Set during the last years of the Eastern Roman Empire, Siege traces the build up to the Siege of Constantinople by the Turks, as well as the titular siege itself. Opening in the aftermath of the last crusade and following a group of historical and non-historical characters, the novel weaves together the stories of both sides in this epic, monumental battle. From the young Turkish Sultan who wants to prove himself to his father and his people, to a princess of Constantinople determined to protect her city even at the expense of her own happiness, and a mercenary captain whose desires for vengeance are enhanced by a personal vendetta. Intrigue, love, seduction, savage fights, assassinations… All of this and more takes place in this historical adventure novel.
I love history in all its forms – from straight-up history books to historical mysteries. Byzantium/Constantinople, with its intrigue and bloody past, is a particular favourite so this novel about the siege that saw it tumble was a nobrainer. Again, a change of pace after the more cerebral historical fiction of The Technologists. I read the book in about a day and a half, dipping in and out of it at work when I could and enjoying the atmosphere that Jack Hight created.
A quick look through the Wikipedia page was enough to confirm that Mr Hight has taken quite a few liberties with the historical record, though none of them detracted from the enjoyment of the novel. In the Afterword, the author notes himself that many of the characters are archetypes and combinations of historical people.
Quick pacing, short chapters and enough intrigue and action to fill an episode of Game of Thrones made the book one of those hard to put down. Forgettable in the long term, I doubt that this is one that will stay with me going into next year, but I enjoyed it sufficiently for what it was and I would probably read more by Jack Hight if he was to venture into more historical adventures in the future. Overall, I gave this 3 harem slap downs out of 5.