Rich in historical insight and told in a dramatic and engaging voice, this is a superb evocation of the period with a series character to rival Sharpe.

'Giles Milton has a gift for searching out odd and forgotten corners of history and turning them into bestselling books... this is not a dry history, but a full-blooded narrative closer in style to a historical novel than to an academic study.' -- William Palmer, Literary Review 20040704 'Milton's story could scarcely be more action-packed, and its setting and subsidiary characters are as fantastic as its events.' -- The Sunday Times 20040704 'An extraordinary story which few people will be at all familiar with... an exciting and sensational account of a really swash-buckling historical episode' -- Philip Hensher, Spectator 20040704 Giles Milton's narrative races along as he stitches together a story of heroism, sacrifice and misplaced zeal, painstakingly researched from contemporary writing and records' -- Observer 20040704 'Giles Milton... has crafted an inspiration for those of us who believe that history can be exciting and entertaining' -- The Times 20040704

Giles Milton is a writer and journalist. He has contributed articles for most of the British national newspapers as well as many foreign publications and specialises in the history of travel and exploration. In the course of his researches, he has travelled extensively in Europe and the Middle East.