The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven Paperback – May 15, 2001

This is a fantastic book about the subject of the Templars and the Hassassins. Wasserman is a great author in this field and in occult writings. I recommend his other works. If I remember right he was even so humble to admit he was not aware of Thomas Keightley's book on the Templar's and Hassassins at the time of the writing of this book. He has a forward in the re-print of Keightley's book. This is the book you should start your studies on the Templar's with. Before this I was all over the place.

This book is phenomenal. James Wasserman's well - balanced outlook; his careful analysis of outstanding information; his impressive writing style and his mastery of the historical material make this a gem in any historian's library.

Wasserman's look at ancient times and the secret societies of the Middle Ages is both broad and deep. It's an overview of the history of both groups as well as how they interact with each other, and how they affected western history after their demise. He even goes into how they affect the modern western psyche. It's full of great facts and a comprehensive history for anyone who's interested to know more about either of these groups or even just the time period in general. I especially love that Wasserman peppers the narrative with random, interesting stories and facts that make for fascinating reading. I discuss a lot of his little facts and tidbits on my blog; he's just that great! The language is perhaps a bit elevated, but all that does is serve to keep the reader on their toes. And let's face it, who doesn't want to sound like a crazy-intelligent intellectual historian? :) Whether you're writing it or reading it, it just makes you feel important when you understand it. Great read all around. my blog: [...]

Really explains a lot of the history of the Middle East. So much info it needs to be read a few times. A very worthwhile read.

Enjoyed reading about the Templars. Learned a lot more than what you see on TV programs about them.

My interest in Wasserman's book stemmed from the background research I did for the first English translation of ALAMUT by Vladimir Bartol -- an Eastern European novel based on the life and legend of Hasan ibn Sabbah, the original "assassin."I can't speak on behalf of Wasserman's "Templars" research, but if his "assassins" research is indicative, I'd suggest that this book offers nothing new in the way of scholarship. A quick look at his "assassin" sources reveals that he was exclusive in his use of secondary sources, most of them dating from 1955 and later, including works by Farhad Daftary, Bernard Lewis, and Marshal Hodgson. For the most part, Wasserman stays clear of the myths surrounding the assassins, and in a few cases debunks them, but if you have read any of the writers Wasserman relied on for his research, chances are you won't find much new here.

Easy to read, historical account of the Muslim and Christian world at that time in history

Awesome book

More detailed than previous books I've read by Wesserman. A lot is repeated from earlier books but he warns you about that and what to skip to avoid repetition. If you are interested in the western occult you should read this book.

This is an excellent book that is well written and meticulously researched. You have to read it through to the end to really understand the authors perspective, but us well worth the effort.Whilst I don't necessarily agree with many of it's conclusions, the evidence is well presented and eloquently argued.Great read

A great book. This is the perfect book for those who want know how the religions of Christianity and Islam came into being and want to know about the assassins and crusades. This is a concise book containing details about the above things.

It's okay. I read it and then gave it to a charity shop. It's a bit pseudo-crypto-mystical rather than a straight history book, which was what I'm after. I don't know much about the Assassins and after reading this I wasn't much better informed than if I'd read Wikipedia. Also no new insights re the Templars and there's plenty of books about them.

If you like your history written by a right-wing ideologue, without the discipline to separate fact from political opinion, then this is the book for you. To be fair I can only really judge on the basis of the first 100 pages, life is much too short to waste time reading such a biased & opinionated tract.