Don John of Austria is going to the war. Sudden and still—hurrah! Bolt from Iberia! Don John of Austria Is gone by Alcalar. The centuries-long conflict between East and West, Muslim and Christian, comes to a head in the Sixteenth century Mediterranean Sea. Crowley details the fascinating rivalry between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and…
“I am Constantine Palaiologos, emperor, son of Caesars. I am a baker, a ropewright, a fisherman, a monk, a merchant. I am a soldier. I am Roman. I am Greek. I am two thousand years old. I was born in freedom only yesterday. This is my city, Turk. Take it if you can.” It’s 1453,…
It’s no secret to anyone that follows me that I really enjoyed David Hair’s first adult fantasy novel, Mage’s Blood. In fact, I’m pretty sure I read the entire 700-page doorstopper in about 2 days. Hair began what is now one of my favorite (and one of the more underrated) current fantasy series by completely immersing…
Roughly 25 years after Rictus and his Dogsheads returned from the epic march of The Ten Thousand, the man is still a mercenary, but this time when his contract ends he’s contemplating retirement. He’s no longer a young man. As he settles back into farm life, tales begin to reach his secluded farmhouse of a young…
In celebration of today’s US release of Traitor’s Blade, I’m reposting my original review with the new cover. To be honest, you don’t need to look further than the name of the publisher (Jo Fletcher) to know that de Castell’s Traitor’s Blade is an excellent book. Falcio val Mond is First Cantor of the Greatcoats, the now-dead king’s elite…
