Rating: 
Summary: Good But Not Great
Review: A historical saga with lots of interesting characters. I enjoyed this book until approximately 2/3 into it. Writing was rather heavy and deliberate. Wasn't worth the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Great epic historical fiction
Review: After what I thought was a weak start and a bit "over the top" especially regarding the character of Nico, I found myself drawn into the time, cultures, and conflicts of the Knights of Malta. Even Nico as he evolved into Asha became a fascinating character and a great look at what becomes of individuals who are torn from their culture and injected into another one especially when they are young. The character of Christien Luc de Vries was especially interesting. His struggles with the expectations of his father, his fascinationg with surgery, and his place among the Knights of Malta make for interesting internal conflicts. And of course, the juxtaposition of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism on one small island gives a great background for the struggles we are still facing. Overall, a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Soapy fun
Review: Given all of the garbage fiction published annually, this book is an entertaining read. Good for long flights and lonely hotel nights and beach vacations. However, not a scholarly pursuit and certainly not very enlightening historically. Too many modern-day and "politically" correct perspectives (e.g., critical of the Inquisition and Catholic Church, only Islam is accepting of diversity, powerful and rich are assumed to be malevolent, etc.). All in all, OK but forgettable; am not compelled to read other works by author.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but Trivial
Review: Given all of the garbage fiction published annually, this book is an entertaining read. Good for long flights and lonely hotel nights and beach vacations. However, not a scholarly pursuit and certainly not very enlightening historically. Too many modern-day and "politically" correct perspectives (e.g., critical of the Inquisition and Catholic Church, only Islam is accepting of diversity, powerful and rich are assumed to be malevolent, etc.). All in all, OK but forgettable; am not compelled to read other works by author.
Rating:
Summary: a real page turner
Review: I picked this book up in Huartulco Mexico while on vacation and just could not put it down! I read the entire thing while on vacation and found it mesmerising and exciting. The author writes in a style which is very passionate, but also highly informative and tells a wonderful tale. Read this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling history, fast action
Review: If walls could talk, would they tell stories of the past, present or future?While exploring Malta for "Ironfire," author David Ball rented a small room overlooking the Grand Harbor and its ancient battlements of St. Elmo and St. Angelo -- 16th century fortresses made legendary in the final conflict of the Crusades. "At night, when it's quiet enough, and if you're listening carefully," Ball says today, "you can still hear the walls [of the forts] whispering their tales." Perhaps they spoke to him of knights and pirates. Or perhaps something bigger: A world where West and Middle East might never set aside two millennia of discord. Ball's third novel is one of those sweeping historical epics that encompasses diverse cultures and decades in a part of the world -- and human affairs -- that is still scoured by the crosswinds of conflict. His history is concrete, but a novel is not merely a history textbook. It must engage the reader with characters, literally individual humans with dreams, losses, flaws, quests, regrets, fears, faith and misgivings. Pasternak did it. So did Clavell, Michener and Jean Auel. Comes now David Ball, who has built an action-packed, often erotic and always sensual epic-adventure around a handful of well-developed characters swept up in the maelstrom of 16th century holy wars between two different worlds. Merely developing three-dimensional characters in modern publishing is a rare notion; sustaining a reader's interest in them over nearly 700 pages is the literary equivalent of finding weapons of mass destruction in Baghdad. It might happen, but it's damned hard to do. But in 1552, there are no weapons of mass destruction. Battles are fought with blades, pikes, crude firearms, armor and horses. There is no such thing as an air war, and navies are powered by slaves and wind. There is no shock nor awe, only sieges that can last months or years. One of the truest tests of a good historical novel is how inextricably fiction entangles with fact. "Ironfire" is marbled with real historic figures such as the near-mythic Muslim pirate Dragut Rais; Jean Parisot de la Valette, the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John whose name was given to Malta's capital city; and even Father Jesuald, a heretic priest burned at the stake in Malta for advocating priestly marriages. And infusing every action is the pungency of smoldering religious fires, not just Islam and Christianity, but Judaism, too. In that combustible mix of passions alone, Ball captures the essence of a modern catastrophe. If walls could talk, they'd eagerly tell their stories to Ball.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling history, fast action
Review: If walls could talk, would they tell stories of the past, present or future? While exploring Malta for "Ironfire," author David Ball rented a small room overlooking the Grand Harbor and its ancient battlements of St. Elmo and St. Angelo -- 16th century fortresses made legendary in the final conflict of the Crusades. "At night, when it's quiet enough, and if you're listening carefully," Ball says today, "you can still hear the walls [of the forts] whispering their tales." Perhaps they spoke to him of knights and pirates. Or perhaps something bigger: A world where West and Middle East might never set aside two millennia of discord. Ball's third novel is one of those sweeping historical epics that encompasses diverse cultures and decades in a part of the world -- and human affairs -- that is still scoured by the crosswinds of conflict. His history is concrete, but a novel is not merely a history textbook. It must engage the reader with characters, literally individual humans with dreams, losses, flaws, quests, regrets, fears, faith and misgivings. Pasternak did it. So did Clavell, Michener and Jean Auel. Comes now David Ball, who has built an action-packed, often erotic and always sensual epic-adventure around a handful of well-developed characters swept up in the maelstrom of 16th century holy wars between two different worlds. Merely developing three-dimensional characters in modern publishing is a rare notion; sustaining a reader's interest in them over nearly 700 pages is the literary equivalent of finding weapons of mass destruction in Baghdad. It might happen, but it's damned hard to do. But in 1552, there are no weapons of mass destruction. Battles are fought with blades, pikes, crude firearms, armor and horses. There is no such thing as an air war, and navies are powered by slaves and wind. There is no shock nor awe, only sieges that can last months or years. One of the truest tests of a good historical novel is how inextricably fiction entangles with fact. "Ironfire" is marbled with real historic figures such as the near-mythic Muslim pirate Dragut Rais; Jean Parisot de la Valette, the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John whose name was given to Malta's capital city; and even Father Jesuald, a heretic priest burned at the stake in Malta for advocating priestly marriages. And infusing every action is the pungency of smoldering religious fires, not just Islam and Christianity, but Judaism, too. In that combustible mix of passions alone, Ball captures the essence of a modern catastrophe. If walls could talk, they'd eagerly tell their stories to Ball.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous epic that mirrors contemporary times
Review: Ironfire is a magnificent tale set in the Mediterranean in the late 1500s, a time when the powerful Ottoman East takes on the Christian West, culminating on the tiny island of Malta. Ball is both a fastidious historian and colorful storyteller in this historical novel as he was in his previous novel, Empires of Sand. His characters are rich and find themselves in love, danger, slavery, and the desperation of wartime. The setting is not all that different from today when we find ourselves at war over religion
Rating: 
Summary: LONG LONG LONG
Review: Ironfire is over 500 pages long and about 100 pages of action. If you like stories that just never get started this is the book for you. It was hard to finish, but I finally got to the end. FINALLY.
Rating:
Summary: Soapy fun
Review: OK... its soap. But enjoy the suds and go along for the ride.
Similar to Ball's Empire of Sand - epic and grand and silly... but like all those thick and endless sagas scribed in the 60's, it's just fun and a full-bore adventure. As long as you don't expect profound literature and are happy with an engrossing old time read, go for it.
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