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The Lion House cover art

The Lion House

By: Christopher de Bellaigue
Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Venice, 1522. Intelligence arrives from the east confirming Europe's greatest fear: the vastly rich Ottoman Sultan has all he needs to wage total war - and his sights are set on Rome. With Christendom divided, Suleyman the Magnificent has his hand on its entrails.

From the palaces of Istanbul to the blood-soaked fields of Central Europe and the scorched coasts of North Africa, The Lion House pioneers a bold new style of eye-witness history to tell a true story of power at its most glittering, personal and perilous: Suleyman's rise to become the most feared and powerful man of the 16th century.

It is a journey built on brutal choices and intimate relationships - with the Greek slave who becomes his closest friend, the Venetian plutocrat who sells him gems and wins him allies, the Russian consort who steals his heart. Within a decade, Suleyman has mastery over millions of souls, from Baghdad to the walls of Vienna, while his pirate admiral, Barbarossa, dominates the Mediterranean. And yet the real drama takes place in small rooms and whispered conversations, as the Sultan exchanges love letters with his own vizier or awakes in terror after dreaming of his own assassination.

The Lion House is not just the story of two civilisations in an existential duel and one of the most consequential lives in world history. It is a tale of the timeless pull of power, dangerous to live with, deadly to live without.

©2022 Christopher de Bellaigue (P)2022 Penguin Audio

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A Rare exquisite glimpse into the Ottoman Empire

This is one of those books that is so well written and so well performed and read that one cannot help but equate it to the likes of Hilary Mantels series on Cromwell. Highly recommended

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I tried and failed to like this

This was non fiction trying and failing to be fiction. Loads of characters no insight into them.

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Terribly slow and boring

I had to stop after the first chapter, could not listen any more. Says it all.

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Love the authorial voice

De Bellaigue has an engaging writing style, you can feel he is slightly cheeky in real life. It reminds me of the wonderful historian Thomas B. Costain, who isn’t afraid of adding humour without becoming invasive. I hope we get more audio from this author’s books

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Informative and gripping

I didn't know much about Suylamen the Magnificent's life before this. Let alone the context of his reign. Now I do. What more could I ask for.

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