{"product_id":"island-of-fire-jonathan-c-hillman-9798189476860","title":"Island of Fire: A Fast History of the Great Siege of Malta","description":"In the summer of 1565, a few thousand knights and soldiers dug in on a barren rock in the middle of the Mediterranean and prepared to face the largest invasion fleet the Ottoman Empire had ever sent against a single target. Contemporary observers gave them essentially no chance. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eISLAND OF FIRE tells that story fast: thirteen turning points, one hundred and twelve days, and an outcome nobody watching in 1565 expected. A small fort that falls only after annihilating its entire garrison and costing the invaders weeks they couldn't afford to lose. A feared corsair admiral killed mid-siege by his own artillery. A harbor chained shut against assault. A relief force that arrives at nearly the last conceivable moment - and a seventy-year-old Grand Master who reportedly picked up a pike and fought in the breach himself when the walls began to fail. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWritten with the pace and voice of a great storyteller rather than a textbook, this is the Great Siege for readers who want the real story - accurate, vivid, and built to move - without wading through a dense military history to get it. The book doesn't flatten this into a simple story of good against evil: both sides fought with real skill and courage, and both committed real, documented atrocities the book doesn't look away from. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eInside you'll find: \u003cbr\u003e- The thirteen defining turning points of the siege, from the Knights' earlier expulsion from Rhodes to the fortress city built in the aftermath\u003cbr\u003e- Seven deeper-dive chapters: the Knights Hospitaller's medieval origins, civilian life under siege, the Ottoman war machine, the Mediterranean's brutal two-directional slave trade, Grand Master La Valette himself, and the world this single campaign reshaped\u003cbr\u003e- A cast of characters, a quick-reference timeline, and a glossary \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhether you're new to this history or already know your Birgu from your Senglea, ISLAND OF FIRE moves at a pace that respects your time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jonathan C. Hillman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798189476860\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 58\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.18lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.15d","brand":"Jonathan C. Hillman","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":50666019455231,"sku":"9798189476860","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/island-of-fire-jonathan-c-hillman-9798189476860","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}