Sword and Scimitar

A fast-paced historical epic of bravery and battle

De: Simon Scarrow

Narrado por: Jonathan Keeble

SWORD AND SCIMITAR is the gripping tale of the Great Siege of Malta from Simon Scarrow, bestselling author of the Eagles of the Empire series. A must read for fans of Conn Iggulden and Robert Harris.

1565, Malta: a vital outpost between the divided nations of Europe and the relentlessly expanding Ottoman Empire. Faced with ferocious attack by a vast Turkish fleet, the knights of the Order of St John fear annihilation. Amongst those called to assist is disgraced veteran Sir Thomas Barrett. Loyalty and instinct compel him to put the Order above all other concerns, yet his allegiance is divided. At Queen Elizabeth's command, he must search for a hidden scroll, guarded by the knights, that threatens her reign.

As Sir Thomas confronts the past that cost him his honour and a secret that has long lain buried, a vast enemy army arrives to lay siege to the island...©2012 Simon Scarrow

Reseñas de la Crítica

'[A] gripping tale of the Great Siege of Malta . . . Ferocious and compelling it is a story of blood, romance and sacrifice. As the people fight for their homeland dark secrets emerge which threaten their survival' ****

This lively, absorbing novel will not disappoint

Praise for Simon Scarrow's other novels: 'I really don't need this kind of competition... It's a great read'

Scarrow's [novels] rank with the best

A satisfyingly bloodthirsty, bawdy romp...perfect for Bernard Cornwell addicts who will relish its historical detail and fast-paced action. Storming stuff

Gripping and moving

A great read, hope he continues this in a series

I really enjoyed it and got hook on just like the eagle series and I hope he continues with a series of books base on the knights of St. John.

Keeble is the best! Another great book by Simon Scarrow

This was a fantastic historical fiction novel! I love how well the author wrote in the story without altering the actual historical events. Loved every minute of it and highly recommended to anyone who loves crusades and medieval history! Keeble is one of the very best narrators out there. He nails every character’s voice perfectly!

We are all the prisoners of our history.

Typically, whenever I travel to a country I've never been before I try to read both historical and fictional books related to my destination. This summer I took my wife and kids to Malta. This book seemed to fit the bill for a good airplane read. Not too deep or nuanced, but good historical perspective on the Siege of Malta.

The problem was it was just a bit light. It reminded me of a lazy Ken Follett. And I'm not a big Follett fan. It didn't even begin to approach great historical fiction (Patrick O'Brian, Robert Graves, Hilary Mantel). It wasn't literary and when it tried to be literary the voice ended up sounding like a 20th century agnostic and not a 15th century skeptic. But still, it did provide a good basic understanding of the siege and wasn't overly melodramatic (oh, it did have its melodrama for sure...). Anyway, it didn't inspire me to stop reading nor inspire me to hunt out more Simon Scarrow books.

Good story of a great moment in history

Where does Sword and Scimitar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have enjoyed all Simon Scarrows books, including this one, but I think his roman "Under the Eagle" series is better.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Sir Thomas is by far the favorite as he is the main character and so most complete.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Keeble’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not listened to him before

Who was the most memorable character of Sword and Scimitar and why?

Sit Thomas

Wgat a Fascinating Work

I chose this book for Johnathan Keeble's narration, and stuck around because I couldn't stop listening. Simon Scarrow is a fantastic writer of historical fiction. This work gives a real insight to how the siege took place. I looked into the siege shortly after starting the book and there are a lot of similarities between this work of fiction and the actual event. Highly recommend.