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Blood Rock
 
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Blood Rock (Paperback)

by James Jackson (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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10 new from £2.74 21 used from £0.01 1 collectible from £4.97
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Paperback (paperback / softback) £6.99 £5.47 75 used & new from £0.01

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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd (14 Jun 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0719569834
  • ISBN-13: 978-0719569838
  • Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 313,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'This is history - and terrific history - on every page' -- Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal 'Set in a period of unparalleled brutality, and told with drama, sweep and passion, Blood Rock" is fiction on an epic scale' -- Malta Independent


Product Description

An age of brutality. A time for heroes! The legendary Hospitaller Knights of St John, the last of the great surviving Christian chivalric orders, have retreated to the small island of Malta, fighting the tide of Islam around the Mediterranean, and robbing from rich traders to survive. But Ottoman Emperor Suleiman, the Magnificent now wants the Knights wiped off the map altogether, and dispatches one of the greatest armadas that ever set sail to annihilate them. The Order seems doomed until the extraordinary bravery of one Englishman, Christian Hardy, attracts the attention of the Grand Master himself. Accompanying Christian in this swashbuckling tale of love, revenge, and destiny is his band of close companions: the Moor, a genius inventor of demonic weapons, Luqa, a young orphan set on becoming Christian's protege, Hubert, his longstanding friend and spiritual counsellor and Maria, a beautiful noblewoman who rejects the sanctuary of Sicily to be with him. With the help of these steadfast comrades, Christian must now summon all his courage to face an unbeatable enemy, and change the course of history ...Set in a period of unparalleled brutality, and told with drama, sweep and passion, "The Blood Rock" is fiction on an epic scale.
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars James Jackson's Blood Rock defines the genre, 28 Jun 2007
Most of the novels I start lie abandoned - such pointless felling of trees. So, in a time of poor scholarship, loose editing and meandering plot it's an inspiration to discover an author who can lift the colours, smells and heroics of an ancient time into the reader's imagination; who can do with sentences what others struggle to achieve with paragraphs. But Jackson's style is never heavy or show-offy as again and again I went back to savour a phrase, to marvel at how many ways Christian Hardy could dismember an Ottoman. Like all good authors, Jackson provides only the canvas, leaving the reader to fill in the detail. He achieves more: the characters repel and mesh convincingly, the love story/ies is/are sensitively and unsentimentally handled; the subplots compelling; the whole works as an insight into human nature in its rawest state.

But Jackson's allegorical trump card didn't reveal itself until the completed novel had replaced some drivel about Christ's bloodline and albino monks on my bookcase: as we stress and complain over our mundane problems, Blood Rock adds a sense of perspective. More importantly, it inspires. Even the trees say thank you.


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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read!, 3 Sep 2007
By J. Gillespie (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
In conflict with some of the recent reviews I found this book both historically accurate and also a gripping read. There is a twist that will keep the reader interested right to the very end of the novel. The battles are brought to life by the author and I found the dialogue typical of the day....almost poetic in places...clearly alot of thought has gone into this book.....I look forward to your next novel Mr. Jackson and recommend this book to any who enjoy the likes of Corwell, Iggulden, Scarrow etc etc etc.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars It was a lot quieter when I was there on holiday...., 8 Aug 2007
By N. Brett (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
The legendary Hospitaller Knights of St John having retreated to Malta have to defend the island against the vastly superior (in numbers) invading force of Turks under instruction from Ottoman Emperor Suleiman.
Spun around this famous piece of history is a story that weaves new characters into the historical figures of the time. Mainly centered on Christian Hardy a Sharpe like figure who seems to get involved in every aspect of the action while in the background there is much politics and plotting.
This could have been so good and it is one of the most famous sieges in history so the opportunity really was there. Although this is not a bad read, it could have been so much better, the main character, Hardy, becomes almost a cliche and a cross between Sharpe and Superman. There are also times where the narrative becomes a little dis-jointed as side plots are not really developed (the female character, Maria, is captured and escapes in a blink of an eye for instance).
So, not bad but not great either. Nothing like as good as David Gemmell's 'Legend' if you want to read a siege classic.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Let down by the editor...
Whoever edited this did not help their writer. I think there was a good story trying to get out somewhere within this bloated effort but as others have said, so much could have... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. James R. Lawrence

4.0 out of 5 stars Rollicking Good read
Not as powerful or beautifully written as Tim Willocks' 'The Religion' (also about the Moorish seige of Malta), but rollicking good fun all the same. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mr. Warren M. Fisher

1.0 out of 5 stars This is dreadful!
"B" movie script is being generous. This is cliched - our hero rides "with the feeling of being involved in something momentous", the characters are flat and I got bored by the... Read more
Published 15 months ago by John Tait

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad at all, though not excellent.
It took me a while to read this book, as at first I couldn't really get into it.
I persisted though, even if only because I'm Maltese and I wanted to read about places in... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Philip Gatt

3.0 out of 5 stars A Strange Mixture
Whilst I enjoyed this novel, I have to agree with one or two previous reviews when it comes to the dialogue. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Roger Shallot

5.0 out of 5 stars 1565 Malta...
I visited Malta several years ago and was completely ignorant as i walked the walls and tunnels of the grand harbour i wish i had read this book before id gone so i could have had... Read more
Published 18 months ago by J. Vickers

4.0 out of 5 stars i judged it by its cover
the only reason i picked this up was because of its cover. To be perfectly honest ive never heard of the Great Siege before so i had no idea of storyline. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Spencer Lawes

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad at all
I was hesitant to read this book because of the bad reviews given on amazon, but I plucked up the courage and bought it, being a fan of the great siege. Read more
Published 19 months ago by P. Vella

2.0 out of 5 stars 1 hook to keep you reading, nothing for you to enjoy
I picked up this book thinking that I had no knowledge of Malta's history and thought this would be an ideal and entertaining starting point. Read more
Published 19 months ago by L. Ismail

1.0 out of 5 stars 'B' movie script
I have read many books on the art of warfare and never have I been so utterly bored as I was with this novel. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2007 by TC

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