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The Blade of Safavid: An Epic Historical Adventure
“The Blade of Safavid may be the best historical fiction book of 2022”
The Blade of Safavid delivers historical fiction lovers a feast of action and adventure as they are thrust into an odyssey through an ancient world spanning the five decades that brought the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, the collapse of the Great Persian Safavid Dynasty and the fall of the Mighty Mughal Empires, as ruthless competitors traverse the continents and oceans hunting for the greatest pirate treasure every captured—a treasure that included not just millions of dollars of gold, silver and gems, it included the priceless relic the Blade of Safavid as well as the Mughal Emperor’s own granddaughter, both taken when an armada of five pirate ships attacks the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s treasure fleet on its return from its pilgrimage to Mecca.
Lovers of historical action and adventure will be captivated by stories full of courage, tragedy and drama.
In The Blade of Safavid author Kent Merrell blends history and fiction together so convincingly, this historical fiction novel sends adults both young and old scurrying to the their dusty encyclopedias or the internet seeking to meet legendary characters and decipher between fact and fiction.
On September 7, 1695, an armada of five pirate ships attacked the Great Mughal Emperor’s treasure fleet returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca.
The treasure seized was the greatest in recorded history. The attack launched a worldwide manhunt lasting over five decades, and a treasure hunt that continues to this day. The Blade of Safavid and its rightful heir, the granddaughter of both a Mughal Emperor and a Safavid Shah are the prize of not just worldly wealth but the rights two of the worlds great empires.
"Oh my goodness... once again as I read it the second time, I got all teary at the end, and yes, I should have remembered it ended there, I pounded on my screen, wondering "Why won't you scroll!! I need to know what's next!!" But...that was it. A perfect ending for you book. A complete sigh of amazement. I'm really not sure how you managed to pull so many stories all together, but it's incredible. Just incredible."
The Blade of Safavid delivers historical fiction lovers a feast of action and adventure as they are thrust into an odyssey through an ancient world spanning the five decades that brought the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, the collapse of the Great Persian Safavid Dynasty and the fall of the Mighty Mughal Empires, as ruthless competitors traverse the continents and oceans hunting for the greatest pirate treasure every captured—a treasure that included not just millions of dollars of gold, silver and gems, it included the priceless relic the Blade of Safavid as well as the Mughal Emperor’s own granddaughter, both taken when an armada of five pirate ships attacks the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s treasure fleet on its return from its pilgrimage to Mecca.
Lovers of historical action and adventure will be captivated by stories full of courage, tragedy and drama.
In The Blade of Safavid author Kent Merrell blends history and fiction together so convincingly, this historical fiction novel sends adults both young and old scurrying to the their dusty encyclopedias or the internet seeking to meet legendary characters and decipher between fact and fiction.
On September 7, 1695, an armada of five pirate ships attacked the Great Mughal Emperor’s treasure fleet returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca.
The treasure seized was the greatest in recorded history. The attack launched a worldwide manhunt lasting over five decades, and a treasure hunt that continues to this day. The Blade of Safavid and its rightful heir, the granddaughter of both a Mughal Emperor and a Safavid Shah are the prize of not just worldly wealth but the rights two of the worlds great empires.
"Oh my goodness... once again as I read it the second time, I got all teary at the end, and yes, I should have remembered it ended there, I pounded on my screen, wondering "Why won't you scroll!! I need to know what's next!!" But...that was it. A perfect ending for you book. A complete sigh of amazement. I'm really not sure how you managed to pull so many stories all together, but it's incredible. Just incredible."
545 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2022
14 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 7, 2023
Incredibly satisfying. This book has everything.
This story was incredible. Pirates, mystery, intrigue, with several realistic and humorous romances on the side. A fast-paced and complex web, the story never gets boring. There are no parts that feel hard to get through. Not a thread is left dangling and everything comes together so satisfyingly, while still keeping you guessing on the details and twists to the end. I want to cry at the beauty. The writing is elegant and sophisticated while still being easy to read. This author is a master and perfected his work before publishing it.
Trigger warnings:
Slavery and Abuse:
This story deals with the capture, slavery, and abuses of women and black Africans. There are no explicit or near-explicit scenes, only mentions that certain things happened. The subject is handled with care and is necessary in order to be historically accurate and establish the evil of certain characters.
Violence:
The story deals with realistic depictions of real-life pirates. As such, there's a fair bit of violence at times, but it is handled deftly and respectfully without any unnecessary gore or detail. There are many deaths all throughout the book, but again, they are handled respectfully without unnecessary gore. Suicides are mentioned very briefly. There are children's deaths mentioned, but only on the periphery, not direct characters.
This story was incredible. Pirates, mystery, intrigue, with several realistic and humorous romances on the side. A fast-paced and complex web, the story never gets boring. There are no parts that feel hard to get through. Not a thread is left dangling and everything comes together so satisfyingly, while still keeping you guessing on the details and twists to the end. I want to cry at the beauty. The writing is elegant and sophisticated while still being easy to read. This author is a master and perfected his work before publishing it.
Trigger warnings:
Slavery and Abuse:
This story deals with the capture, slavery, and abuses of women and black Africans. There are no explicit or near-explicit scenes, only mentions that certain things happened. The subject is handled with care and is necessary in order to be historically accurate and establish the evil of certain characters.
Violence:
The story deals with realistic depictions of real-life pirates. As such, there's a fair bit of violence at times, but it is handled deftly and respectfully without any unnecessary gore or detail. There are many deaths all throughout the book, but again, they are handled respectfully without unnecessary gore. Suicides are mentioned very briefly. There are children's deaths mentioned, but only on the periphery, not direct characters.
July 14, 2022
Great Captivating Adventure
The layers of characters created intrigue from the beginning. The storyline is so well planned and each character is integrated into the story with such details as to create visuals in my mind. As an historical fiction, I'm very impressed with the historical events' accuracies. I love this author's writing style and the fact that I didn't have to wade through disgusting language to get the emotional connection to the characters and situations. I will definitely watch for any further works from this author.
The layers of characters created intrigue from the beginning. The storyline is so well planned and each character is integrated into the story with such details as to create visuals in my mind. As an historical fiction, I'm very impressed with the historical events' accuracies. I love this author's writing style and the fact that I didn't have to wade through disgusting language to get the emotional connection to the characters and situations. I will definitely watch for any further works from this author.
January 23, 2026
The Blade of Safavid is an epic historical adventure set during the fall of the Golden Age of Piracy and the decline of the Safavid and Mughal Empires. When five pirate ships attack Emperor Aurangzeb’s treasure fleet returning from Mecca, they seize the greatest treasure in history—including the legendary Blade of Safavid and the emperor’s granddaughter. Blending real history with gripping fiction, Kent Merrell delivers a fast-paced tale of pirates, power, and empire that will captivate lovers of historical action and adventure.
August 31, 2024
This was a fantastic read.
I like how this book was written, with several points of view and interlinked stories that end with one big story.
The writing was truly amazing, with real historical events and people mixed with the fictional characters.
The writing is a wonder to read and takes you inside of the stories.
I could see this book being used to teach a class on how to write believable fiction.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy.
I like how this book was written, with several points of view and interlinked stories that end with one big story.
The writing was truly amazing, with real historical events and people mixed with the fictional characters.
The writing is a wonder to read and takes you inside of the stories.
I could see this book being used to teach a class on how to write believable fiction.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy.
May 22, 2023
Another book which I could not put down. Distinctively entertaining. Persian Safavid and Mughal Dynasty's brief history. The ugly world of slavery! It's enjoyable to read a combination of reality and imagination that leaves you questioning what's real and what's made up. One of the best books I have read so far!
August 20, 2024
This interesting novel takes the reader from pirates to princesses and from India to the West Indies. Such a large undertaking could result in a slight case of reader boredom however this story kept my attention throughout. I enjoyed the many, many characters and liked the ending that brought a number of threads to a satisfactory conclusion. Good read!
October 30, 2024
For the most part I enjoyed the fast-paced adventure story. The blend of real and fictional characters was masterfully crafted. My only problem was sometimes the fast pace and complicated story lines left me a bit confused. Nothing here to discourage one from reading the book, however. Maybe I needed more concentration! Enjoy the history and enjoy the ride.
May 21, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a little concerning as to how all the interesting details would eventually come together. The author very uniquely brought two parallel stories to a surprising end. It was very satisfying and worth the read.
January 7, 2026
An ambitious and gripping historical adventure that blends real events with masterful storytelling. Rich in action, emotion, and historical intrigue. The scope is impressive, and the ending is deeply satisfying. Highly recommended for historical fiction fans.
September 23, 2022
A fun adventure with unexpected thrills along the way.
September 20, 2024
DNF. This looked like something I was going to love based on the plot outline and blurb, but just couldn't get into it.
February 7, 2025
unreadable
This book needs editing, it’s unreadable the entire way through to the end. It seems impossible that this escaped notice
This book needs editing, it’s unreadable the entire way through to the end. It seems impossible that this escaped notice
April 8, 2025
The Blade of Safavid by Kent Merrell is a an epic historical adventure that kept me turning the pages as quickly as possible. This novel has two timelines and several points of view, but Merrell is masterful at helping the reader keep everything straight. The characters are rich, the history is about an area in which I knew nothing, and the adventure is intense.
I loved the point of view by Hinch who writes in a journal. Despite short entries, we get to know him and his personality. I particularly liked how he gave his name and current occupation, which changed based on where the adventure had taken him - from doctor to captive to potential lunch for a tiger! I also loved Elizabeth as she struggled to determine if love, compassion, and forgiveness were something she could embrace over hatred and revenge.
Although a longer read than I normally pick up (550 pages), I highly recommend this book. The audiobook is also wonderful!
I loved the point of view by Hinch who writes in a journal. Despite short entries, we get to know him and his personality. I particularly liked how he gave his name and current occupation, which changed based on where the adventure had taken him - from doctor to captive to potential lunch for a tiger! I also loved Elizabeth as she struggled to determine if love, compassion, and forgiveness were something she could embrace over hatred and revenge.
Although a longer read than I normally pick up (550 pages), I highly recommend this book. The audiobook is also wonderful!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews