Assassins

A novel of intrigue, love, mystery, betrayal, and the world’s oldest terrorist organization. This is a novel which draws on the magic of A Thousand and One Nights and the realism of history and political life. The hero—warrior, minstrel and poet, Nureddin—is divided between his commitment to sultan Saladin and his love for the beautiful enchantress Laila. Saladin aims at uniting the fragmented Arab world against the Crusaders; Laila is queen and supreme houri of the artificial paradise set up by the terrible Old Man of the Mountain, who terrorizes his enemies and reduces his followers to a state of blind obedience. Involving suspense, love, poetry, conspiracies, war—Assassins is, above all, the story of a powerful love relationship that triumphs over all adversities. In an inventive style. . . Nikos Kyriazis artistically transmutes historical materials into fiction of great literary and emotional impact. --Kostas Sardelis