Review of “The Royal Order of the Last Coin” by Joyce Crawford

Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)
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Are you looking for some action-packed, romantic Christian fiction set in medieval times?

The Royal Order of the Last Coin by Joyce Crawford is a Christian historical novel interweaving themes of faith, duty, and legacy with rich historical contexts.

It is a remarkable father-and-son story following Walter de Burton, a loyal English knight as well as a devout Christian, and his son, Milton de Burton. While the early portions focus on the storied life and times of Walter, the majority of this book seems more focused on the passing-of-the-torch to Milton as well as Milton's growth from a young man/squire to a knight and a leader in his own right.

Taking place between the 13th and 14th centuries, the book comes on the heels of William Wallace's military campaigns in the Wars of Scottish Independence. In fact, the book opens with descriptions of Wallace's brutal execution including disembowelment and castration. It is, in fact, an even more graphic description of Wallace's execution than what is portrayed in Mel Gibson's Bravehart. It's also a more accurate depiction of those events.

While describing some of the brutality and inhumanity of the Middles Ages as well as uncomfortable human behaviors (including sexual ones), it remains a mostly-positive and uplifting tale.

This book is mostly a coming-of-age tale that uses the historical, Medieval background to emphasize the universality of certain human experiences like faith, love, guilt, loss, and compassion.

We're introduced early on to King Edward I of England, whom you might better remember as the ruthless villain of Bravehart: the so-called “Longshanks.” This book is arguably a much fairer portrayal of the king than that work of fiction. Edward does show some ruthlessness and brutality, such as when he has William Wallace brutally executed or when he calls for the same treatment for a treacherous baron. However, there's also another side to King Edward that this book interestingly explores. King Edward isn't pure evil. He's portrayed in this book as a man in very touch circumstances who must make very tough decisions. He is surrounded by rebellion and sedition from all sides, and he needs to ensure that England and its surrounding lands don't plunge into anarchy, lawlessness, and chaos.

At the same time, characters like Walter—one of his oldest and most loyal knights—are made uncomfortable by the apparent brutality and inhumanity of some of the king's actions. Walter subtly and briefly questions if it's right to continue serving someone who is demonstrating monstrous and tyrannical tendencies.

Should we be burning villages? Torturing and executing our adversaries? What happens when other, fellow soldiers engage in rape and plunder? Should we find the strength to say no? Should we find the strength to do the right thing?

So, what's interesting about this book is that even though our protagonists/heroes are English, the English are also engaged in activities that some might consider villainous.

It begs questions like: When does your loyalty to God and his goodness circumvent your loyalty to king and country? Should it circumvent those loyalties at all? Should we respect and obey authority even when that authority seems to be acting against what God would want or what the Bible says? Or does God give authority to these authorities for a reason?

Fascinatingly, a lot of this book reminded us of stories from the Bible. For example, while on course to court the king's niece, Milton is gradually able to reach King Edward I—who is often seen as unapproachable by others. Edward reveals a lighter, more human and vulnerable side. On one hand, he's still a budding tyrant who wants to crush and dominate his enemies. On the other hand, he's willing to hear Milton teach him about what God and Jesus would want him to do based on the wisdom of King Solomon and the mercy and grace God showed throughout the Bible. It really opens his eyes and reminds him of the kind of leader he wants to be.

It's so interesting to see this king—who is painted as a demonic villain in popular works of fiction like Bravehart--be humanized.

It reminded us of David's interactions with King Saul, Daniel's interactions with King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and Joseph's interactions with Pharaoh.

These were all relatively-young Jews who were able to touch the hearts and minds of these powerful kings. God was able to use them in this regard.

For example, King Nebuchadnezzar was a villainous tyrant in his own right. He attempted to force people to worship a golden statue of himself and threatened to burn those who refused in a furnace. He invaded, conquered, and killed countless people and groups of people.

You could ask—just like the protagonists of this book do—why would a good God allow men like this to rule?

What's extraordinary is that in this book—just like in the Book of Daniel in the Bible—God is able to use a young man in the midst of a tyrannical and vicious king. God is able to use Milton to influence King Edward just like he used Daniel to influence King Nebuchadnezzar.

This is also a reminder that, no matter how bad things get and no matter how evil the ruler seems, God is still the ultimate authority and he can end them at a moment's notice.

No matter how big, powerful, and proud man gets, man is still under the authority of God.
Sometimes, even kings need a reminder of that.

A lot of this book concerns Milton gradually growing from a squire to a knight, all the while meeting new people and encountering new problems, one of which is the introduction of new illnesses like Typhoid fever.

Milton also romantically pursues Maid Claret, who is effectively the king's niece. He crushes on her from a distance, though is prevented from courting her directly due to his lack of knighthood and nobility as well as Claret being a highly protected person in general.

Milton embarks on a noble quest to earn his stripes the same way that his father did: through servitude, hard work, loyalty, and dedication. Perhaps by becoming a knight, he can win the hand of Maid Claret!

Check it out on Amazon!