Customer Reviews

Ironfire : A Novel of the Knights of Malta and the Last Battle of the Crusades

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If walls could talk, would they tell stories of the past, present or future?

While exploring Malta for "Ironfire," author David Ball rented a small room overlooking the Grand Harbor and its ancient battlements of St. Elmo and St. Angelo -- 16th century fortresses made legendary in the final conflict of the Crusades.

"At night, when it's quiet enough, and if you're listening carefully," Ball says today, "you can still hear the walls [of the forts] whispering their tales."

Perhaps they spoke to him of knights and pirates. Or perhaps something bigger: A world where West and Middle East might never set aside two millennia of discord.

Ball's third novel is one of those sweeping historical epics that encompasses diverse cultures and decades in a part of the world -- and human affairs -- that is still scoured by the crosswinds of conflict. His history is concrete, but a novel is not merely a history textbook. It must engage the reader with characters, literally individual humans with dreams, losses, flaws, quests, regrets, fears, faith and misgivings. Pasternak did it. So did Clavell, Michener and Jean Auel.

Comes now David Ball, who has built an action-packed, often erotic and always sensual epic-adventure around a handful of well-developed characters swept up in the maelstrom of 16th century holy wars between two different worlds. Merely developing three-dimensional characters in modern publishing is a rare notion; sustaining a reader's interest in them over nearly 700 pages is the literary equivalent of finding weapons of mass destruction in Baghdad. It might happen, but it's damned hard to do.

But in 1552, there are no weapons of mass destruction. Battles are fought with blades, pikes, crude firearms, armor and horses. There is no such thing as an air war, and navies are powered by slaves and wind. There is no shock nor awe, only sieges that can last months or years.

One of the truest tests of a good historical novel is how inextricably fiction entangles with fact. "Ironfire" is marbled with real historic figures such as the near-mythic Muslim pirate Dragut Rais; Jean Parisot de la Valette, the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John whose name was given to Malta's capital city; and even Father Jesuald, a heretic priest burned at the stake in Malta for advocating priestly marriages.

And infusing every action is the pungency of smoldering religious fires, not just Islam and Christianity, but Judaism, too. In that combustible mix of passions alone, Ball captures the essence of a modern catastrophe.

If walls could talk, they'd eagerly tell their stories to Ball.

I picked this book up in Huartulco Mexico while on vacation and just could not put it down! I read the entire thing while on vacation and found it mesmerising and exciting. The author writes in a style which is very passionate, but also highly informative and tells a wonderful tale. Read this one!

After what I thought was a weak start and a bit "over the top" especially regarding the character of Nico, I found myself drawn into the time, cultures, and conflicts of the Knights of Malta. Even Nico as he evolved into Asha became a fascinating character and a great look at what becomes of individuals who are torn from their culture and injected into another one especially when they are young. The character of Christien Luc de Vries was especially interesting. His struggles with the expectations of his father, his fascinationg with surgery, and his place among the Knights of Malta make for interesting internal conflicts. And of course, the juxtaposition of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism on one small island gives a great background for the struggles we are still facing. Overall, a great read.

The same novel by the same author was also titled under the novel name of "The Sword and the Scimitar."

If you like:

the Mediterranean history, the Crusades, the Ottomans & Bernard Cornwell, then surely you will enjoy this book.

It is a story of 3 main protagonists: Nico Borg, Maria Borg & Christien deVries with a background of historical places in the Mediterranea, mainly in Malta. Circling around the romances and conflicts between these protagonists and between the Church and Islam, the author deftly manipulates the plot in a way one cannot put down the book.

The main plot evolved around the Crusaders, i.e., the Hospitalers, last stronghold in Malta with its arch-nemesis Ottoman empire in the East, i.e., in Turkey, to be precise. During the last few decades of the Crusade spirit, the last bastion of the Roman Catholic empire was challenged by the Ottomans. In the tick of this intrigued, Nicolo Borg was stuck between his European decendant-Christian belief and his newly found future in the Ottomans.

Barbarossa was even discussed in quite some details by the writer, since during many European-Ottoman clashes involved the Mediterranean sea battles, piratings, hijackings and kidnappings. Many parts of the plot involved locations situated on or nearby the sea.

There was also a steel-hearted girl-lady, Maria Borg. She endured a lot since childhood all the way to her adult years, even during the Malta besiege and war between two entities she hated the most, the Crusaders/the Church and the Ottomans.

The historical representation is amazingly acute, for I am an avid history buff myself. Do not judge this book by its cover or title, read it by yourself! Leaking more plots in this book I cannot do, for reading it is a must. I hope David Ball writing finesse will continue in his future endeavours. A must read book for history fanatics. Bravo!

David Ball's "Ironfire" is officially a novel of the infamous siege of Malta, where the massive Ottoman army and navy fought valiantly but was unable to unseat the outmanned Maltese defenders, led by the Knights of St. John. Fortunately for the reader, "Ironfire" is about much more than the siege - it's about the people, both "big" and "little," who lived, loved, and died on both sides.

"Ironfire" generally tracks four main characters. Two are the Maltese brother and sister, Nico and Maria Borg. Nico is kidnapped by Islamic slavers as a small child, but through courage, daring, and vast amounts of luck ends up a captain of a war galley in the Ottoman navy. Maria remains on Malta, a cultural backwater that is as dedicated to its cro-magnon sexist culture as it is to its Christianity. Maria is not the kind of woman who will be content to be seen but not heard, and her boldness and beauty make for several compelling passages.

Unfortunately for Maria, her beauty and her brains bring her to the attention of Dun Sulvago, a priest who, in his wilder days was one of the biggest womanizers on the European continent and now strives to save souls (and pursue his own ambitions) on the island of Malta. While generally a decent sort, a fatal weakness earns him the undying hatred of Maria.

But fortunately for Maria, the same beauty and brains who brought Dun Salvago to her life also bring her Christien deVries. Christien is fated to join the soldier-monks of the Order of St. John, but his spirit calls for him to become a surgeon rather than a soldier -- and surgeons were pretty low on the sociological food chain at the time. Christien pursues his studies with zeal and in secret, for dear old dad just ain't a fan o'that book learnin' -- a good son doesn't care about sewing up Christians, he cares about chopping up infidels in the name of Christ.

These "major" characters are surrounded by well-rounded, fully developed "minor" characters whose tales tug at the heartstrings and beat at the funnybone . . . although "Ironfire" is definitely more weighted towards the sorrowful than the joyous, all things considered.

Ball has a complete command of the daily life on Malta, the life of a page in the Sultan's service, and the perils of battlefields both on land and on water. He writes clearly, but movingly, and several passages demand to be reread thanks to their sheer power and beauty. Never flowery, always accessible, yet never dumbed-down, "Ironfire" is one heck of a novel, and is a must-read for fans of historical fiction.

Five stars, without question.

The Mediterranean in the sixteenth century is the hub where mighty civilizations wrestle for domination. There, lying squarely in the midst of the vital sea lanes between the Christian West & the Ottoman Empire in the East, & ruled by the ancient Order of the Knights of St. John, Malta is the stage upon which the fate of the known world turns.

Rebeccasreads recommends this tale of kidnapping, revenge & transformation in which a brother & sister are torn apart as youngsters. As they mature, in separate societies, each is filled with determination to survive & thrive from the wonders, intrigue, war & the passions of others.

David Ball has woven a fine, if long, historical tapestry in bold scenes, details & colors.

Don't pay any attention to those other reviews, they are WRONG. This is a fantastic book. OK, so it's not historically accurate. Who cares? I read for pleasure, and this book is one of my all time favorites. After reading it I immediately read everything else by David Ball I could get my hands on. Perhaps this book is best for those who enjoy a long tale nicely told.

What irony that the fate of empires should rest on such a tiny island that holds few resources and little of value. Strategically located between Sicily and the African coast, Malta and its inhabitants live their daily lives, soon to be engulfed in one of the largest battles of the 16th century between the Ottoman Empire and Christian kingdoms of Europe.

Two young peasants, Nico and Maria, skirting their chores for the day, playfully dig through old ruins in search of treasure. Unknown to them, Turkish corsairs have landed on the beach below them to re supply their ship. The brother and sister try to escape the corsairs, but Nico is taken into slavery. Nico is thrown into the bilge of the ship, along with several other prisoners from prior raids. The small space is a living hell where there is little food and they wade and sleep in their own waste. Several of the prisoners have died and if Nico survives, the best he can hope for is a life of slavery. Nico is very intelligent and he strives to match the fight and fire that his sister has within her. He fuels his will with thoughts of seeing her again, and thoughts of revenge against the corsairs who have stolen his life from him. Nico soon realizes that the Ottoman Empire is a land where men earn their fortunes and birth means little. Men of low birth and even slaves can rise to high places within the Empire.

On Malta, Maria is furious that the Hospitallar Knights of St. John will not sail after Nico. It is the harsh rule of the sea, where Muslim boats are oared by Christian slaves and Christian boats are oared by Muslim slaves. Nico is a casualty of the ongoing war at sea and the knights have given him up. Maria's father will not stand up to the knights, and he accepts his son's loss in a stoic manner. Maria keeps Nico in her thoughts daily and isolates herself from her family. She soon makes a new friend who fills her head with dreams of a life in France, away from the cursed island of Malta. Maria discovers that her friend and her family in Malta hold a secret that could get them all killed, but Maria is accepted into their trust. Maria and her friend formulate their plan to eventually leave the island and Maria spends several years of her life implementing it. Maria grows into a beautiful young woman, and faces terrible life-changing challenges along the way. On Malta, the peasants answer to the Church and the Knights, the Church answers to the Pope, and the Knights answer to no one. Justice is hard to find in the murky political intrigue between the Knights and the Church.

In France, a proud count looks on as his newborn son is accepted into the future order of the Knights of St. John. Under his father's watch, Christien grows, trained in the arts of war and knighthood. Christien's true desire is medicine and surgery, and his father will have nothing to do with it. Whether their desires agree or not, they both eventually lead him to Malta. Christien's vows become tested there, and even the growing threat of the Sultan's fleet won't hide him from the attention of the Knight's Grand Master.

David Ball told a tale that captured my attention throughout the novel and even days after I finished. The characters are very real. I felt their loss, their joys, their excitement, their love, and their shame. There are few black and white characters, and Ball has a knack for making you see people in several different lights. Morality is always in question in this story. There is the conflict of vows versus love. There is a question of which religion is right, if any. Both Christians and Muslims are guilty of committing the same heinous acts, and thousands are killed in battle in the name of God or Allah. Malta was described so well that I felt like I had lived there for a portion of my life. The interactions and relationships between the peasants, the Church, and the Knights were dealt with throughout the novel and provided the substance that made Malta a living place.

There was plenty of gritty realism in Ball's writing style. Swearing, sex, and violence were throughout the novel, but not gratuitously. I have read quite a few siege battles before, mostly in fantasy, but Ball sets the new standard. The last quarter of the novel left me shaken and shell-shocked. I have never felt the peril more when I read about the citizens and knights of Malta trying to hold off the swarming Ottomans. The Turkish cannons mercilessly thundered and pulverized the fort's inhabitants throughout the day and night. The flying balls of granite bounced through town squares and leveled buildings. The lowest cellar wasn't even safe from the spinning cannon balls and exploding granite. Every clever strategy on both sides of the siege was explored, and the sheer brutality of siege warfare was nakedly laid out before you.

This book earned 5 out of 5 stars from me, for the emotional impact, the characterization, and realism. The story was based on the true siege of Malta, and contained several of the real players in the events leading up to and during the battle. If you do not know about those historical events, do yourself a favor and read this book, and then research the events later. If you don't know the outcome of the battle, then the impact of the novel is even greater.

It didn't take long to figure David Ball politics, and once you do, the novel becomes boring, predictable and formulaic, every priest is a rapist and hypocrite, if a European Christian character is a good guy he is not religious. Islam and Judaism are open and noble religions, Christianity is filled with bigots. Once he introduces the Jewish characters, in their merry Fiddler on the roof shetl, we know right that given 21st century political correctness that characters will be confined to comic book virtues and goodness.

The rest of his 'good' characters are laughably wooden and predictable... oh and completely out of place in 1565 Malta. Although he does depict the Muslim practice of enslaving Christians he almost makes it seem like philanthropy.

Not only does Ball's bias make for tiresome writing, but inaccurate history- I realize this is a novel, but if you base it on a historical event, and then go about completely distorting that historical event then the whole premise of the novel falls apart. It simply becomes impossible to suspend disbelief. I kept getting the impression the author was more interested in creating a negative image of the Knights and Christianity then creating a good story.

Though many Maltese resented the knight's presence, many more welcomed the protection they brought to this strategic island. If there is an extraordinary characteristic of the entire siege it is the fact that no Maltese betrayed the knights, none, despite threats of death and slavery, even contemplated surrender.

Ball completely ignores this reality and as nearly every historian has pointed out - it was the faith of the knights and people, that gave them nearly superhuman courage and resistance. Throughout the siege, the knights and people prayed and gave thanks -they gave thanks even when the battle did not go their way.

He even downplays the fact that Knights had one of the most advanced hospitals in the world - far exceeding muslim and jewish healers, and just about any other interesting aspect of the siege - the ingenious solutions, the extraordinary resolve and faith of the knights; when writing about the siege the character of his prose changes remarkably - he is reluctant to credit the knights or defenders, and seems to think there was nothing worth defending. He makes sure to emphasize that any faith or virtue on the part of Christians was hypocritical, a sham or veneer for underlying evil. ... One wonders why he chose to write the book in the first place.

Ball makes the 'heroes' cynical baby boomer/post 1960s adolescent minded in armor and bodices sneering at their ancestors faith and culture, This is laughable, as they simply couldn't have the resolve to defend the island and would have been the first to open the gates and let their muslim liberators in to celebrate diversity.

...and speaking of bodices most of this novel is not about the siege but literally a bodice ripper soap opera. I am not squeamish about having graphic scenes if the move a story forward, but Ball clearly just stuck them in harlequin formula style.

Ball can write 'page turners', but here he turned his talents in poor attempt to rewrite history to suite his 1960s/cultural marxist "the west sucks" viewpoint.

I, like many of the other reviewers, am of mixed minds about this book. There were many things I liked and many things I did not. You have the Ottoman empire, vicous pirates and slavers, the Knights of St. John, fast-paced sea battles, shocking land battles, grand scale on one hand and many story lines dealing with the struggles of individuals on the other hand, all set against an historically intersting backdrop. The author also commands a writing style so immersive that you really feel you are there much of the time. Overall I am glad I read this book, and can say I truly enjoyed much of it, and I learned many interesting things. So do I recommend it? Yes, I do.

So why the reservations? The book really feels as if it is two books, a slow, faintly tedious, young adult historical fiction for the first half and then an exciting, accurate, well-written historical account of the actual battle for Malta. Initially the book follows the lives of two young Maltese children, brother and sister. The brother is kidnapped by Ottoman pirates and the sister grows up on Malta. The author uses this device to compare and contrast the Muslim and Christian societies over the ten years leading up to the actual conflict. While this works, I can't say I liked it much. Following the exploits of pre-teen peasants up through their early twenties might be interesting reading for pre-teens. It wasn't much for me though, and I would have preferred adult protagonists, with adult problems, situations, and point-of-views. It wasn't excruciating reading, but it was about 400 pages I could have skipped.

The actual description of the siege of Malta at the end of the novel is excellent though and made it worth trudging through the first half of the novel to get to it. The battles were depicted clearly and excellently, the tactics and strategy were very understandable, and the actual battles scenes were riveting and made you feel as if you were there. I can't say enough good things about the second half of the book. the temptation here is to say just skip to the second half of the book but unfortunately I can't do that. There was actually a lot of important detail mixed into the first half of the book that actually helps make the second half of the book more interesting. So, again, I do recommend the book, just be prepared to wade through several hundred pages that set-up a fantastic pay-off at the end.