THEY WERE MEN BORN TO FIGHT. IF GOD WILLED THAT ANTIOCH WAS THE PLACE WHERE THEY GAVE UP LIFE, SO BE IT
Thanks to the stratagems of Bohemund de Hauteville, leader of the Apulian Normans, the Crusade has taken the city of Antioch, and just in time. Once the besiegers, Bohemund and his men are about to become the besieged β a huge Turkish-led army, commanded by the fearsome General Kerbogha, is fast approaching. Provisions are needed to support not only the army, but also thousands of camp followers and pilgrims. But the surrounding countryside is near barren and the storerooms of Antioch much depleted. It soon becomes obvious that the Crusaders cannot hold out for long without falling prey to starvation.
And for Bohemund and his nephew Tancred there is another difficulty: the dissent between the Crusade leaders has broken out into the open, with the wealthy Provençal magnate Raymond of Toulouse stirring up conflict. If the Christian host is fighting on two fronts, so is Bohemund himself. With the enemy Turks at his front and his warring peers at his back, can he gain the mighty city of Antioch once and for all? Only one of the greatest battles of the age will decide.
Review
'Historical fiction at its very best ... The story is fascinating and expertly told - narrated intelligently and with elan' Historical Novels Review 'High adventure ... cunningly spliced battle scenes' Literary Review
About the Author
JACK LUDLOW is the pen name of writer David Donachie, who was born in Edinburgh in 1944. He has had a variety of jobs, including selling everything from business machines to soap. He has always had an abiding interest in the naval history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which he drew upon for the many novels he has set in that period. The author of a number of bestselling books, he now lives in Deal with his wife, the novelist Sarah Grazebrook.