God wills it! The year is 1095 and the most prominent leaders of the Christian World are assembled in a meadow in France. Deus lo volt! This cry is taken up, echoes forth, is carried on. The Crusades have started, and wave after wave of Christian pilgrims rush to assault the growing power of Muslims in the Holy Land. Two centuries long, it will become the defining war of the Western world. "... a devastating novel. The book is... in many ways a perfect summation of his career..." -- Greg Bottoms, Salon "Evan Connell is a master storyteller." -- Ruth Lopez, Wall Street Journal "Here is one of the great books of our time, written by a living master. Read it and see." -- Jim Paul, San Francisco Chronicle Evan S. Connell was the author of eighteen books, including Francisco Goya , Deus Lo Volt!, Mrs. Bridge, and Son of the Morning Star . He received numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, and an award in literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. He lived and worked in Santa Fe, New Mexico.