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The Blood Red Crescent and the Battle of Lepanto
It was fall 1570, and rumors of an invasion by the Turks were spreading throughout Venice. Down by the docks, Guido Callata listened to the sailors as they discussed past battles and speculated about more fighting in the future. From the altar of St. Mark's, a message from His Holiness Pope Pius V had been read, calling for crusade to repel Turkish advances. A fleet of Venetian and Spanish vessels would be assembled, and Guido's father, like other wealthy Venetians, had agreed to build and equip a galley for the Christian fleet. Secretly, Guido hoped to sail to battle with his father's crew; instead, he was whisked off to the safety of a monastery, far from the excitement of the Venetian waterfront.
How Guido finally manages to join the fleet and help to defeat the Turks in the memorable Battle of Lepanto is a colorful tale of danger, suspense, and adventure in sixteenth-century Italy.
How Guido finally manages to join the fleet and help to defeat the Turks in the memorable Battle of Lepanto is a colorful tale of danger, suspense, and adventure in sixteenth-century Italy.
188 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 4, 2023
An excellent juvenile historical - somewhat in the style of Ronald Welch's military stories, but at a slightly younger level. Our hero, Guido Callatta, is nearly fifteen, but he gets to participate in the very important Battle of Lepanto in 1571. There are fictional characters who have good depth and are very appealing, and we also encounter a couple historical figures, such as Don John of Austria, Cardinal Acquaviva, and most notably, Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, who is known to have fought in the battle although not exactly as described here.
Most of Garnett's details were good, but there were a couple of flaws. On p.163 we get, "They've made a crucifix out of two pieces of wood!" - but surely since this makeshift item would have no corpus (body of Christ), it's not a crucifix, just a cross. Earlier in the book (p.139), Mass is celebrated before the battle, and we are told that after the elevation of the Host and the ringing of sanctus bells, the words (in Latin) of the Hail Mary prayer are heard. But the Hail Mary is not part of the liturgy of the Mass. It is possible that after the conclusion of Mass, additional prayers would be said, but perhaps not. It needs a bit more explanation and could have been handled better.
The author wants us to remember the words "pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death" because it's very poignant at this moment in the story, but how he should have done this is by talking about the praying of the Rosary, which is known to have been a very important aspect of the battle. Pope Pius V asked all Christians to pray the Rosary in support of the Holy League's success, and it is reported that the soldiers at Lepanto prayed it all through the night before the battle. In fact, the feast that was established to commemorate the battle, the feast of Our Lady of Victory, is now called (since 1573) the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The association of the Rosary with this specific battle and subsequent feast did much to popularize the sacramental. Of course, the Hail Mary is an integral part of saying the Rosary. I'm pretty sure the word "rosary" does not appear even once in the book, which is a most unfortunate omission.
Garnett provides a helpful foreword that addresses historical/fictional aspects of the book, but alas, there is no bibliography. A map or two would also have been nice.
Most of Garnett's details were good, but there were a couple of flaws. On p.163 we get, "They've made a crucifix out of two pieces of wood!" - but surely since this makeshift item would have no corpus (body of Christ), it's not a crucifix, just a cross. Earlier in the book (p.139), Mass is celebrated before the battle, and we are told that after the elevation of the Host and the ringing of sanctus bells, the words (in Latin) of the Hail Mary prayer are heard. But the Hail Mary is not part of the liturgy of the Mass. It is possible that after the conclusion of Mass, additional prayers would be said, but perhaps not. It needs a bit more explanation and could have been handled better.
The author wants us to remember the words "pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death" because it's very poignant at this moment in the story, but how he should have done this is by talking about the praying of the Rosary, which is known to have been a very important aspect of the battle. Pope Pius V asked all Christians to pray the Rosary in support of the Holy League's success, and it is reported that the soldiers at Lepanto prayed it all through the night before the battle. In fact, the feast that was established to commemorate the battle, the feast of Our Lady of Victory, is now called (since 1573) the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The association of the Rosary with this specific battle and subsequent feast did much to popularize the sacramental. Of course, the Hail Mary is an integral part of saying the Rosary. I'm pretty sure the word "rosary" does not appear even once in the book, which is a most unfortunate omission.
Garnett provides a helpful foreword that addresses historical/fictional aspects of the book, but alas, there is no bibliography. A map or two would also have been nice.
July 29, 2014
A coming of age tale culminating in the pivotal Battle of Lepanto (see Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know), The Blood-Red Crescent is an enjoyable action story bolstered with virtues of courage, compassion, and faith.
July 20, 2017
I had been looking forward to reading this, but found it to be somewhat disappointing. The protagonist is too juvenile, the women almost nonexistent (or caricatures), and I didn't like the graphic violence. The book might be in the reading niche for some 14 year old boys.
May 17, 2023
How have I never heard of this before? I generally don’t click with coming of age stories for boys (being a girl and all) but this one was sooo good!!! It’s not only a fascinating account of one of the most important battles of medieval times, but the characters are wonderful! I loved Guido, Cervantes and Michael Selwyn.
Themes to pay attention to: what is the right reason for fighting a war? What does it mean to be a soldier and man of God vs. a soldier/man of the world? What lessons does Guido need to learn before he can truly be called a man and a knight of Christ?
This author needs to get more spotlight. Plus he has inspired me to read Don Quixote, since Cervantes is one of his characters.
Do yourself a favor and read this book!
Themes to pay attention to: what is the right reason for fighting a war? What does it mean to be a soldier and man of God vs. a soldier/man of the world? What lessons does Guido need to learn before he can truly be called a man and a knight of Christ?
This author needs to get more spotlight. Plus he has inspired me to read Don Quixote, since Cervantes is one of his characters.
Do yourself a favor and read this book!
November 4, 2023
I enjoyed this book. The author, Henry Garnett, used the history of Lepanto set in 1571 as the background. Real and fictional characters were used in the novel. A main theme was good versus evil. The fictional character, Guido, leaves his safe home and family to help fight along with the ship's captain, and other characters who save the day.
What I enjoyed about the book was the development of the main character from a young man from wanting to be a hero to learning that death and glory are not all what they seem. Guido questions where does all this death and war fit into the Catholic Churches' teachings. I did, however, tire with the description of the ongoing battle. This is book is better suited for boys in late elementary and middle school students.
What I enjoyed about the book was the development of the main character from a young man from wanting to be a hero to learning that death and glory are not all what they seem. Guido questions where does all this death and war fit into the Catholic Churches' teachings. I did, however, tire with the description of the ongoing battle. This is book is better suited for boys in late elementary and middle school students.
December 4, 2021
So good! Entertaining with actual fact woven in. I can see my boys LOVING this in a few years.
January 26, 2022
This book would be great for boys.
March 19, 2015
My eldest 2 really enjoyed listening to this story.
March 29, 2017
The Blood-Red Crescent by Henry Garnett
This an an extraordinary book that helps people view history in a different way. Throughout the book, young Guido has always dreamed about sailing on seas and far-away lands and fighting battles. As Guido grows older he dreams of becoming a man of his own. He gets his chance when he is left with his mother and sister to flee from their homeland because of the fast-attacking Turks. His father is left behind preparing for battle through the Holy League. Along the road to Guido's destination, he faces many problems. Will he be able to come back home to help his father win the battle against the Turks in time as he dreamed of?
I would recommend this to all those who love history and adventurous battles.
This an an extraordinary book that helps people view history in a different way. Throughout the book, young Guido has always dreamed about sailing on seas and far-away lands and fighting battles. As Guido grows older he dreams of becoming a man of his own. He gets his chance when he is left with his mother and sister to flee from their homeland because of the fast-attacking Turks. His father is left behind preparing for battle through the Holy League. Along the road to Guido's destination, he faces many problems. Will he be able to come back home to help his father win the battle against the Turks in time as he dreamed of?
I would recommend this to all those who love history and adventurous battles.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews