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Sword & Scimitar (2013)

by Simon Scarrow(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0755358384 (ISBN13: 9780755358380)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Headline

review 1: A very good accounting of the Siege of Malta in 1565 by the Ottoman Army against the Knights of St. John, told through a historical fiction perspective. "Sword and Scimitar" succeeds more than it fails and is incredibly vivid in language and description. This is the first book by Scarrow that I've read, and clearly he takes precision and accuracy seriously in his writing. I particularly liked that this is not perhaps as "sexy" a battle to write about, but because of its sheer brutality and importance, it is a compelling piece, to be sure.Let me immediately explain that there is a large aspect of this story I simply did not enjoy, personally. The "secret" described in the book's tagline felt a bit contrived and "soap opera"-ish for my tastes and I found myself sighing a... morend awaiting for those moments to pass before getting back to the history or historical fiction aspects of the book. It's not that Scarrow doesn't write these scenes well; it is really just the preference of me as the reader that did not take to the underlying storyline involving Sir Thomas and his lost love, and the extension of that storyline. To some extent, I would have liked for the "mystery" aspect of the book to be played up and the romance aspect to be played down.Having said that, the plot device (if that's what you want to call it) does further the general story along, and while that aspect doesn't really even occur until the last half or last third of the book, it does its part to head to a somewhat unpredictable conclusion. Indeed, the third act of this book, involving the actual Siege of Malta, is quite spectacular and action-packed. I easily enjoyed that portion of the novel more than any other part of the book.I wouldn't hesitate to try out another Simon Scarrow book, and fully intend to. I liked the general layout of his work here, save for just the one aspect. As a historical fiction fan, I'm glad to have finally added a Scarrow book to my completed reading list.
review 2: Simon Scarrow is the kind of author you can rely on when it comes to blood and thunder novels like this. The fictional account of the siege of Malta by Suleiman and his Turkish followers is well written, full of action and probably sticks close to the facts. As much as I enjoyed the book, I realised that the thread running through it was a little weak, but it didn't detract from a thrilling, gung ho novel. I visited Malta years ago as a teenager and can't remember much about it, but I would like to see the place again and learn more about this 'brave' little island. For those of you who might wonder what I mean, Malta was awarded the George Medal for its defiance while under siege by the Germans during the Second World War. I recommend this book. less

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