Ironfire
David Ball
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2004 Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385336012

A Novel of the Knights of Malta & the Last Battle of the Crusades.

From the drawing rooms of Paris to the palace of Suleiman the Magnificent, to the dark hold of a slave ship racing across the sea, Ironfire is a dazzling story of love & valor, innocence & identity, an epic clash of civilizations on a barren island where the future was forged.

The Mediterranean is the cauldron to the world in the sixteenth century. There, lying squarely in the midst of the vital sea lanes between the Christian West & the Ottoman Empire in the East, & ruled by the ancient Order of the Knights of St. John, Malta is the stage upon which the fate of the known world turns.

While seeking treasure on a uninhabited part of the island, young Nicolo Borg is seized by Barbary slavers, while his sister races for home. Launched on a journey that will take him to the court of the supreme ruler of the Muslim world, Nico, now named Asha, is always plotting his escape, even as he swears allegiance to the god of his masters. As the years go by, he is schooled in the arts of culture & war, which transforms the innocent boy into one of the Sultan's deadliest commanders.

For Maria, her brother's loss fires her hatred for the ruling knights who do nothing to save him. She dreams of escaping from her stifling home & dreaded future. & time moves on -- the headstrong girl grows into a fierce beauty, attracting the attention of many men, one in particular, Christien de Vries, is a surgeon-knight.

Torn between duty & desire, caught up in Malta's frantic preparations against the coming Ottoman storm, who shall capture this wild Maltese beauty?

Around Nico & Maria in their separate worlds, swirl a host of men & women who will share their destinies as the mighty Ottoman fleet bears down on the tiny island, bringing Nico back to his homeland at the helm of a warship.

David Ball is a fine storyteller, weaving a richly told historical tale of kidnapping, transformation, revenge & intrigue. Occasionally Ironfire was bit too long on the details, however, over all a memorable read!

More from David Ball:
Empires of Sand
China Run
(04/25/04)

Rebecca