Talon (Boschert)

Talon de Gilles, son of a Christian knight of Jerusalem during the time of the Crusades, is only 13 when ferocious Saracens attack his family's caravan and take him captive. Instead of selling him into slavery, slaying him for their amusement or ransoming him, his captors impose a dire fate upon the boy, forcing Talon to become one of them, an Assassin of the Ismaili, the most feared and hated sect in all of Persia, and beyond. The Master of the Ismaili has plans for this young ferengi, who will be able to pass unnoticed among Europeans to reach targets that not even the most skillful Saracen could approach unchallenged - if he survives his training and initiation. But when Talon, his friend Reza, and Rav'an, the Master's own sister, discover treachery in the stronghold of Alamut, they must flee, using all their skills to evade the ruthless assassins who are sent to hunt them down, from the frozen wastes of snow-laden mountain passes to the flowering gardens of Isfahan and beyond.

War and Military, Adventure , Historical, Fiction In the fourth book of Talon, James Boschert delivers fast-paced adventures, packed with violent confrontations and intrepid heroes up against hard odds. Imprisoned for brawling in Acre, a coastal city in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Talon and his longtime friend Max are, freed by an old mentor, from the Order of the Templars and offered a new mission, in the fabled city of Constantinople. There Talon finds that winning the Emperor's favor obligates him to follow the Emperor to war in a willful expedition to free Byzantine lands from the Seljuk Turks. And, beneath the pageantry of the great city, seditious plans are being fomented by disaffected aristocrats, who have made a reckless deal with Arab pirates to sell the one weapon the Byzantine Empire has to defend itself, Greek Fire, to an implacable enemy bent, upon the Empire's destruction. Talon and Max will find themselves in a fight for their lives, on the sea in perilous battles, and in the labyrinthine back streets of Constantinople where Talon must outwit his own kind, the assassins in the pay of a treacherous alliance.

Talon, an assassin turned knight turned merchant, is restless. Enticed by tales of lucrative trade, he sets sail for the coasts of Africa and India. Traveling with him are his wife and son, eager to share in this new adventure, as well as Reza, his trusted comrade in arms. Treasures beckon at the ports, but Talon and Reza quickly learn that dangers attend every opportunity, and the chance rescue of a Chinese lord named Hsü changes their destination-and their fates. Hsü introduces Talon to the intricacies of trading in China and the sophisticated wonders of Guangzhou, China's richest city. Here the companions discover wealth beyond their imagining. But, Hsü is drawn into a political competition for the position of governor, and his opponents target everyone associated with him, including the foreign merchants he has welcomed into his home. When Hsü is, sent on a dangerous mission to deliver the annual Tribute to the Mongols, no one is safe, not even the women and children of the household. As Talon and Reza are, drawn into supporting Hsü's bid for power, their fighting skills are, put to the test against new weapons and unfamiliar fighting styles. It will take their combined skills to navigate the treacherous waters of intrigue and violence if they hope to return to home.

After returning the heads of assassins to the Master of Hashashini, Talon flees with his family and closest companions to the Kingdom of Jerusalem to escape retribution. But death and disaster follow them, dashing hopes of finding a safe haven. Talon and Max travel to Cyprus only to discover that it is ruled by a psychopathic tyrant. The self-styled emperor Isaac Komnenos captured the island earlier in the year with the help of mercenaries and is plundering his kingdom into destitution. When Talon swindles Komnenos out of a prominent castle fortress, he quickly earns the emperor's enmity and the population's support. With old and new enemies determined to eliminate him, Talon must bring to bear the martial arts skills he learned in China, his training as an assassin, and his skills as a leader. At stake is his survival-and that of his newfound followers.

The year 1187 is one of the most fateful for the Christian crusades in the Holy Land, and one of the most disastrous. With an act of savage banditry, an infamous lord of the Kingdom of Jerusalem destroys the treaties that have made possible trade and a fragile peace. Led by Salah Ed Din, the armies of the Arab world converge on the borders of the Christian kingdom, seeking retribution. Duke Raymond, the Count of Tripoli, sends for Talon, reminding him of the promise he made: to return to Jerusalem after he completed his quest to find Ra'van. The Duke is confident that, with Talon's help, he can help prevent a disaster of enormous magnitude by negotiating directly with Salah Ed Din. It almost works. But the King of Jerusalem and his advisers, who know little of the land and nothing of their opponents, refuse to honor the pact and ignore the warnings. Talon and his faithful companions finds themselves fighting for their lives at the springs of Cresson and the Horns of Hattin, then among the survivors who take refuge in besieged Tyre. But how can they hold out, when Tyre is governed by one who would deliver the port city of Tyre to Salah Ed Din in exchange for his own safety? And what of Cyprus? In Talon's absence, more than one opportunist sees an occasion for conquest. The castle of Kantara is a plum for the taking, and rumors of hidden gold only make Talon's enemies more determined than ever to take possession of all he has left behind. Spies, assassins, and pirates converge on Cyprus, and mayhem ensues.