Book Review: Califia’s Crusade

Reviewed by Timothy Thomas

A constantly engaging story about a newly elected queen struggling to lead her people to victory in an utterly foreign war

By taking great liberties with history, author Justin Hébert’s work of historical fiction succeeds in retelling California’s origin story with creativity and distinction. 

Arising from a preoccupation with the origin of the name California, Califia’s Crusade mixes fact with fiction to produce an unpredictably gripping narrative that links “the black Amazons of California with the mythical Amazons of ancient Greece” and sees them off on a quest across the world to avenge their ancestors who were driven from their homeland by the Greeks. 

On the day of her coronation, a newly elected queen (Califia) hardly has time to celebrate before she is unceremoniously “gifted” the first decision of her position by her rival Malachea, the Strategos of the Gorgon people: the decision to execute an alleged intruder, as the law of the Amazon demands. 

When Califia decides to spare him, instead, due to a lack of evidence for ill intent, they soon discover the intruder was lost, separated from a party roaming the oceans in search of an army to help them in a war with the Greeks. Once the party lands and bears witness to the Californians’ fighting prowess, they solicit their help in the war, and the Californians, eager to avenge the fate of their ancestors, agree to aid them. 

After many months at sea and a trek inland, they arrive at the siege grounds outside of Constantinopolis to a cold reception by the head of the Osman army, who is disappointed that an admiral has brought back an all-woman army. 

An opportunity to prove themselves arises, however, when an attempt to take the city by the invaders begins to fail and their forces threaten to be overwhelmed, prompting the queen to lead her forces into battle. Having earned the respect of their allies, the queen devises a plan to bring the siege to a swift end so the Californians can return home, but it may come at a bloody cost.

Califia’s Crusade is a delightfully accessible and intriguing work of historical fiction that keeps you guessing. Though the story moves forward by veering in unpredictable directions at times, it is nevertheless realistic when it does so. That realism isn’t just limited to the narrative itself, but also to the characters and their interactions with one another. The Californians are a society made up only of women who have had no interaction with the larger world since settling in California. Thus, there are many aspects of their society that are bewildering to their foreign allies, and vice versa. The author does a great job of depicting the reactions these entirely different cultures would have to one another. 

As a consequence of this, however, there are moments that portray men and religion (primarily Islam and Christianity) in less than favorable lights. Far from being a criticism of the novel—it is actually another of the author’s storytelling strengths— it is still something that readers sensitive to these topics should be aware of. 

Historical fiction fans will appreciate all this creative origin story has to offer. Califia’s Crusade is jam-packed with drama, action, and emotional depth that you will no doubt find true entertainment in. 

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