Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "cyprus"

Assassins of Kantara by James Boschert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The assassins infiltrate and strike without warning. No one defies the Master and lives, but this trio deserve special treatment. No one else matters, so death will come swiftly. But not for the three.

Talon de Gilles has always known this day would come. He comprehends exactly what awaits himself, his wife Rav’an, and his friend Reza. Perhaps not the particulars, but being raised by the Hashashini (or Assassins) make the peril all too real. A familiar face where it should not be. A servant who falls ill. Stealth where it is least expected. Now, the sanctuary Muscat offers is no more, leaving Talon and his family only one choice. To survive, they must flee in a manner in which the world once again swallows them from the Master’s long reach.

But danger trails no matter how far Talon travels. Many years have passed since he made a promise to a king. The time has come to fulfill his pledge, yet the journey is fraught with danger from bandits led by a Frank; the King of Jerusalem’s fragile health has his lords embroiled in a power struggle; and Salah Ed Din, leader of the Arabs, and his army will soon strike at the holy city. Equally disheartening is news that Talon has lost his mentor, a powerful leader among the Templars.

Perhaps Acre offers a better sanctuary. After all, his friend and fellow Templar Max oversees Talon’s trading ventures. But all is not as it should be there, as Talon soon discovers. Max has been imprisoned. All of their property has been confiscated. And an enemy from the past has been amassing evidence to arrest Talon on charges of witchcraft. Time is not on his side. Word reaches Acre that Talon is coming and Max’s health quickly fades. To extricate his friend and the rest of his entourage will require cunning, stealth, and luck. Even then, nothing is assured. And where to go next in search of a safe haven?

From Muscat to Cyprus and Constantinople, this seventh book of Talon’s adventures whisks readers away on a perilous and serpentine journey. Enemies, as well as friends, from the present and the past are interwoven into a labyrinthine maze of intrigue, vengeance, and greed. Subplots from previous titles in the series come to fruition, but not without sacrifice. At the same time, Boschert lays the groundwork for the future. Fans of Talon’s previous adventures will find this story compelling. Those meet him for the first time will be grounded in the myriad twists and turns of this plot, but may want to read the earlier books first to fully grasp the many nuances of this intrepid tour de force.




View all my reviews

Storms of Retribution by James Boschert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


All is right in Talon de Gilles’s world. He, his family, friends, and retainers live at Kantara, a fortified castle perched atop a Cyprus mountain. Until the day a messenger delivers a reminder of a long-ago pledge. The request to visit Count Raymond reintroduces chaos into Talon’s life and the lives of those he holds dear. No matter his personal inclination, honor demands fulfillment and he and Reza, his best friend, set sail for Tripoli.

The initial crack quickly widens into a chasm when pirates attack Talon’s ships. But he and his men are not the easy targets the sea raiders expect. Talon’s acumen, coupled with his men’s skill and a surprise weapon, wins the day and he acquires two valuable hostages with ties to Sultan Salah Ed Din. Still, one pirate vessel escapes the conflagration, earning Talon an acrimonious enemy.

Although glad to see his old friend, Talon is disquieted by the events Count Raymond relates. The boy who ruled Jerusalem has died and two factions arose to vie for the throne. The new king is weak and easily led by others, especially two men who see Talon as an enemy: the Grand Master of the Templars and Reynald de Châtillon. The former has no tolerance for Arabs and their world; he is there to make certain the Holy Lands remain under Christian dominance no matter the consequences. De Châtillon, a greedy and violent marauder, commits an egregious act that tears asunder the fragile peace between Arab and Latin forces. Now, Salah Ed Din is intent of taking Jerusalem from the infidels and punishing them.

What Talon expects to be a short visit turns into a much lengthier time away from Cyprus where evil forces are stirring. The catalyst that sets them in motion is the Byzantine emperor’s ambassador, whose covert mission is to track down the gold that mysteriously went missing from the royal treasury. One man who suspects the ambassador is Zenos, the Chief Information Gatherer of the island, who craves even more wealth and power than he currently has. Although a mutual agreement is reached between the two men, each has his own agenda and goal. To achieve success, Zenos enlists two potent allies who have their own reasons for participating. Their objective? Kantara, and those within have no idea what forces have been unleashed or that each has a deadly goal that will forever alter the lives of those inside Kantara.

Storms of Retribution is the eighth book in the Talon series. It takes readers to a variety of locales during the year 1187 – a time that proves catastrophic for the Christian cause. Boschert weaves a complex story that mesmerizes readers, yet unfolds in a way that allows them to clearly keep track of who’s who and what’s what. Each side has its own agenda, which creates dire consequences for more than one character at a time, each seeming to be more insurmountable than the previous episode. This tale incorporates a lot of backstabbing, revenge, land and sea battles, sieges, spies, and assassins; it is also spiced with tidbits of humor, the return of old friends and enemies, and the introduction of new ones.

The title, Storms of Retribution, perfectly encapsulates what this story is about. These may involve individuals or be set on a much grander scale, but Boschert ably demonstrates the wisdom of learning cultures foreign to one’s one and the devastating folly of individuals who think their way is the only way –topics that are relevant even today. The narrative could use a bit more proofreading, as there are a number of misspellings and extra words or letters scattered throughout the book. That said, this is a masterful retelling of the battles for the Springs of Cresson and the Horns of Hattin, as well as the Siege of Tyre – events that most readers won’t be familiar with, but that are important for knowing what happened in this region of the world during the Crusades. Not only does Boschert ground the reader in time and place, but he also transports readers there, allowing them to experience firsthand the sounds, smells, horrors, and futility of war.




View all my reviews