HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: Clash of Empires: The Great Siege - William Napier

Release Date: 09/06/11

SYNOPSIS:

1565: a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean stands gatekeeper between East and West. It is about to become the scene for one of the most amazing stories of bravery, battle and bloodlust: the siege of Malta.
Formed in the Holy Land in the 11th century, a small band of knights had long sought a home. Driven from their lands by Ottoman might, they came to rest in Malta from where they watched the Turks and corsairs raid the Spanish empire.
As word came from Constantinople that Malta was in the sights of the Ottoman Empire, all of Europe watched as a force of over 30,000 men besieged the island - itself only peopled by only 500 knights and a few thousand local soldiers.
On that small rock an epic struggle will be played out - the story of individual men, warriors and slaves, but also the story of two worlds colliding.

A brutal combat. A test of courage. A battle that will change history.


REVIEW:

Following the disaster of his Atilla series (the later books not the first) readers have been demanding something special to reward their faith in this author. Whilst I was lucky enough to miss some of the titles in the earlier series I was a little worried about starting this title and to be honest it was put on a back burner for a little while.

Finally when some time freed up I was quite pleased that I saved this to be able to take my time with. As with the first Atilla title, it’s well written, the characters are outstanding and the action is top notch to keep the historical fiction fan entertained. Back that up with characters that you care about as well as a wonderful turn of phrase and prose which made this a cracking read from start to finish. Finally add some good dialogue as well as a solid plot from start to finish and the reader will more than be rewarded with their time. A great book and a title that demonstrates that Napier is back to his best.