Ironfire

Ironfire, by David Ball.

This book tells the story of the great Siege of Malta, the epic battle between the Crescent and the Cross.  Uniquely, it is told from both sides at once, giving the story much more depth than it would otherwise have had.  Further, each of the primary characters  -- Maria Borg, a Maltese peasant, her brother Nico Borg, also known as Asha Rais, kidnapped as a child and raised in Topkapi at the Sultan's school as a Muslim, and Christien de Vries, a Knight of the Order of St. John, the defenders of Malta -- had his or her own unique, detailed, interesting, and exciting story to tell.  There were very few typos, and very few slow sections, mostly keeping me turning the pages late into the night.  Even the minor characters were fully fleshed out, interesting, and believable.  Over all this was an excellent book, which I enjoyed immensely.  I wholeheartedly recommend it, despite its bookstop like features -- more than 600 pages -- and give it my highest rating.  5.0