Anthony A. Goodman

This is a rather vivid historical action novel about the 1522 siege of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent and his enormous army against the occupying force of the Order of the Knights of St John who had held Rhodes for 200 years.

Whilst it starts out with a rather mysterious prologue about a traitor, it is somewhat needed to keep your attention to the rather dull opening of the novel where the book goes into grand detail about the setup and positions of both sides prior to their engagement at Rhodes.

If one is able to persevere with a pace that makes an East German Trabant feel like a Ferrari then you are rewarded with some rather atmospheric and details scenes as the full force of the Ottoman Empire slams against the fortified walls of Rhodes & the occupying force of the European Knights. At times I felt the interactions between characters were quite weak and mostly carried by the historical detail and scenes being portrayed around them.

If you have an interest in the time period you'll likely enjoy it, yet if you're just after a general historical fiction novel with no particular time period in mind I feel you would be served a better reading experience by seeking out Bernard Cornwell's Stonehenge.… (more)