Book Review: The Sword and the Scimitar

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Book Review: The Sword and the Scimitar

Reader Rating: 9/10

Salaams! Just finished up an EXCELLENT book called The Sword and the Scimitar, by David Ball. This is a book that Tim & Darlene both read and highly recommended; they were "spot on" with their assessment. My edition (bought in Istanbul) was over 750 pages long and the book was over all too soon! Note that this book has two different titles: the UK version is The Sword and the Scimitar, the US version (see bottom of review) is entitled Ironfire: A Novel of the Knights of Malta and the Last Battle of the Crusades.

The characters in this book, spanning some 15+ years, are exquisitely drawn and emerge with a depth that is very rare, as they go through various changes due to their difficult circumstances. It bears some similarities to another good book, Byzantium, by Stephen Lawhead, which is set approximately 500 years earlier,

The setting is the mid-16th century and its several locales mainly in the Mediterranean Sea (though one character is from Paris): the island of Malta, the port of Algiers, and the Topkapi Palace of Suleiman the Magnificent in Constantinople. The context is the ascendency of the Ottoman Empire and its constant struggle with the former Christian Crusaders, specifically the Knights of the Order of St. John who are headquartered on Malta--the climax of the book takes place at the rather infamous Seige of Malta when the Ottomans attempt to oust the Knights of St. John. Muslim and Christian slave traders abound, Jews are hunted down and are often forced to convert to Christianity, as in a similar way Christians are taken into the service of Suleiman and slowly converted into Muslims. This story gives painful insights into what a cruel, cruel, harsh world it was at that time, and how far those who were called "Christians" and "Defenders of the Faith" had fallen.

The story is gripping and keeps the reader in suspension as to the outcome of the various conflicts in the characters' lives. Highly recommended.

The Sword and the Scimitar
David Ball
39 Used & New from £2.75
Edition: Paperback
Paperback 624 pages (August 5, 2004)
Publisher: Arrow
ISBN: 0099457954
Reviews
Synopsis
Nico and Maria, Maltese brother and sister, are separated when young Nico is abducted by Moorish slavers. Taken to Algiers to be the personal slave of a wealthy merchant, he becomes a pawn in household politics and sets out to escape. Extraordinary events lead him to the court of Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottomans. Maria, stranded in Malta with unsympathetic parents, makes her own plans to escape the island and find her brother. She joins a group of Jews - forced by their Christian rulers to renounce their faith - who continue their rituals clandestinely. French aristocrat Christien de Vries yearns to prove himself as a surgeon in the Order of St John, to which he was pledged as an infant but joined only as a result of a life-altering oath. These unforgettable characters find themselves caught up in the sweep of history as the Ottomans confront the Knights in the historic Siege of Malta, and the fate of Europe hangs in the balance.

About the Author
David Ball lives in the Rockies with his wife, Melinda, and children, Ben and Li. The Sword and the Scimitar is his second novel.

Customer Reviews
Pure Adventure, August 23, 2004
Reviewer: Mrs A Hood from Tranent, East Lothian United Kingdom
I absolutely adored this book and was very said when I had finished reading it as it had become my faithfull friend. The book is a real adventure story and spans three countries Algeria, France and Malta and features a set of characters from each country all of which become interlinked. Dont be put off by the physical size of the book its well worth persevering - I started reading it in hardback and went and bought a paperback version as it was easier to handle. The book has regular factual segments which reinforce the storyline and the individual characters of the book are all really well thought out. I would love to know if the author is planning a follow up to the book and if so I will be first in the queue to purchase it.

HERE'S THE U.S. VERSION INFO:
Ironfire : A Novel of the Knights of Malta and the Last Battle of the Crusades
by DAVID BALL "On the morning the slavers came, the children were looking for treasure..." (more)

62 used & new from $4.98
Edition: Hardcover
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Cultures clash and fates converge during the siege of Malta in 1565. Kidnapped by Algerian slavers as a young boy, Nico Borg holds out hope that the Order of the Knights of St. John, sworn to protect his native Malta from Muslim and Jewish infidels, will one day rescue him. When that does not happen, Nico becomes increasingly torn between his Christian roots and his Muslim lifestyle. After witnessing her brother's abduction, Maria Borg is more determined than ever to escape from a life of poverty and despair. Though pledged to the Knights of Saint John as an infant, Christien Luc de Vries longs to defy his father's wishes and ignore his distinguished pedigree as the son of a count. These three lives intersect as a furious battle is waged for Malta, a barren outpost prized for its strategic location as a crossroads between the East and the West. Ball brings the tail end of the Crusades to life in a substantial piece of historical fiction that sizzles with action, romance, and drama. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Details
• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385336012
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