The Religion

A Novel

By: Tim Willocks

Narrated by: Simon Vance

May 1565. Suleiman the Magnificent, emperor of the Ottomans, has declared a jihad against the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. The largest armada of all time approaches the Knights' Christian stronghold on the island of Malta. The Turks know the Knights as the "The Hounds of Hell." The Knights call themselves "The Religion."

In Messina, Sicily, a French countess, Carla la Penautier, seeks a passage to Malta in a quest to find the son taken from her at his birth twelve years ago. The only man with the expertise and daring to help her is a Rabelaisian soldier of fortune, arms dealer, former janissary, and strapping Saxon adventurer by the name of Mattias Tannhauser. He agrees to accompany the lady to Malta, where, amidst the most spectacular siege in military history, they must try to find the boy— whose name they do not know and whose face they have never seen—and pluck him from the jaws of Holy War.

The Religion is Book One of The Tannhauser Triology, and from the start of epic account of the last great medieval conflict between East and West, it is clear we are in the hands of a master. Not since James Clavell has a novelist so powerfully and assuredly plunged listeners headlong into another place and time. Anne Rice transformed the vampire novel. Stephen King reinvented horror. Now, in a spectacular tale of heroism, tragedy, and passion, Tim Willocks revivifies historical fiction.

©2006 Tim Willocks (P)2006 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

“The ideal man to do justice to the conflict...gripping...a classic of its kind.” —The Mail on Sunday

"A novel of high adventure, blood, guts and romantic love...as master craftsman, [Willocks] tells his story with extraordinary pace.” —Literary Review

“An epic in which we can see the seeds of our all our modern woes.” —The Times (of London)

Rich Tapestry

Rich tapestry is a much used phrase, maybe overused; however The Religion is definitely a rich tapestry. The characters are alive. I cared about them. They wove themselves and their situations into my waking hours -- and some of my dreams. Vivid! Alive! The story was whole, a tale, a spoken ballad to be sung again and again. Unlike many books who tell a story to get to the end - the climax; this book lives, has a past, present, and future. It allows for a full range of emotions to be experienced and treasured. Thank you, Tim.

Your vote appreciated

This is one of the most descriptive books I have purchased. Tim Willocks is a master of language, and the artful way he draws you in to the story. For myself, there was to much description of sex, and its frequency. I wish we had been allowed more imagination on our parts. The narrator is outstanding. He delivers, with his tone and timbre an excellent voice to the characters, better than I could have imagined myself.
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Boring

This book starts out pretty well - action filled first scene. Then there's about an hour of waiting for something to happen. Another scene. More waiting. I stopped before I got through the first third.

Painfully Ignorant of Islam

With all the research that went into this book, one would think the author could at least try to get the Islam and the Arabic right. Otherwise, a very engaging read. I purchased the book in hard copy.

incredible

Tim Willocks is exquisite in his style and prose. This is a story of love, bravery, and beauty juxtaposed against a backdrop of the unimaginable horrors of midevil war.

The reader is more a performer than a narrator and is exceptional.