- Hardcover: 251 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group (31 Dec 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0553110144
- ISBN-13: 978-0553110142
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.5 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,311,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
From the mysteriously beautiful, richly hued landscape of the Saharan mountains to the sumptuous splendor of nineteenth-century Paris, Empires of Sand is a novel that takes us on an extraordinary, powerfully emotional journey. In a clash between two civilizations, two men of common blood discover that in war, love, and even family, they are both destined to be outsiders....
The year is 1870. The proud Republic of France is crumbling under the onslaught of the Prussian army. Paris is under siege. Too young to understand the shifting fortunes of the empire, two boys forge a bond with their breathless adventures in the tunnels beneath the threatened city. Paul deVries is the cousin and constant companion of Michel deVries--called Moussa--whose world-explorer father shocked Paris with his marriage to a noblewoman of the Sahara. Moussa will inherit the title of count; Paul is destined to be a soldier like his father. But tragic events will send Moussa fleeing to his mother's homeland, with its brooding mountains, its hidden caves and fortresses. And the two boys who have been the closest of friends are fated as men to become the bitterest of enemies--victims of history and the scheming of scoundrels.
They meet again on the Sahara's blazing sands, one as part of a foolhardy French expeditionary force, the other with the nomadic Tuareg, a majestic race of veiled warriors who live and die by flashing swords and a harsh desert code of honor. On this unforgettable, ever-shifting landscape, Paul and Moussa are swept into another war, one far more brutal than anything they have experienced.
Paul is obsessed with a quest for personal vengeance and honor. And Moussa, in love with a woman betrothed to an implacable Tuareg warrior, searches for the peace he knew as a child in France. Now they both face a challenge of sheer, harrowing survival: whether to follow the call of their shared blood...or the destiny written in the treacherous sands.
Empires of Sand is a grand novel of adventure in the best tradition of historical fiction. With its astounding scenes of the desert and its rich cast of characters--soldiers, lovers, slaves, and zealots--this is a reading experience to be treasured and remembered long after the final page is turned.
The year is 1870. The proud Republic of France is crumbling under the onslaught of the Prussian army. Paris is under siege. Too young to understand the shifting fortunes of the empire, two boys forge a bond with their breathless adventures in the tunnels beneath the threatened city. Paul deVries is the cousin and constant companion of Michel deVries--called Moussa--whose world-explorer father shocked Paris with his marriage to a noblewoman of the Sahara. Moussa will inherit the title of count; Paul is destined to be a soldier like his father. But tragic events will send Moussa fleeing to his mother's homeland, with its brooding mountains, its hidden caves and fortresses. And the two boys who have been the closest of friends are fated as men to become the bitterest of enemies--victims of history and the scheming of scoundrels.
They meet again on the Sahara's blazing sands, one as part of a foolhardy French expeditionary force, the other with the nomadic Tuareg, a majestic race of veiled warriors who live and die by flashing swords and a harsh desert code of honor. On this unforgettable, ever-shifting landscape, Paul and Moussa are swept into another war, one far more brutal than anything they have experienced.
Paul is obsessed with a quest for personal vengeance and honor. And Moussa, in love with a woman betrothed to an implacable Tuareg warrior, searches for the peace he knew as a child in France. Now they both face a challenge of sheer, harrowing survival: whether to follow the call of their shared blood...or the destiny written in the treacherous sands.
Empires of Sand is a grand novel of adventure in the best tradition of historical fiction. With its astounding scenes of the desert and its rich cast of characters--soldiers, lovers, slaves, and zealots--this is a reading experience to be treasured and remembered long after the final page is turned.
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First Sentence
THE CHILDREN! HOLD FIRE!" Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
THE CHILDREN! HOLD FIRE!" Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
David Ball has set his work during the 19th century when the French fought the Franco-Prussian war at home and persued colonisation in Algeria and the Sahara abroad. The novel is a beautiful adventure story interwoven around these actual historical events. The lives of the two main characters are followed from small boys playing in Paris to early manhood fighting wars in Africa. Their lives follow a complex road, full of adventure, love, betrayal, tragedy and war. If you are looking for an escapist tale of high adventure then this is for you. If you have an interest in historical fiction then this should definitely be on your list of must reads. Only one criticism from me. The descriptive nature of the early chapters seems to fall off near the end of the book. I guess the author was building towards closing the novel with a climatic ending. I remain a little disappointed that everything seems to happen in a hurry towards the end.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I rarely stray from war novels or techno-thrillers, my usual fare consists of books like -A Close Run Thing- or -The Triumph And The Glory-, or Tom Clancy stuff. But I saw the blurb on amazon's main page for -Empires of Sand- bought a copy, and it was great. The two cousins are very well portrayed and the plot is masterful. This book has everything, the opening with the hunt was gripping and it was a ride roller-coaster ride from there all the way to the end. Five stars!
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
THIS IS BY FAR one of THE best books I have ever read, I read the Sword & the Scimitar & ran to find this one as I love David Balls Work.
This book is beautifully written luring you into Paris, then the Sahara dessert..
You follow Paul & Moussa from one empire to another.
"Empires" is based on true facts & the main themes did happen. The war in Paris, the Doomed expedition & the Tuareg. its all real. In fact Flatters did ACTUALLY take the expedition into the Sahara.
This inspired me to read up on it & I found all the facts.
In fact Im travelling to the sahara for a 16 day trek next year.. I want to se it all for myself.
READ THIS!!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great historical fiction based on fact ...
Great historical fiction based on fact ... but a little melodramatic for my taste, hence only 4 stars. The Sword and the Scimitar was a better book. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2007 by Roy Brookes
What an adventure!
What a book! I especially liked the scenes of the boys Paul and Moussa together in the tunnels beneath the city, when they found a skull and took on the Prussian army with a... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 1999
I will not forget this book for a long time
I can think of only a very few novels that have left me with such vivid images and characters as Empires of Sand. As I got close to the end, I hated that it was almost over. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 1999
Swept me away...I couldn't put it down.
This was an amazing book of intriguing characters, mystical locations and exciting events. Clearly a book that captivates and takes you with it. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 1999
Great book -- could NOT put it down!!
I'm in total agreement with amazon's reviewer, Tim Appelo. This book is a great find. Ball's ambitious first novel, Empires of Sand, has it all -- adventure, exploration,... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 1999
I never read historical fiction-but i read this and loved it
I got this book as a gift. It wasn't the sort of thing I read at all - I'm more a Danielle Steele fan. I took it on vacation, and couldn't put it down. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 1999
a marvelous read
This book has everything - a wild boar, a zealot nun, a corrupt bishop, two boys struggling with a world that is destroying their lives and families. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 1999
This novel is worth 10 stars
This book is both thrilling and joyful to read. It is an awesome combination of literature and entertainment. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 1999
No James Michener, This Guy
In the first page of a so-called "historical novel" our author has a marksman concerned with winning "tavern bragging rights. Read more
Published on 17 Aug 1999
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