Ironfire

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From the acclaimed author of Empires of Sand comes a mesmerizing new adventure that Jean Auel cites as crowded with events that both forecast and mirror the conflicts of today Sweeping from the drawing rooms of Paris to the palace of Suleiman the Magnificent to the dark hold of a slave ship racing across the sea, here is a dazzling story of love and valor, innocence and identity, an epic novel of the clash of civilizations on a barren island where the future was forged.The Mediterranean, the sixteenth century Lying squarely in the midst of the vital sea lanes between the Christian West and the Ottoman Empire in the East, and ruled by the ancient Order of the Knights of St John, Malta will become the stage upon which the fate of the world turns For one of its sons, the hand of violence strikes swiftly, when young Nicolo Borg is seized by Barbary slavers and launched on a remarkable journey to the court of the supreme ruler of the Muslim world Renamed Asha, plotting his escape even as he swears allegiance to the god of his masters and is schooled in the arts of culture and war, the innocent boy will be transformed into one of the Sultan s deadliest commanders For Nico s beloved sister, Maria, his loss fires her hatred for the knights who did nothing to save him and her dreams of escape from her stifling home As the headstrong girl grows into a fierce beauty, she will capture the attention of one man in particular, Christien de Vries, a surgeon knight torn between duty and desire, caught up in Malta s frantic preparations against the coming Ottoman storm Around Nico and Maria are men and women who will share their destinies Dragut Ra s, a brilliant corsair, arch rival of the knights Giulio Salvago, a priest in full flight from his carnal nature Alisa, a young beauty hidden away in a harem Jean de La Valette, the master knight who is Malta s only hope for survival.As the mighty Ottoman fleet bears down on the tiny island, as Nico Borg makes his way back to his homeland at the helm of a warship, Ironfire moves inexorably to a shattering climax where all will face ultimate justice in the murderous cauldron of siege warfare Brilliantly capturing the crosscurrents of a storied age, Ironfire is historical fiction in the grand tradition, a stirring realization of a pivotal moment in time that irrevocably shaped the world we inhabit today. Free Download [ Ironfire ] By [ David Ball ] – kino-fada.fr This is historical fiction at its finest It s the book I wish I had written David Ball does a fantastic job not only with his characters, but setting them in a world which feels at once intimately familiar and alien He breathes life into the setting and into the events that surround this epochal moment in western history The characters, be they Maltese or Turkish, nobleman or slave, pirate or Hospitaller, are equally alive and complex Be warned that Ball is brutal with his characters and pu This is historical fiction at its finest It s the book I wish I had written David Ball ...In the middle of the 16th century, the battleground between Islam and Christianity waged throughout the Mediterranean narrows to a single point, the barren island of Malta, headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller Having been driven from their bases on Rhodes and Tripoli, the Knights are determined to make their final stand, while the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, is bent on wiping them out.That s what is promised on the back cover blurb anyway But the actual attack on Malta doesn t In the middle of the 16th century, the battleground between Islam and Christianity waged throughout the Mediterranean narrows to a single point, the barren island of Malta, headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller Having been driven from their bases on Rhodes and Tripoli, the Knights are determined to make their final stand, while the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, is bent on wiping them out.That s what is promised on the back cover blurb anyway But the actual attack on Malta doesn t begin until ...Excellent story, but it definitely reminded me that I m grateful to live in my own time I would not have dealt well with things in the days of the Knights But it also made me want to learn all I can about the history of Malta I even went to visit the Infirmary built by the Knights of St John it s amazing It was large and clean and quite scientifically advanced, but in such a way that patients were separated from one another with private facilities , yet in the same spacious hall I ve ne Excellent story, but it definitely reminded me that I m grateful to live in my own time I would not have dealt well with things in the days of the Knights But it also made me want to learn all I can about the history of Malta I even went to visit the Infirmary built by the Knights of St John it s amazing It was large and clean and quite scientifically advanced, but in such a way that patients were separated from one another with private facilities , yet in the same spacious hall I ve never seen anything quite like it Malta uses it now as a venue for concerts, feasts, etc Such hist...I d never heard of David Ball before I picked up this book solely on the strength of its title, cover design and blurb And the fact that it was going at a great discount at a book sale But after reading it, I m amazed that he and his spectacular account of the siege of Malta are notfamous A quick check in Goodreads revealed that the book garnered only 562 ratings I can only conclude that the book suffered from a lack of zeal on the part of Ball s publicist, for it is truly one of the m I d never heard of David Ball before I picked up this book solely on the strength of its title, cover design and blurb And the fact that it was going at a great discount at a book sale But after reading it, I m amazed that he and his spectacular account of the siege of Malta are notfamous A quick check in ...16 ,, , ,, , 16 ,, , ,, ,,, , ,, . . spoilerview spoiler M, , , , , , ,, , . 5325 , , , ,, , , , , 18 1565,, , ,,,, ,, 17 , 972, ,, mokkadem,, ,, , ,, hide spoiler 47 ,1 2 , , ,, , , , , , , , , ,,, 1565 ,, , view spoiler , ,, ,hide spoiler , , ,, 16 ., ,, , ,, 16 ., , , , ,, ,,, , , , , , What I liked Good plotting, generally page turner pace Lots of interesting historical detail Good characters I didn t know how it would end not an era I ve read much on What I didn t like I m generally not a big fan of books in which characters recognize their eternal soul mates before a word is spoken This book did that not once, but twice The title is terrible I think the book probably spendspages telling about being an Ottoman warrior than on being a Knight of Malta and if What I liked Good plotting, generally page turner pace Lots of interesting historical detail Good characters I didn t know how it would end not an era I ve read much on What I didn t like I m generally not a big fan of books in which characters recognize their eternal soul mates before a word is spoken This book did that not once, but twice The title is terrible I think the book probably spendspages telling about being an Ottoman warrior than on being a Knight of Malta and if this wa...Continuing my theme of reading books based in Malta whilst spending the winter there, this is a long story tracing the lives of a Maltese brother sister in the 16th century The brother is captured by corsairs as a child and ends up growing up in the Sultan s court in Istanbul, whilst his sister grows up in Malta This results in them being on opposite sides of the famous Turkish siege of Malta in 1565.I thoroughly enjoyed this book Despite its length, the story moves along quickly, keepi Continuing my theme of reading books based in Malta whilst spending the winter there, this is a long story tracing the lives of a Maltese brother sister in the 16th century The brother is captured by corsair...The level of research that went into this book is astounding It can plainly be seen by the descriptive nature in which David Ball, the author, presents the scenes to you It combines a factual account of a siege with several ch...In my opinion, easily one of the best fictional stories centred around the great siege of Malta Being Maltese myself it was a wonderful insight into that very significant part of our history I shall never look at the Valletta and Birgu bastions without imagining all that action every again Ex...

Ironfire
  • English
  • 21 May 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 688 pages
  • 0385336012
  • David Ball
  • Ironfire