‘The story has never been better told. Mr. Crowley has an astonishing gift for narration; his account is as exciting as any thriller…His analyses [are] intelligent and perceptive, and he is a superb portraitist. We are left with clear and unforgettable pictures’.

John Julius Norwich, The Wall Street Journal

 

‘Magnificent…Crowley shows a novelist’s eye for vivid scene painting’

Christopher Hart, Sunday Times

 

‘Deserves to be this summer’s most recommended nonfiction book…First-rate popular history and an excellent background to today’s religious wars’.

Dallas Morning News

 

‘This is narrative history at its most gripping’

Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph

 

‘Had Dick Francis turned his hand to history rather than racecourse thrillers, this would have been it…It is rare that a book comes along which requires us to reconsider our verdicts on the past. Crowley’s Empires of the Sea is an honest history of an underestimated and oft-neglected subject and it certainly one of those rare books.’

The Christian Science Monitor

 

‘The sieges of Malta and Famagusta were spectacularly violent affairs and are described to dazzling effect by Crowley…This is first-class narrative history.’

Christopher Silvester, Daily Telegraph

 

‘A rousing history of the struggle for control of the sea between Christians and Muslims.’

Sunday Times, Top 100 Holiday Reads

 

‘Compelling…Empires of the Sea deserves a wide readership…It achieves the rare combination of being entertaining, informative, and sobering – all at the same time.’

Military Review

 

‘It can be read as you might read Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels…But it is also a work with serious research behind it, and a contribution to quite an important and even topical subject.’

Norman Stone, The Guardian Book of the Week

 

‘This is a rare combination of a history book that reads with the detail, insight and pace of a novel.’

Tampa Review

 

‘Empires of the Sea confirms Crowley as master of the Mediterranean.’

Jason Goodwin, Literary Review

 

‘Glorious narrative history’

Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph Books of the Year

 

'A masterly narrative that captures the religious fervour, brutality and mayhem of this intense contest for the center of the world.’

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

‘Nothing less than thrilling. His descriptions of the great set pieces – the siege of Malta and the battle of Lepanto – left me holding my breath.’

Michael Prodger, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year

 

‘A rousing account…Crowley’s scholarship is sure-footed, and his narrative skills an old-fashioned delight.’

Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times History Book of the Year

 

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