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The Siege of Malta #3
Ash Fall
Fate meets fire. The world ignites.
1565. Malta stands on the precipice of one of the bloodiest battles in history. An elite Ottoman army, 50,000 strong, prepares to depart Istanbul, the seat of the Empire. Deeply conflicted, Demir must sail alongside the host determined to conquer his mother’s homeland and crush the Order of St John once and for all. Testing his loyalty is the knowledge that Angelica, the half-sister he has never met, dwells on the tiny island.
As the Maltese garrison braces for the incoming storm, knights and civilians stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the walls. Domenicus and Robert volunteer for the ramparts of Fort St Elmo, the most precarious position on Malta. Angelica finds herself locked outside the city gates and scrambles to a hilltop citadel, where she helps establish a makeshift infirmary. Katrina takes up a bow and stands a post, shielding her town as the Ottoman tide crashes against it.
For several blood-soaked months, Malta is the stage upon which fierce combat rages. Heads are fired from cannons, field hospitals set ablaze, knights crucified, and soldiers melted where they stand. As the land exhales swirling ash, and narrow streets choke on rubble, no one escapes the fiery currents of war unscathed. The body count surges. Hope scatters with the smoke. Outflanked and outnumbered, can the defence hold out until a much-delayed relief force arrives from Sicily?
1565. Malta stands on the precipice of one of the bloodiest battles in history. An elite Ottoman army, 50,000 strong, prepares to depart Istanbul, the seat of the Empire. Deeply conflicted, Demir must sail alongside the host determined to conquer his mother’s homeland and crush the Order of St John once and for all. Testing his loyalty is the knowledge that Angelica, the half-sister he has never met, dwells on the tiny island.
As the Maltese garrison braces for the incoming storm, knights and civilians stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the walls. Domenicus and Robert volunteer for the ramparts of Fort St Elmo, the most precarious position on Malta. Angelica finds herself locked outside the city gates and scrambles to a hilltop citadel, where she helps establish a makeshift infirmary. Katrina takes up a bow and stands a post, shielding her town as the Ottoman tide crashes against it.
For several blood-soaked months, Malta is the stage upon which fierce combat rages. Heads are fired from cannons, field hospitals set ablaze, knights crucified, and soldiers melted where they stand. As the land exhales swirling ash, and narrow streets choke on rubble, no one escapes the fiery currents of war unscathed. The body count surges. Hope scatters with the smoke. Outflanked and outnumbered, can the defence hold out until a much-delayed relief force arrives from Sicily?
660 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2022
3 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Marthese Fenech
7 books34 followersAUTHOR BIO
Marthese Fenech is the bestselling author of epic historical novels set in sixteenth-century Malta and Istanbul. Research has taken her to the ancient streets her characters roamed, the fortresses they defended, the seas they sailed, and the dungeons they escaped.
Obstinate curiosity has led her to seventy countries across six continents. She does her best plot-weaving while hiking mountain trails, wandering local markets, paddle boarding cliff-sheltered bays, and sitting at home with her Siberian husky curled at her feet.
Marthese Fenech is the bestselling author of epic historical novels set in sixteenth-century Malta and Istanbul. Research has taken her to the ancient streets her characters roamed, the fortresses they defended, the seas they sailed, and the dungeons they escaped.
Obstinate curiosity has led her to seventy countries across six continents. She does her best plot-weaving while hiking mountain trails, wandering local markets, paddle boarding cliff-sheltered bays, and sitting at home with her Siberian husky curled at her feet.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 4, 2022
A stunning and spectacular end to an addictive series, Ash Fall is an impressively wrought story of people unwilling to give up - whether that’s give up their homes, give up on their family, or give up hope.
Considerably more action-focused than the last two, Ash Fall deals with the main event between the Ottomans and the Maltese. I knew nothing of the siege going in, so for me, not knowing the way the battle unfolded or the eventual outcome, it was nail-biting. The action scenes in the novel are so engaging, exciting, and fast-paced. And while there are a lot of action scenes, as there are a lot of skirmishes and battles, they never got repetitive. Some of it’s grisly, but that’s the late medieval times for you.
The only thing I can say is: why must you kill off my favourite characters all the time, Marthese?
Speaking of the characters, while they didn’t change as much in this book as in the previous, they are consistent and endearing, and I kept hoping they would get a happy ever after.
The best stories about war show why war is arbitrary and needless. The reason the Ottomans wared on Malta was senseless, and the number of deaths that ensued, while the leaders remained safe, was horrendous.
The novel reiterates the thing we all know yet can’t seem to prevent from happening: the corruption that comes from too much power. In this case, I’m referring to leaders of countries and orders and religions who either wage war for selfish reasons or refuse to come to the aid of others for the same. As such, it’s a novel that resonates both with us now just as much as it is a story of what the world was like 400 years ago.
Yet, it’s also a story about bravery, courage, sacrifice, and coming together. And that’s something we need more of in this world today.
Overall, Fenech has carved an immensely satisfying, exhilarating, and emotional story from the rock that is history, showing us yet again that sometimes we have to look to the past to form a better future.
Considerably more action-focused than the last two, Ash Fall deals with the main event between the Ottomans and the Maltese. I knew nothing of the siege going in, so for me, not knowing the way the battle unfolded or the eventual outcome, it was nail-biting. The action scenes in the novel are so engaging, exciting, and fast-paced. And while there are a lot of action scenes, as there are a lot of skirmishes and battles, they never got repetitive. Some of it’s grisly, but that’s the late medieval times for you.
The only thing I can say is: why must you kill off my favourite characters all the time, Marthese?
Speaking of the characters, while they didn’t change as much in this book as in the previous, they are consistent and endearing, and I kept hoping they would get a happy ever after.
The best stories about war show why war is arbitrary and needless. The reason the Ottomans wared on Malta was senseless, and the number of deaths that ensued, while the leaders remained safe, was horrendous.
The novel reiterates the thing we all know yet can’t seem to prevent from happening: the corruption that comes from too much power. In this case, I’m referring to leaders of countries and orders and religions who either wage war for selfish reasons or refuse to come to the aid of others for the same. As such, it’s a novel that resonates both with us now just as much as it is a story of what the world was like 400 years ago.
Yet, it’s also a story about bravery, courage, sacrifice, and coming together. And that’s something we need more of in this world today.
Overall, Fenech has carved an immensely satisfying, exhilarating, and emotional story from the rock that is history, showing us yet again that sometimes we have to look to the past to form a better future.
July 19, 2023
I have never enjoyed reading anything as much as I enjoyed Ms. Fenech's trilogy. The stories are so masterfully written! Alternating between Malta and Turkey, Marthese writes a riveting tale of two families who come from separate worlds, and yet share the same blood. One not knowing the other exists until the story unfolds, culminating in the Great Siege. Ms Fenech's descriptive language paints a vivid image of the Maltese landscape - Mdina, the noble walled city built from golden-hued limestone and perched on a hill surrounded by rocky fields and set against a blue sky; the rugged landscape that joins it to Birgu; the sparkling blue water surrounding Mount Sciberras and Fort St. Angelo becoming red with the blood of the Turks. She brings to life the glittering palaces of Istanbul; the colorful, flowing silk uniforms of the Ottoman soldiers; the aroma of the flowers blooming in the courtyard... Marthese expertly weaves the stories of the character's lives like the threads of bizzilla, traditional Maltese lace - one crossing over the other, intertwining and creating an intricate pattern.
September 1, 2023
What a great ending to the series. I really loved the impressive battle scenes. All the storylines that are worked out in this book give it closure. I'd really love to see a second trilogy or any historical-fiction book written by Marthese Fenech. I am so glad I found Eight pointed cross through Sounds and Fury books reviews when I searched for historical fiction books and founded a recommendation video on Youtube with different booktubers where Sounds and Fury books reviews mentioned this book.
Thank you for the great adventure Marthese
Greetings from Holland!
Thank you for the great adventure Marthese
Greetings from Holland!
December 5, 2025
Ash Fall by Marthese Fenech is an extraordinary blend of meticulously researched history, heart-pounding action, and deeply human storytelling. From the very first chapter, Fenech immerses you in a world ravaged by conflict yet illuminated by moments of breathtaking courage and tenderness. Her characters—complex, flawed, and achingly real—stay with you long after the final page.
Fenech has an unmatched talent for balancing sweeping historical events with intimate emotional arcs. The pacing is tight, the stakes are high, and the sense of place is so vivid that you feel the dust, hear the clash of steel, and sense the simmering tension that drives the story forward.
I highly recommend this book.
Fenech has an unmatched talent for balancing sweeping historical events with intimate emotional arcs. The pacing is tight, the stakes are high, and the sense of place is so vivid that you feel the dust, hear the clash of steel, and sense the simmering tension that drives the story forward.
I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews