Trained in the warrior arts of the Furusiyya since children, the very meaning of the word Mamluk is "to be owned".They have defeated their Muslim enemies, crushed the unstoppable Mongol horde, and now turn their full attention to the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem. Only the port city of Acre remains in the hands of the Crusaders. The boys in Brother Foulques de Villaret's Hospitaller Army of Children are approaching manhood, but their training is far from complete. Foulques needs more time. The Hospitallers, Templars, and Teutonics all need more time. Before preparations can be made, the Mamluks are at the gates of Acre. And in their midst, is a man Foulques knows only too well: a terrifying Mamluk warrior named Badru Hashim, the Northman.Mamluk is the second book in the Hospitaller Saga, a series of action-packed adventure novels perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom. J. K. Swift lives in a log house well off the beaten path in central B.C., Canada. He has worked as a school teacher, jailhouse guard, Japanese translator, log peeler, accountant, martial arts instructor, massage therapist, technical editor, and has called a few Bingo games. He gets his story ideas while traveling in Europe, feeding his chickens, and cutting wood. A doomed mission. The Kingdom of Jerusalem hanging by a thread. One Knight Justice must face his greatest fears or die trying...Brother Foulques de Villaret just wants to stay in Acre and perform his sworn duties. Instead, the young Hospitaller Knight of Saint John must undertake a dangerous journey from the Holy Land to a remote village nestled in the Alps, the 'Spine of the World'. His mission: buy 500 peasant boys and return them to Acre to be trained as Soldiers of Christ.Pursued across the Mid-Earth Sea by slavers, Brother Foulques and his small band of Hospitallers are about to be thrust into a confrontation with the greatest warriors the East has ever known: the Mamluks.To survive, Brother Foulques must turn to risky alliances… and pray that his choices do not lead them all to destruction.Acre is the first book in the Hospitaller Saga, a series of breathtaking, historical novels set in the late 13th century. If you like action-packed adventure and authentically rich fiction, then you'll love J. K. Swift's historically epic masterpiece.
