Mr. Crowley paints a panoramic picture of the contest between Christendom and the Ottoman Turks for control of the Mediterranean. I listened to the audiobook which is read by John Lee. Mr. Lee even sounds like a pirate, so the effect is perfect!



The Siege of Malta is protrayed in especially rich detail - since war then was so deeply personal, all the pomp, pageantry, and color were critical elements to battle. Mr. Crowley makes it easy to imagine the emotions that both sides must have felt: fear, pride, and religious fervor; the raging desire to destroy the enemy regardless of pesonal cost; the cruelty, both hot and cold, practiced by Christian and Moslem. And for the defenders of St. Elmo's, a final acceptance of the fact that the only way out was death.



Yeah, I know I make it sound dramatic, but the facts are that if a few hundred soldiers at St Elmo's on Malta hadn't fought to the death over 400 years ago, we might all be speaking Arabic and saying prayers 5 times a day. This book helps you realize that centuries can turn on the most insignificant of events. I found the audiobook enthralling. You won't regret picking it up.