love anything Templar related. And by Angus Donald, too! Must read.” My second was “a Templar fighting with the Mongols? Yeah, right!” And with those conflicting thoughts in mind, I decided to give it a go. Angus Donald is a great writer, so even if it is more fantasy than reality, he may be able to pull it off. How surprised was I to discover, from the very first pages, that this wasn’t a fantasy, nor a King & Conqueror-esque rewriting of History. (Forgive me for mentioning King & Conqueror, but when someone butchers History like that, the pain is real!)

This was a true story!

A clever, original plot is the more remarkable for the fact it derives from the true story of a Templar knight fighting with the Mongol horde, in the army of Genghis Khan, no less!

Templar Traitor gives a unique angle on the Templars, the Crusades and the Mongols. It also gives an insight into events we rarely hear about and rebuffs the Euro-centric view of the Middle Ages. In Templar Traitor Angus Donald expertly portrays the contrast and melding of the different civilisations of the European Christian and the Mongol. The clash of cultures adds an intensity top the story, beyond the warmongering and empire-building. The human toll of ambition and deceit is evident.

I cannot imagine the amount of research that must have gone into recreating the lands the Mongols conquered. Legendary cities such as Samarkand are rebuilt and brought to life. The Nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols means the marauding army takes its own sheep, goats and herds of horses campaigning with it. The women accompany the army, making a home in the encampment wherever they stop.

Angus Donald sheds light on the knight’s story, fleshing out the gaps in the known history to create a remarkable adventure that will leave the reader eager for more. The Templar knight, Robert of Hadlow, has his own secrets, motives and family concerns. Add to this a private feud with a priest, the need to rescue his baby brother and forbidden love, and Robert’s story has all the ingredients for a magnificent adventure.

Robert of Hadlow is a likeable character, even if the reader feels they cannot wholly trust him. The author implants that niggling doubt in the reader’s subconscious and I’m not quite sure how and when he did it!

All in all, Templar Traitor is definitely in my Top 10 of Books of 2025. The originality of the story is refreshing. The attention to detail and the layers of plot make it a gripping, fascinating read. Oh, and there’s enough single combat and vivid battle scenes to satisfy anyone who likes a jolly good battle! From the first page, the story is intriguing. I enjoyed the fact that I didn’t know what the endgame was. This is far from formulaic historical fiction where the hero knight saves the day. There is mystery and deceit throughout – on both sides – with ulterior motives and hidden agendas.

Templar Traitor is probably the best book Angus Donald has written, possibly even better than his Holcroft Blood series – and that was excellent! I cannot recommend it highly enough.

4.5 stars

What a ride. Angus Donald has a real gift for pulling you into the dust and blood of history, and here he does it again with Robert of Hadlow’s tale.

The unique framing of Robert recounting his story under duress gives the whole book a tense, confessional atmosphere. It’s not just a narrative, it feels like a lived memory being torn from him, sometimes reluctantly, sometimes urgently, and that immediacy makes it impossible to put down.

Donald’s writing style has that raw edge and the way he threads Robert’s personal voice through it makes the whole thing feel authentic. It’s like sitting across the table from a battered old knight who has seen too much but has to tell you what happened.

I loved every section where we landed with the mongolian army. I found myself so absorbed and at times it felt like I was actually riding with the army, the thunder of hooves under me.

The scale, the discipline, the alien culture to a European knight, it all had that epic, cinematic sweep. Honestly, it gave me huge Last Samurai vibes, except here it’s Mongols instead of samurai. That outsider perspective, being drawn into an entirely different warrior world, was chefs kiss 👌

You can tell Donald has done his homework. The research drips through every page, not in a dry academic way, but woven seamlessly into the flesh of the story

A great book

Thank you very much to NetGalley who offered me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!
As a medievalist i was out of my depth here as i confess, I know exceptionally little about genghis khan. What drew me to the book was the premise of a knight's templar being in genghis khan's army.


I give the book 3 starts not because it is a poor story.In fact, it is actually a very exciting and very interesting story. My rating is based on my medievalist sense of inspiration. I gauge a book like this based on whether it inspires me to read more about the topic my confess, I am torn. The middle east and eastern tribes are just not an area of interest to me.

I did however enjoy learning about Robert the english templar, who fought amongst genghis khan's cavalry. The book also gives fantastic tribute to the amazing equestrian skills of the mongols. I very much enjoyed the author's portrayal. Of coursemanship, in this time period it is very well researched and well presented.

The plot is action, packed with epic battles.Love interests and beautiful horses. Not sure if I will continue with the series or not. One thing I would have liked was more of the templars and the interworkings of their order during this time period. I was more interested in the elements of the templars than I was of genghis khan so I was disappointed when it was not a dominant part of the story

I feel like this book is a good lead into what may be an exciting series.There is a few plot twists and characters with double agendas. If this books era is your vibe will definitely be intrigued and interested to see where the story goes.

Templar Traitor by Angus Donald, a well written book with a good premise. Ultimately the book failed to capture and keep my attention but I do think others will enjoy it. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

The latest from the talented pen of Angus Donald. The start of a new trilogy with the background of the reign of Genghis Khan and his swarm into Europe. At a battle outside Vienna, one of his men is captured and it turns out to be an Englishman and disgraced Templar fighting with Genghis Khan. As a prisoner, he is interrogated and this book is the recounting of his story.
Lots of research has gone into this and most of us will have heard of Genghis Khan but not really understood how he fits into European history so, as usual, Mr Donald educates us while telling a tale with plenty of action, intrigue and strong characters.
I say strong characters (a strong point of Angus Donald’s books) but oddly I found Robert (our “templar traitor”) perhaps the weakest one. Excellent fighter and very pious but less character depth than most of the rest of the cast. Hopefully in the next book he will be a bit more relaxed!

This was a historically enticing, action-packed and gritty read from an established historical fiction author.

I loved the premise of this novel, even more so on discovering it is based on a true figure. I know the story of the Crusades and Templars, but taking this familiar story and transplanting it into the world of Genghis Khan and the Asian steppes added an original new angle and an exciting start to a new series.

Donals sets up this world, its customs, the trade along the Silk Road, and the culture and food of its people immaculately, creating a real sense of a medieval Asia. This was fascinating to learn about, as this is a setting I don’t know much about. The only challenge was getting familiar with the places and names, as they weren’t immediately recognisable, and there was a lot to take in. But in that, Donald does a fantastic job of educating readers who don’t necessarily know this world whilst enmeshing it into an exciting story of battles, politics and epic journeys.

Overall, this was an immersive, authentic and exciting start to a new series and is refreshingly different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC.
This was a historically enticing, action-packed and gritty read from an established historical fiction author.

I loved the premise of this novel, even more so on discovering it is based on a true figure. I know the story of the Crusades and Templars, but taking this familiar story and transplanting it into the world of Genghis Khan and the Asian steppes added an original new angle and an exciting start to a new series.

Donals sets up this world, its customs, the trade along the Silk Road, and the culture and food of its people immaculately, creating a real sense of a medieval Asia. This was fascinating to learn about, as this is a setting I don’t know much about. The only challenge was getting familiar with the places and names, as they weren’t immediately recognisable, and there was a lot to take in. But in that, Donald does a fantastic job of educating readers who don’t necessarily know this world whilst enmeshing it into an exciting story of battles, politics and epic journeys.

Overall, this was an immersive, authentic and exciting start to a new series and is refreshingly different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC.

Rating of 4.5.

Those in the mood for an awesome and intense adventure should check out the soon-to-be-released historical fiction novel from Angus Donald, Templar Traitor, an outstanding book that I had a brilliant time getting through.

Plot Synopsis:

“Do not lie to me, Templar, or it will be the last thing you do.”

July 1241. Christendom cowers in terror before the threat of a Mongol invasion. The swift-moving, invincible cavalry of Genghis Khan has smashed the proud, steel-clad knights of Russia, Poland and Hungary – and now Austria lies directly in their path.

At a skirmish outside the walls of Vienna, German knights capture a squad of Mongol scouts, and are astonished to discover one of their number is an Englishman – a Templar knight – who has been riding with these Devil’s horsemen for more than twenty years.

Interrogator Father Ivo of Narbonne is summoned to Vienna Castle to draw the truth from the imprisoned Englishman before his impending trial, to find out why he abandoned his Faith, his Brethren and his homeland to become… a traitor to Christendom.

This was a very impressive novel from Donald that nicely sets up a cool new historical fiction series, while also containing an intense and exciting story. Loaded with action, adventure and some fascinating historical elements, Templar Traitor was an excellent read that I’m very glad I got to check out early.

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https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/08/17/templar-traitor-by-angus-donald/

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A brilliant new novel from the masterful Angus Donald.

Templar Traitor follows the story of an English Templar knight who is outcast from his order and eventually ends up fighting for Ghengis Khan and his Mongol horde.

Its a brilliantly written book, the perfect historical adventure tale.

A good read based loosely on the historical fact that an Englishman fought for Ghengis Khan.
Robert a Templar knight is cast out for breaking his vows and seeks to remake his life by travelling with traders east of Acre into the steppe where the Mongol army is conquering all before it.
He finds out that his brother is being held captive in the Holy land so has to find the means to raise a ransom to free him.
For anyone who likes the stories of Colin Igguldon regarding the Mongol empire you should enjoy this.

A marvellous read!

Epic battles, motivations of love, honour, riches and faith. And a seamless mix of history and fiction to create the perfect tale. Templar Traitor was a fantastic read! I couldn’t get enough and consumed it within two days. I fell in love with the immense descriptions of battle, of the setting. There is a strong main character in Robert - all made the better when his weaknesses are put to light. The detail and attention and care put into writing this is evident. The passion the author has for history, too. I seriously look forward to what comes next.

A historical reinterpretation 😉 there is a lot of really good historical notes mixed in with a. tale of an errant Templar, really enjoyed it