Reviews
From historians to rock stars, authors to swordsmen, here's what some remarkable people are saying about Marthese Fenech's novels
Trilogy Reviews
"Marthese Fenech’s epic Malta trilogy is a riveting tightening of the Ottoman screw, beginning with a village raid and ending with an empire shaken and an island half in ruins, with the focus always on the people who paid the price, not the men issuing orders. Fenech’s research is solid, and she avoids the easy moral binaries and crusader cliches that usually haunt this history. Eight Pointed Cross builds the 16th-century world, Falcon’s Shadow lays bare its brutal underbelly, and Ash Fall delivers the siege in all its terrible power. The effect is an unvarnished portrait of the Mediterranean at war and the endurance of ordinary families caught between empire, church, and sea. Taken together, Fenech’s three novels are a tour de force: a brilliantly ambitious rendering of a fascinating time. This is gritty and human, a well-told history that will keep you reading: exactly what historical fiction ought to be."
David W. Ball, author of The Sword and the Scimitar
"Marthese Fenech has a superpower: she makes you care beyond the history itself, guiding you straight to the heart of how people suffer, falter, and sometimes even triumph. Her characters are flawed, exciting, achingly human, their adventures set within a brilliantly realized world that wears its research lightly but clearly—a strong context for all the choices these fascinating humans must make. I envy anyone beginning this journey with her. You are in the hands of a masterful storyteller—an expert guide who will sweep you away with equal parts thrill, heartbreak, and wonder."
C. C. Humphreys, author of The French Executioner
"Just finished the Siege of Malta trilogy, and I'm still a little breathless. Eight Pointed Cross, Falcon's Shadow, and Ash Fall together form one of the most immersive historical epics I've read in years. As someone who has done my own research into this period, I found the depth of historical grounding here genuinely breathtaking. Marthese Fenech has clearly done her homework; the 16th-century Mediterranean world of the Knights of St John and the Ottoman Empire is rendered with a level of period detail and geographic sweep (from the quarries of Gozo to the palace gardens of Istanbul, from the ramparts of Fort St Elmo to the decks of galley ships) that makes the setting feel completely lived-in rather than just researched. You come away from these books with a genuine sense of what daily life was like for the Maltese in those first turbulent decades of the Order's rule, the raids, the slavery, the constant proximity of violence, but also the ordinary human business of work, love, and family carrying on underneath it all.
Professor David J Zammit, Rector of Pro Deo International University Italy
Ash Fall
"The story of the Siege of Malta is incredible in itself. Reading real accounts shows that. But what Marthese Fenech has created makes the reader feel firsthand, the pain, love, and fear of the characters she has so lovingly created from the first book of the trilogy. The intensity of this third novel is incredible. I could not put it down despite knowing all the facts of the story. I envy the reader who does not already know how the events played out in history."
Franco Davies, historian, expert in Hospitaller weaponry, swordsman, author of Swords of the Religion, Malta Historical Fencing Association Secretary
"Marthese Fenech’s Ash Fall is the thrilling finale of her highly praised Knights of Malta series. Like this series's previous novels, Ash Fall has undergone meticulous research. Fenech has stayed true to the historical context and depicted it with her expected writing prowess. The reader experiences the chaos and brutality of siege warfare, witnessing the complete disregard for both life and death. This book is dominated by intense battles, with no relief, as even when the reader is removed from the front line, the makeshift hospitals and the unbearable suffering of the injured and dying persist.
There is a prevailing sense of fear among the general population, and the islanders are genuinely concerned about depleting their supplies, weapons, and manpower. Amongst all this chaos, all this bloodshed, there are the characters that have made the first two books so very memorable. In this instalment, there is a chilling sense that they’re bound together and would prefer death over separation. Consequently, this amplifies the significance of the narrative. As a reader, we can only hold our breath as the Ottoman Empire strikes at the very heart of the land the protagonists call home. The concepts of duty and love were both brilliantly explored. At times it was difficult to tell the two apart. Not only are the main characters fighting for Malta, but they are also fighting for the people they hold dear."
Full review available here.
Mary Anne Yarde - The Coffee Pot Book Club
"You are not a soldier, but you write as someone who lived as one. Thank you for this."
Major Jean Vachon, Royal 22e Régiment, Task Force Latvia
"A stunning and spectacular end to an addictive series, Ash Fall is an impressively wrought story of people unwilling to give up - whether that’s giving up their homes, giving up on their family, or giving up hope ... The action scenes are so engaging, exciting, and fast-paced. Fenech has carved an immensely satisfying, exhilarating, and emotional story from the rock that is history, showing us yet again that sometimes we have to look to the past to form a better future."
Check out the full review here
Tina S. Beier, award-winning sci-fi author, founder of Rising Action Publishing, and book reviewer at Sound & Fury Book Reviews
"Marthese Fenech’s Siege of Malta trilogy is a grand epic in every sense. The extent of the author’s research is reflected in her command of the diplomatic nuances and battlefield tactics. But as fast, furious, and often unpredictable as the action is, it’s her characters who make these historical novels so special.
There are heroes and villains on both sides of the conflict that will evoke a wide range of emotions in the reader. All of the primary characters are so realistically complex and beautifully portrayed that they are very difficult to forget. Even several months after finishing the first two books, I often found myself thinking about some of the characters and their individual trials. And after the third novel, Ash Fall, I am seriously hoping to meet them again in a sequel or, even better, in a movie or TV series.
The writing is crisp and graphic throughout the trilogy. The author spends little time on unnecessary detail that does not advance the storyline or character development. As a result, reading these novels was a joyful and rewarding experience that ended far too soon for me."
William Penick, Legum Baccalaureus (LLB)
"The saga continues to be as captivating, informative, and realistic as in the previous two novels of the Siege of Malta trilogy. You are an eyewitness to the scenes, can feel the sufferings, hear the sounds, and absorb the smells and tastes all around you. As with Eight Pointed Cross and Falcon's Shadow, you will have a difficult time putting Ash Fall down."
Dan Brock, founder and editor of The Maltese Presence in North America
Falcon's Shadow
"Marthese Fenech plunges you into her slice of history so deftly that you do not just read it, you live it."
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, award-winning historical author of Don’t Tell the Nazis and Stolen Girl
"Falcon's Shadow left me so satisfied I yearned for a king-size DuMaurier light from yesteryear and a snifter of cognac."
Aldo Malatesta, Head of TCDSB English and Literature Department and author of Growing Up Immigrant/Ignorant
"I have to admit that at times, I wished to pass my hands into the book and grab hold of a couple of necks. Several of the characters do not deserve a better fate. But that is what happens when a novel lets you travel - and what an emotional journey it has been. Shifting from one location to another and the plots therein simply made Falcon's Shadow a thrilling voyage."
Paul Spiteri, Officer of the Order of the Hospital of St John
"As we say in French: j'ai des croûtes à manger. I became an instant fan while reading Eight Pointed Cross. After finishing Falcon's Shadow, it is confirmed—Marthese Fenech is on the list of my favorite authors, alongside Steven Pressfield, Brad Thor, and Jack Carr."
Major Jean Vachon, Royal 22e Régiment, Task Force Latvia
As with its predecessor, Falcon’s Shadow is clearly painstakingly researched. Every little detail feels authentic and Fenech does not shy away from the gory details of life before sanitation.
Part of what makes it feel so real is the dialogue. Unlike a lot of historical fiction that employs a formal speech pattern to suggest antiquity, this trilogy allows its characters to talk in a way that balances anachronism with realism. It’s extremely compelling.
Fenech excels at a number of different narrative facets, but for me, I was particularly engrossed by three aspects. The first is her characters: the good, bad, and morally grey are all equally interesting. The second is the engrossing battle scenes. The third is the deep critique of systematic power structures and how they affect even those who try to distance themselves.
If you enjoy impressively researched history, realistic characters for whom you root and despair, and a story that dries out your eyes from compulsive reading, get Falcon’s Shadow."
Tina S. Beier, award-winning sci-fi author, founder of Rising Action Publishing, and book reviewer at Sound & Fury Book Reviews
"From the desperation of the slave market to the horrors of the battlefield, Falcon's Shadow is the evocative story of one family who is torn apart by war, ambition and an appalling act of revenge.
What a story! Falcon's Shadow is an emotional, tear-jerkingly brilliant novel that left me gasping for breath and begging for more. This is the kind of book that demands your attention from the opening sentence until the last full stop. It is a story of terrible suffering, but it is also one of desperate hope.
There are so many wonderful characters in this novel, and each has a story to tell. The numerous voices employed in telling this tale gave the narrative a richness that would have been impossible to obtain through a single perspective. And because the protagonists are so likeable and their stories are so realistically narrated, I enjoyed reading about them all.
Fenech has captured the very essences of this era. The hours of research that have so painstakingly gone into this book has to be commended. This novel is what Historical Fiction is all about. It is, in all ways, an absolute success.
Falcon's Shadow is a beautifully compelling, and emotional read.
I Highly Recommend."
Read the full review on Mary Anne Yarde's Blog
Mary Anne Yarde - The Coffee Pot Book Club
Eight Pointed Cross
"Eight Pointed Cross is a powerful historical fiction novel about power itself: who held it in 16th-century Malta and the Ottoman Empire, and who suffers beneath it. It is about how ideals—faith, order, honor, civilization—conceal self-interest. It insists that truth is complicated, that no side owns virtue, and that personal moral clarity, compassion, and courage matter. Yet, the book’s deeper achievement is that it does not leave the reader with cynicism."
Click here for full review.
Paul Jariabek, author of Adventures of Francis Drake
"Eight Pointed Cross has a Shakespearean quality, with its star-crossed lovers, its class divisions, and its descriptions of institutional corruption involving church, state and the occupying Knights."
Click here for full review.
Ron Verzuh, The British Columbia Review
"Crystal-clear descriptive language … Ms Fenech has recreated the compelling world of the Montesa family of Malta and the Knights of St. John as though she time-travelled back to the sixteenth century to do her research. An impressive debut!"
Karen Connelly, Governor General’s Literary Award recipient and author of Burmese Lessons
"Over the decades I have read many novels with Malta as their setting. Eight Pointed Cross is the first one I have found to be accurate and factual in all of its cultural and historical details, while at the same time, having a thrilling and exciting plot depicted from both sides of the warring factions. Marthese Fenech is phenomenal!"
Knight Commander Richard S. Cumbo, Order of St. John, and Curator of the Maltese-Canadian Museum in Toronto
"Fenech’s epic tapestry of a novel encompasses all the sights, sounds, and smells of the 16th-century Mediterranean: tender domestic scenes and blood-drenched battles, privilege and squalor. I believed every minute of it."
Carol Rasmussen, science writer at NASA and former book review editor at Library Journal
"Wow! What a fantastic read! Great characters. Great imagery. Great story! I must admit, I was somewhat intimidated by its size upon receipt of the book, but the story takes you away—exactly as a great book should. When one's dream is fueled by the passion to make it become a reality, Ms Fenech's result here is nothing short of an amazing first effort. Congratulations on realizing your dream. I can't wait for the sequel!"
Rob Affuso, Soulsystem president, band leader, and drummer, former Skid Row drummer
"Marthese Fenech’s talent as a storyteller will not let you escape this enchanting tale, painfully detailed and a must-read for history lovers. You will fall in love with the characters and never forget them." 
Claire Agius Ordway, producer and host of Dak li Jghodd, Ilsien in-nisa, and Travel and Taste
"Eight Pointed Cross was everything a fan of historical fiction could hope for. It took a period of history I was relatively familiar with (the wars with the Habsburgs and the Ottomans) and shone a fresh light on it with a new perspective. We open the story in a peaceful town on the island of Malta. You're immersed in the descriptions of beeswax candles burning in the dark, and the scent they give off. The soft discussions between a father and his children, then you're yanked from the peaceful calm by a band of seaborne reavers come to take slaves! It's fantastic!
Usually, any story that involves the holy orders of the medieval period dotes on them as unwavering protectors of all that is right in the world, but Eight Pointed Cross isn't that type of book. It tells a story about the people whose lives are uprooted by the Knights of St John, and how the upper classes' actions drastically affect the lives of those who live beneath them. You really begin to gain respect for anyone who is forced to live their lives by the whims and wants of those born into wealth and decadence.
But my favourite aspect was the duality the story has. It avoids the colonial tropes one normally finds in stories like these that paint the Ottomans as uncivilized brutes and savages. You actually follow the conflict from the other side through the eyes of a young boy in Istanbul, who is tormented daily by his villainous half-brother and tyrant of a father. You feel for him, you want him to succeed. And you're left confused about who to cheer for because there are great people on both sides, and isn't that the BEST kind of story?"
"Fearless" Fred Kennedy, Toronto radio personality on Q107 and host of the Issue Zero podcast
"Many historical sagas have been published, but few convey the scale, complexity, and attention to historical detail of Eight Pointed Cross. Marthese Fenech creates intricate plots and multi-dimensional characters, whom she moves from one perilous situation to another, keeping readers avidly turning the pages. I found myself utterly immersed, a result of the stylistic traps awaiting the reader around every treacherous corner and the unabashed pathos of the tragedy subsumed in the plot. Ms Fenech must have been born with her narrative genetics in perfect order. I truly hope her relentless talent is acknowledged where it should be. Managing to weave a gripping storyline from the ordinary misadventures of love, envy, hate, cowardice and violence underscores her skills better than had she opted for a big story against an epic background."
Giovanni Bonello, historian, author, and former Judge of the European Courts of Human Rights
"Eight Pointed Cross has all the ingredients that I consider important in a novel: a gripping plot, engaging, believable characters, stunning description, violence, love, sex, remarkable psychological insight, historical detail. The first English literary critic, Sir Phillip Sidney, wrote that the purpose of literature was to teach and to delight. I learned much from Eight Pointed Cross. And the internal struggles of characters such as Augustine and Franco lend depth and substance to the characterization. A more recent literary giant, William Faulkner, in his speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize for literature in 1950, opined that the only thing worth writing about is the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself. Ms Fenech has passed both tests with flying colours."
John Heighton, reader for the Porcupine's Quill
"I read Eight Pointed Cross twice. On my first read, the story fascinated me so much I could not put the book down. A page-turner that engaged me so completely I only realised it was 637 pages long when I arrived at the last page. I took it up a second time a few years later, but this time, to savour the three-dimensional characters Ms Fenech created so deftly. Each distinct personality drew me into sixteenth-century Malta—a time when simply staying alive was a feat. I love this book also for the depth of research demonstrated by so young a writer. And the beautiful language reflects her love for her roots. Reading Ms Fenech’s work has been a privilege I wish to renew once I get the sequel in my hands."
Charles Micallef St John, author of Suwed ulied il-lejl
“Novels with such sound historical background have inspired so many historians-to-be, myself included. Ms Fenech's Eight Pointed Cross has earned its place among great novels like the Sword and the Scimitar and the Religion. Historical accuracy and dramatic detail like hers puts you in the midst of the action like no other source can!”
Franco Davies, historian, expert in Hospitaller weaponry, swordsman, Malta Historical Fencing Association Secretary, and former Deputy Mayor of Floriana
"Fenech describes the Maltese Islands' events and history as if she witnessed them firsthand. Reading her books is a must!"
John Grima, Actor
"With a lyrical narrative that is as rich in historical detail as it is in story and a prose that is poetically pleasing to the ear, Eight Pointed Cross by Marthese Fenech is the tautly gripping account of the clash of two great empires.
Eight Pointed Cross is astoundingly ambitious, but it is in all ways an absolute triumph. Fenech has penned not only a dazzling account of the Knights Hospitaller and what life was like in Malta during this time but also what it was like to grow up in Istanbul.
And by writing this book in third person subjective, Fenech has assured that Eight Pointed Cross will definitely stand out in a crowded bookcase."
Read the full review on Mary Anne Yarde's Blog.
Mary Anne Yarde - The Coffee Pot Book Club.
"It is a rare occasion when readers become so enthralled in a book that they cannot put it down, that they desperately thirst for a sequel. Eight Pointed Cross by Marthese Fenech became the focus of that occasion for me, and I am thrilled to have found such an addicting piece of historical fiction.
Eight Pointed Cross is a book filled with poignant and witty dialogue, and the characters all have such distinct, memorable personalities that it becomes shockingly easy to resonate with them. The interactions and romances between characters are beautifully handled and realistic.
In addition to housing wonderfully complete characters, the descriptive and fast-paced style of Eight Pointed Cross is fashioned in such a way to keep a reader interested all the way through. There is never any doubt about where the characters might be. The author always provides a complete sense of setting, involving all five of the senses when possible.
The author has done extensive research on the focus of her novel, as this book features an uncommonly complete representation of medieval lands. The story can explore different cultures and social class systems while still holding tight to the reader's interest.
I am thrilled to give Eight Pointed Cross a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The plot is exceptional, seamlessly weaving in surprises, and it is filled with characters that a reader can easily relate to."
Check out the full review on the Online Book Club
Amy Marie - The Online Book Club
"A Deliciously Ambitious History Saga! Fenech laces her extensive research into a compelling history brought to life because of her amazing characters and their interactions. I enjoyed listening to the comprehensive descriptions, the richness of history, extensive character development, and personalization of this historical saga. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy listening to a story with unfiltered realism. Five Star Rating!"
Click here for the full review