Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels are a treat. She had the ability to make you feel as if you were there, seeing what it was like in 12th-century Shrewsbury, and Cadfael himself is one of my favorite fictional characters - ex-Crusader turned monk; shrewd; wise; large-hearted; interested in everyone, saint and sinner alike. The series was uneven, however. Some episodes were well done; some were hard to sit through, despite the excellent presence of Derek Jacobi. Perhaps in part because it's a little difficult to pull off medieval dialog naturally, without sounding stilted or silly.