Sword and the Scimitar [Paperback]

David Ball (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2004

From the cruelty of the slave markets of Algiers to the majesty of Topkapi, the sultan's seraglio in Istanbul, to the convent of the noble Knights of St. John in Malta, this is a novel of the timeless struggle between the religions and cultures of the east and west. 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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Ball lives in the Rockies with his wife, Melinda, and children, Ben and Li. His first novel, Empires of Sand was published in the US to great acclaim in 1999. The Sword and the Scimitar is his second novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Random House (August 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099457954
• ISBN-13: 978-0099457954
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 7.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the finest books i ever read, February 24, 2006

By 

Daniela (Gozo, Malta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword and the Scimitar (Paperback)

This is really one of the best books I ever read. Ball has succeeded in mixing the themes together brilliantly: romance and gallantry.

He captures the lives of the Maltese, Gozitans, Turks and the Knights magnificently. The people who we read about in history books, beginning from the Sultan and La Vallette and ending with the peasants, are now real.

Ball explores the different cultures and the different lives which the people lead. This makes up more than half of the book. The rest describes the Great Seige of 1565 where the futures of the large powers lay in the hands of the tiny Maltese Islands.

I recommend this book to everyone: those who like historical fiction and not, those who like to read about wars which changed the world and those who like a romantic story. Really, this fascinating read has everything a reader could wish for.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Siege of Malta: Mediterranean History & Fiction at Its Best, November 9, 2005

By 

Pat W Jusuf "Book Fanatic" (Jakarta, Indonesia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sword and the Scimitar (Paperback)

The same novel by the same author was also titled under the novel name of "Ironfire."

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!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Originally published as "Ironfire", December 26, 2010

By 

L. Lucas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sword and the Scimitar (Paperback)

Another reviewer included this info in their review, but I thought I'd just reiterate that "The Sword and the Scimitar" is the same book that was originally published as "Ironfire", which I discovered after I'd bought it for my husband as a Christmas present. I read and loved Ironfire, so I bought another book by the same author without looking too closely at the description. Just wanted to let everyone out there know so nobody ends up looking foolish like I did. Great book, though!