The Red Sea

The Last Crusaders #2

by William Napier

1571. Chained to a slave galley in the heart of the Mediterranean, it seems that English adventurers Ingoldsby and Hodge might have finally run out of luck. But they've survived worse, and as the men around them drop dead at their oars, they're determined to escape. By a miracle of fate, they find their way back to dry land and freedom—but unable to return home. With the Ottoman Empire set on strangling the crusading Christian power before it can take root, hostilities between East and West, Muslim and Christian, are vicious and deadly. And as the sun rises on one day in October, five hours of bloodshed will change the course of history. One again, the two Englishmen find themselves living on borrowed time.

Genres: Historical Fiction, War

390 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

A pseudonym of Christopher Hart

Christopher Hart (born 1965) is an English novelist and journalist.

He was educated at Cheltenham College (expelled), Leicester University (dropped out), Oxford Polytechnic and Birkbeck College, London, where he completed a PhD on W.B.Yeats.

Under his original name he has written two contemporary novels, The Harvest and Rescue Me. Since 2001, he has written four historical novels under the pseudonym of William Napier, the last three a best-selling trilogy about Attila the Hun and the Fall of the Roman Empire.

As a journalist he has worked as Literary Editor of the Erotic Review (magazine folded) and Agony Aunt for Time Out (sacked.) He currently writes regularly for the Sunday Times, where he is lead theatre critic, and the Daily Mail.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in 2012, and its the 2nd part of the "Clash of Empires" by the author, William Napier.

This book is set in the year AD 1571, and it will work towards the famous Sea Battle of Lepanto.

For Centuries the Turks of the Ottoman Empire have dominated the Mediterranean and the lands around they have conquered around that famous sea, but still they are looking for more.

With Cyprus besieged and taken in the summer of AD 1571, the time has come for the final confrontation in October, and in this maelstrom of war and death are our main protagonist from "The Great Siege of Malta", namely Hodge and Ingoldsby.

What will happen is five hours of momentous history at sea, with Hodge and Ingoldsby in the thick of it, in the famous Sea Battle of Lepanto, where West meets East once again, and where in a desperate but determined fashion the West will overcome the East in that devastating clash at Lepanto.

Highly recommended, for this is an amazing retelling of the Battle of Lepanto, and that's why I like to call this brilliant book: "A Wonderful Sea Battle of Lepanto"!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK but not as good as the one on the Seige of Malta.

[Babybelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical Fiction part of a series. Our hero is a former soldier of fortune from England with his sturdy chum,Hodge. Currently slave oarsmen after being captured by pirates they escape, visit and survive Catholic Spain and ,after variuos ups and downs joind Don John of Austria in naval defeat of the Turkish Selim the Sot at, I think,the battle of Lepanto. It's a bit unevenly written.No idea of the historical accuracy but suspect it is pretty sound.The broad outline and main historic characters ring true to me.(history and weapons buffs,please don't bite my head off..'not my specialism')
I read the earlier one in the series 'The Great Siege' featuring the same heroes. I think I have read his other books eg on Attila
Has standard elements of whoring,drinking,scrapping,true love ,lost love ..all a bit clumsy and not very convincing.
Its a good enough jolly jape ....but not a favourite and I doubt would win any prizes but better than many

[Guillermo E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically It is quite accurate.
Introduces very colorful historical characters.
On the most part It’s characters are engrossing and I enjoy them.
Except for the two main characters. Which I found dull and unappealing but thankfully eclipsed by the rest of the book.
The action is constant and I felt the emotion of the battles the sieges and the skirmishes.
It is a good read.
Four stars for the small detail about the two main characters.

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book - only wish I had read the first installment - the Great Siege of Malta - prior to this - but not having done so did not detract from my enjoyment.

So, two heroes from the Siege of Malta 1565 have, via many adventures, found themselves imprisoned on a galley ship bound for certain death. Cue more extraordinary adventures which set our heroes on the path to more glory in Cyprus and the Battle of Lepanto 1571.

Being familiar with both battles only added to my enjoyment. Can't wait to read the first and third installments.

[Richard West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second of a trilogy......this continues the adventures of the characters introduced in the first volume. Plenty of action for the action junkie.......all based on historical fact, so you learn a lot while reading fiction - nothing wrong with that! And the fun with having all the books of a trilogy and hand is you can read them one right after the other with no annoying wait. On to the concluding book!

[Travis Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel to The Great Siege.

[Aeseyman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I didn't finish because I got bored. The first book in the series was better.

[David Ebsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it a lot. Good fast-moving holiday read - particularly since I was in the Mediterranean.