The Lion of Mistra

The Mistra Chronicles #3

by James Heneage

'One hell of a fine book' Conn IgguldenROME NEVER FELL. IT BECAME BYZANTIUM.AS OTTOMAN FORCES INVADE, ONE MAN MUST DEFEND HIS COUNTRY AND FACE HIS OWN PERSONAL DESTINY...A rich tale of clashing empires and trade wars, lost treasure and tempestuous love in an age when the fate of the world hung on the survival of Byzantium, the hinge between east and west. Luke Magoris, a descendant of the princes of England, is a man with a rare talent for war and trade. To him falls the overwhelming task of defending his beloved Mistra against the rampant Ottoman forces.

Genres: Historical Fiction

436 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 2, 2015

About the author

James Heneage has been fascinated by history from an early age, in particular the rise and fall of empires. He was the founder of the Ottakar’s chain of bookshops which, between 1987 and 2006 grew to 150 branches before being bought by Waterstones. James spent these twenty years reading and researching historical subjects before settling on the end of the Byzantine Empire as the period he wanted to write about.

After Ottakar’s, he chaired the Cheltenham Literary Festival before setting up his own festival entirely devoted to history with author James Holland. The Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival is now in its third year and attracts around 30,000 people to its menu of talks, debates and living history displays.

The first of his Mistra Chronicles, The Walls of Byzantium, was launched at the Festival in June 2013.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic doesn't cover the scale of this series. The history covers the inter connections of the major empires across Europe , Asia and Africa ,centering on desperate attempts to preserve a part of the Byzantine empire in the face of shifting world politics. A huge amount of research pulls in the politics , religion and big players at the time which the author tries and mostly suceeds to weave together.
Its great to see an author interweave so much of the period together rather than looking at a location in isolation.

[Bookcharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Εξαιρετικό. . Το τρίτο μέρος της τριλογίας του Μυστρά κλείνει με εξίσου περιπετειώδη τρόπο όπως και τα άλλα. Ειδικό βάρος αποκτά το γεγονός ότι κάποιος μη Έλληνας, έδειξε ενδιαφέρον για ένα σημαντικό κομμάτι της ιστορίας που διεκδικούμε οι σημερινοί Έλληνες ως μέρος του παρελθόντος μας και το αποδίδει με ζωντάνια κι ευαισθησία.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a huge and epic book and tale! In the beginning it was a bit hard to get into without having read the two previous volumes. But about half way through this became such an addictive read... I must say I never connected with any character really deeply, but this book has many finely crafted protagonists that make you worry for them and continue to read. The amount of places and cities that play a role is huge and sometimes a bit tiring. But I loved to read about places I've been myself like mistra constantinople and constance. This book is recommended for history lovers and readers interested in the fragile and unstable truces, trade routes and connections at that time.

[Ayşe Osmanoğlu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Mistra Chronicles Series, continuing the saga of Luke Magoris as he battles to save Byzantium from encroaching Ottoman and Venetian power. While the intricate
tales of clashing empires and personal destiny provide a compelling plot and wonderful settings, this installment is less focussed on the Ottoman perspective than the other books so is my least favourite. Nevertheless, the author's masterful storytelling and strong characters kept me turning the page. I can’t wait to read the next and final book and witness the conquest of Constantinople!

[cath phillipson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent gripping historical read

Rich in historical detail but grounded in the characters of the books I really enjoyed this. The story is driven by the interweaving fates of the characters from his previous books and keeps a rollercoaster of events to hold the interest.
Not the quality of prose of Dorothy Dunnett but covering some similar ground to her Nicholas, 50 or so years later, with the Mamluks Venice and Mali. Her readers might well enjoy this series.

[Vassilis Xanthakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το τέλος της τριλογίας είναι επικό περιγράφοντας με γλαφυρό (και μυθιστορηματικό φυσικά) τρόπο την ανάσα που πήρε ο ύστερος μεσαιωνικός ελληνισμός το πρώτο μισό του 15ου αιώνα. Θα μου λείψει ο Λουκάς Μάγκορις!

[peter robishaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a brilliant story

Couldn't put the book down so many twists and turns incredible writing from a brilliant mind would recommend this and his other hooks

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very satisfying conclusion to the Mistra Chronicles. This makes history exciting and credible. It is hard to believe but most of the most surprising parts are actually true!

[David Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst the first two books weren't too bad - the third one felt pretty boring as it felt like nothing really happened until it all rushes to a conclusion in the last 40 or so pages.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

KSKS

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mistra is part of the empire of Byzantium but is a state in the Pelepponese. This makes it a prize coveted by the Ottomans and the Venetian empire. At the turn of the fifteenth century the eastern mediterranean is in turmoil and the state of Mistra is prospering under the management of Luke Magoris and the Varangians. As Magoris tries to manipulate the Papacy he makes enemies in Italy which lead to the loss of money from Mistra and Venice seizes its chance. Majoris tries to rectify the situation both through trade with China and also through the gold trade in Africa.

I haven't read the first two parts of this story and I found it really difficult to pick up the different strands at the start. However by halfway through I was completely engrossed in a tale which encompassed lots of areas of history I didn't know about and had a very engaging plot. I am tempted to get hold of the two other books now.

[Linda Humberstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good finale to The Mistra Chronicles. There is lots going on as the story jumps to and fro' depicting the main characters and their part in conflicts, allegiances and relationships that intertwine splendidly. It was easy to become reacquainted with the characters and their adventures since I read The Towers of Samarkand and the only criticism I have is that Anna played a very poor part in this book.