Frontline Books

The Indian Mutiny struck at the very heart of the British Empire. If India was lost the whole edifice of British domination across its colonies was in jeopardy. Everything was at stake, Britains leading role in the word, its international commerce and the reputation of its armed forces. Across the globe Britain ruled only through the compliance of the subordinate nations but if India could throw off the imperialist yolk others might also rebel. The very fate of the Empire hung in the balance.The situation was considered to be so serious that the British authorities extended the warrant of the newly-created Victoria Cross to include anyone, even civil servants, who performed prodigious acts of valour to save India, and save the Empire.A total 182 VCs were awarded during the Mutiny, the same number as in the whole of the Second World War, climaxing in one day at Lucknow when twenty-four men displayed extraordinary valour to raise the siege the most VCs ever won in a single day.This is the story of those few months between May 1857 and June 1858 when the world turned its gaze upon the jewel in Victorias crown and 182 men soldier, sailor and civilian wrote their names into the history books.

Few people know the truth about the enigmatic organization known as the Assassins, an underground group of political killers, they were ready to kill Christians and Muslims alike with complete disregard for the consequences of their actions. Although their empire was destroyed in the 13th Century, have a controversial legacy which still resonates in the world today. The Assassins were meticulous in their killing. They often slew their victims in public, thereby cultivating their terrifying reputation. They assumed disguises and their weapon of choice was a dagger - poison or bows would give the victim the chance to escape. Suicide was considered a deep dishonor and it was generally accepted that an Assassin had to die fighting rather than be captured. Hardly any movement before or since has cast so terrifying a shadow. In 1253, the Mongol chiefs were so fearful of the Assassins' 'poniards of terrible length and sharpness' that they massacred and enslaved the Assassins' women and children. Assaults on the Crusaders of Syria led to warnings of agents planted in European courts ready to commit murder at the bidding of their master. The English monarch, Edward I, was very nearly poisoned and Richard the Lionheart's reputation was sullied by his association with the Assassins' murder of Conrad of Montferrat. The Ismail: Assassins describes a unique way of waging war and shows how assassination and fifth-column infiltration became the key weapon for the Ismailis. Through its use of eyewitness accounts from both Islamic and Western sources, This important new book unlocks much of the history of the Crusades and the early Islamic period, allowing the reader entry into a historical epoch that is epic, thrilling, startling and pertinent.