Reviews

The Great Siege: Malta 1565 by Ernle Bradford

zare_i's review against another edition

4.0

Very interesting book. Narrative is very fast paced that it feels like you are reading a historical novel not a history book.

Descriptions of siege, casualties on both sides, heavy bombardment and overall destruction are very vivid.

Highly recommended for military (and general) history buffs.

crystalathome's review against another edition

3.0

I'm not a huge history buff; I didn't really know anything about Malta before opening this book and I'm not even sure what compelled me to read it in the first place. That being said, there is a ton of information in here. It was a little dry at times and took me a little longer than usual to finish, but it was worth it.

If you enjoy history, especially detailed war history, you'll probably love this book. If long battle descriptions isn't your cup of tea, you'll probably want to skip this one.

jenmat1197's review against another edition

4.0

In the first half of the sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was throught to be invincible. Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan, had expanded his empire from western Asia to southeastern Europe and North Africa. To secure control of the Mediterranean between these territories and launch an offensive into western Europe, Suleiman needed the small but strategically crucial island of Malta. But Suleiman's attempt to take the island from the Holy Roman Empire's Knights of St. John would emerge as one of the most famous and brutal military defeats in history.

Forty-two years earlier, Suleiman had been victorious against the Knights of St. John when he drove them out of their island fortress at Rhodes. Believing he would repeat this victory, the sultan sent an armada to MAlta. When they captured Fort St. Elmo, the Ottoman foces ruthlessly took no prisoners. The Roman grand master La Vallette responded by having his Ottoman captives beheaded. Then the battle for Malta began in earnest: no quarted asked. None given.

I love these types of books. This is well written, well told, and well researched. I was worried that it might be dry and slow, but it was neither of those things. I knew nothing about Malta before reading this book, and this was a great intoduction to the country for me. It is a complex story, but the author does a great job making it easy to read.

melindamoor's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

redcrane's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

peyton_'s review against another edition

3.0

This is an interesting book and a fascinating look at military strategy. Military history definitely isn’t one of my primary interests, but it is still enjoyable. 

henrik_w's review against another edition

5.0

Last week we stayed in a hotel in Malta for a week of sun and swimming. In the hotel lobby they had a stand with a good selection of paperbacks, mostly thrillers, but also books on Malta’s history. I started to flip through the pages of The Great Siege, and it seemed really interesting. I bought it the last day there, and started reading it on the flight home. I was hooked immediately, and couldn’t stop reading until I had finished it the same night.

The story of the siege of Malta in 1565 is absolutely riveting. The Knights of St John, with Grand Master de la Valette, and the Maltese population are attacked and besieged by the numerically superior Turks for the entire summer of 1565. Ernle Bradford does a remarkable job of describing the events in such a way that it almost feels like you are there. Along the way, you also learn a lot about life, war and politics in the 16th century. The writing flows really well, and this relatively short book (228 pages, divided into 31 chapters) is so exciting that I just couldn’t stop reading it.

The drama, the historical facts and the writing makes this one of the best books I have read, and I recommend it to anyone, even if you are not normally reading historical books. It’s that good.

tacoboozefairy's review against another edition

5.0

With a subtitle that reads: "Christian knights defend western civilization against the moslem tide", I expected this book to be massively eurocentric... and I was right. It was written in the mid-twentieth century by a WW2 navy vet and reflects the biases you would expect from a man of that era and experience.

That being said, the great siege is nothing short of fantastic. I have never read a nonfiction book as gripping as this. The entire section detailing the siege of St Elmo was especially exciting. I'm legitimately surprised this tale had not been adapted as a summer blockbuster.

However, I would not consider this scholarly history. The author fills in some bits with his own interpretation bordering on historical fiction. This book would best be classified as pop-history. Nonetheless a fantastic, easy read. I will be checking out the author's other work.

caroparr's review against another edition

3.0

How did the Knights endure an unrelenting assault by the Turks for months when by all accounts Malta was expected to fall in just a few days? Bradford credits their leader, La Vallette, as well as the Knights' years of battle-hardened experience. A well told story that even I, ignoramus when it comes to battles, followed breathlessly. It was published in 1961, and one reviewer claims that Bradford's "stylistic verve is matched only by the number of its inaccuracies and inventions." A more recent book by Bruce Ware comes highly recommended, but for this casual reader, Bradford is just fine.

marcelozanca's review against another edition

5.0

exlent book. easy read. Tank you Mr. Bradford, I'm now a admirer of Gran Master La Villete.
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