Flying a Dutch flag, the Vandetta is parked alongside the dock in the port of Kingston, Jamaica. On board, meeting secretly, are four pirate captainsthree former royal navy captains and a Duke of the Realmmaking a plan to exact revenge and retribution on those responsible for their loss of income, status, position, and reputation. The four compiled a list of the people who had caused them even the slightest provocation during the last twenty years, focusing on those who had forced them into the cut-throat world of piracy. Fierce battles ensue and in the process they capture a princess and steal her dowry and gold bullion from a ship in the dead of night. They also commandeer three Spanish treasure ships and, using the melted gold, they commit a major forgery by selling the gilded gold to greedy, corrupt government officials. A tale of the high seas, Saladins Sword narrates a story of treachery, adventure, and betrayal.

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Aztec Heresy A mystery that spans the past A conspiracy that lives on in the heart of an ancient order... Army Ranger Lt. Col. John Holliday had resigned himself to ending his career teaching at West Point. When his uncle passes away, Holliday discovers a medieval sword-wrapped in Adolf Hitler's personal battle standard. But when someone burns down his uncle's house in an attempt to retrieve the sword, Holliday realizes that he's being drawn into a war that has been fought for centuries-a war in which he may be the next casualty.

An epic novel steeped in action, intrigue, and romance. July 1187: the forces of the Muslim sultan known as Saladin have defeated the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, allowing Saladin to achieve his lifelong ambition of recapturing the Holy City for Islam. This sets the stage for the Third Crusade: the confrontation between Saladin and the legendary Christian warrior, Richard the Lionheart. Both men believe they are destined by God to lead their holy armies to complete victory. Richard, a legendary warrior with a keen military mind, finds his vow to retake Jerusalem complicated by infighting over succession to the British throne, a rivalry with the French king, and a choice between two potential queens. Meanwhile, Saladin struggles to keep his fractious forces together while remaining true to the noblest principles of Islam. These events are also portrayed through the eyes of two common men: Pierre of Botron is a Christian knight who is captured on the battlefield and subjected to the indignity of slavery. Rashid of Yenbo is a Muslim trader who finds prosperity in Saladin's triumphs. The relationship between Rashid and Pierre offers the possibility that people of good will can overcome polarizing conflicts. As events build toward the Battle of Jaffa, one of the most well-known conflicts of the Crusades, the fates of the characters depend on the choices they make between the compassionate and fanatical aspects of their faiths. The Swords of Faith offers an eye-opening comparison and contrast of the tenets of Christianity and Islam, insights that reverberate into the present day.

This Osprey Command book looks closely at the early life, military experiences and key battlefield exploits of Al-Malik al-Nasir Yusuf Ibn Najm al-Din Ayyub Ibn Shahdi Abu'l-Muzaffar Salah al-Din – or Saladin as he is more commonly known outside the Islamic world – who is broadly regarded as the greatest hero of the Crusades, even in Europe. Most chroniclers present him as a man of outstanding virtue, courage and political skill. More recently, however, efforts have been made to portray Saladin as an ambitious, ruthless and even devious politician, and as a less brilliant commander than is normally thought. This book sets out to reveal that the truth is, as usual, somewhere in between.

Saladin is perhaps the one and only Muslim ruler who emerges with any clarity in standard tales and histories of the Crusades; this is a translation of Baha’ al-Din Ibn Shaddad’s account of his life and career. Ibn Shaddad (1144-1234) was clearly a great admirer of Saladin and was a close associate of his, serving as his qadi al-’askar (judge of the army), from 1188 until Saladin’s death in 1193. His position and his access to information make this an authoritative and essential source for Saladin’s career, while his personal relationship with the sultan adds a sympathetic and moving element to the account of his final years. Aside from its inherent value as a source for the history of Egypt and the Middle East, it therefore provides a much-needed complement and corrective to the widely-known Latin accounts of the Crusades and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. The present translation is based on a fuller edition of the text than that used in the previous 19th-century translation, and takes into account the translator’s readings of the earliest manuscript of the work, dated July 1228.

An epic saga of love and war, Shadow of the Swords tells the story of the Crusades—from the Muslim perspective. Saladin, a Muslim sultan, finds himself pitted against King Richard the Lionheart as Islam and Christianity clash against each other, launching a conflict that still echoes today. In the midst of a brutal and unforgiving war, Saladin finds forbidden love in the arms of Miriam, a beautiful Jewish girl with a tragic past. But when King Richard captures Miriam, the two most powerful men on Earth must face each other in a personal battle that will determine the future of the woman they both love—and of all civilization. Richly imagined, deftly plotted, and highly entertaining, Shadow of the Swords is a remarkable story that will stay with readers long after the final page has been turned.

During a time when the world was still developing, a mysterious event occurred that was hard to explain. In a place in America, a baby girl was born who possessed the characteristics of an angel. Exactly one year later, her sister was born, possessing the characteristics of a demon. For God so loved us, that they knew everything, the past and present. Including the incoming greatest conflict in human history, which Lucifer will use a person to sow Great Evil, several years before this happens. The God Almighty has created someone who will balance the fierce war that will happen in the future. The main characters are Angela, the angelic girl, and Lucia, the demonic girl. The beginning of the story also shows the origins of goodness and evil. The sisters shared a deep love for each other in the early stages of their lives, along with their mother in all their dreams, contrary to their father. It also narrates how we are shaped and influenced by those around us. Angela and her companions, called the Astamina, tirelessly did everything they could to uphold peace against conflicts during World War II. Lucia also made friends, known as Arisilia. Eventually, she became completely evil. The sisters possessed extraordinary powers, and their abilities became almost like those of a real angel and demon; At the story's conclusion, a Japanese officer named Col. Junko, a serious and strict officer of the Japanese Imperial Army, plays the most important role in history, leading towards ultimate peace.