If this were a video game it would carry an 18 rating as the violence within the pages holds no punches. The imagery that the Simon Scarrow uses in Sword & Scimitar is that good and also historically accurate. The book is based on the Turk/Ottoman Empire siege of Malta in 1665, even though the book starts 20 years prior as the hero of the story Sir Thomas is cast out of Malta for falling in love with a woman. In the intervening years Sir Thomas had worked as a mercenary and lived on his estate in England. Then he was disturbed one winter by a messenger of the Order of St John requesting that he return to Malta help with the forthcoming war with the Turks. Christianity v Islam. At the same time he is summoned to London by Cecil and Walsingham to take on a mission to protect the country by taking a young squire with him to Malta. It is through the enthralling pages of the book we discover the love that had been lost and regained to finally loose again, a son and heir found, the saving of Christianity and Malta. This is a wonderful book where historical facts and people are interwoven in to the narrative so that everything is accurate about the period and the siege. The book is a wonderfully absorbing read and well worth buying.

Another historical fiction book from the epic author Simon Scarrow about the Great Siege of Malta Set in 1565 The Ottoman Empire needs to take Malta and the Knights of Saint John annihilated in order for it to take over Europe. This is another powerful novel from this author keeping you engrossed in every page and wanting to know more. If you wish for a novel to aid you to sleep this is certainly not the one for you! If you enjoy books based on historical events Simon Scarrow, originally teaching history before writing, is an author for you. He keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen over the page. I thoroughly recommend this recent novel.

Well up to his usual standard,keeps you interested all the way through.

This is the first Simon Scarrow novel I've read, but having finished it I'm looking forward to more of his works. With all the kingdoms of Europe in his sights, the full might of Sultan Suleiman’s Ottoman Empire is focused on taking the strategically critical island of Malta from the Christian defenders. Determined to fight to the last, the Knights of St John, together with a band of mercenaries and the native islanders themselves, they prepare to withstand overwhelming odds. Scarrow deftly immerses the fictional adventures of Sir Thomas Barrett and his newly appointed squire, Richard, within the historical facts of the siege. Sir Thomas and Richard are both travelling to Malta from London to answer the call to arms, but with very different, hidden, agendas. Sir Thomas seeks answers to a love lost a lifetime ago, whilst Richard is driven by the political machinations of the Elizabethan age, with Elizabeth’s spymaster, Walsingham setting Sir Thomas and Richard at odds with each other. However, it is the description of the daily lives of the combatants as the siege begins and gradually intensifies, where Scarrow excels. The tactics of medieval battle, the sheer horror of the close quarter fighting with edged weapons and the deprivations that the besiegers and besieged face are all vividly portrayed. I enjoyed reading Sword and Scimitar. I think it must be difficult for a writer to portray a way of life that is so very different from that experienced in the early 21st century, but in my opinion Simon Scarrow does it well.

More swashbuckling from Simon Scarrow. This one -off novel has it all - a knight who's lost his faith, a search for a vital secret, a three way love triangle, all set against the seige of Malta. Well researched and plotted and excitingly paced, Simon Scarrow delivers again. If you like Bernard Cornwell, you'll go for this big time. Loved every word.