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MWSA Review
Book Three of the Brotherhood of the Mamluks trilogy, Edge of Armageddon, leads up to and then describes the actual battle of Armageddon on September 3, 1260. Military historians will appreciate the strategy, tactics, and preparation for battle as well as the advancement in weapons – the Mamluks have figured out how to shoot an arrow every second and a half by holding up to four arrows in each hand. The book shows how hard it is to field, arm, feed, and communicate with thousands of soldiers. While modern armies must provide fuel for their vehicles, the 13th century army had to find fodder and grass for their horses, mules, and camels—not easy on the mountain and desert terrains they crossed. Along the way, they captured and raided for both food and additional fighters. At one point, the Mongols had 80,000 troops heading toward Cairo, their ultimate goal. Throughout the book, the value of intelligence gathering is seen for both sides. This battle, according to Eric H. Cline in “The Battles of Armageddon: Mediddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age” halted the westward advance of the Mongols and shattered the myth of Mongol invincibility (page 151) and is a battle that cannot be overestimated.
The story moves smoothly back and forth in time with the dates, places, and main characters clearly listed as chapter headings and includes detail after detail of life in the 13th century. The book begins with maps of the battle area as well as list of characters grouped by loyalty. The major players (Cenk, Leaner, and Baybars for the men and Else and Jacinta for the women) each have chapters detailing their struggles, past and present. The excellent cover photo is replicated in silhouette on each page beside the page number—reversed on the left-hand page so that the warriors are charging toward each other, bow and arrow at the ready.
In the acknowledgements, the author thanks the scholars worldwide who spent whole careers studying this period and this sect of warriors as well as those who translated works from Arabic.
Review by Nancy Kauffman (May 2022)
Author's Synopsis
Set during the 13th century, Edge of Armageddon is the stirring climax in the Brotherhood of the Mamluks trilogy. The story brings together characters from Books I and II: Duyal, the enslaved nomad boy who rose to command a reconnaissance unit; Leander, the French soldier who abandoned the Crusades to join the devout Islamic warriors he admired, and Baybars, a Kipchak from the Eurasian steppe who is now the charismatic leader of the elite Bahri Mamluks of Egypt.
The novel introduces us to Esel, a respected bowmaker in her nomadic tribe who is seized, enslaved, and sold to a wealthy arms merchant in Syria. Overhearing her master plotting against Baybars, a nephew she has not seen since his adolescence, Esel risks her life to flee Damascus and warn Baybars of the coming betrayal.
Embraced in Baybars’ camp, Esel plunges into the hazard and intrigue surrounding her ambitious nephew. Soon, she is aiding Baybars in his quest to win the sultanate and countering the efforts of a female spy who stalks the roving Bahri.
Tension builds as the Mongol army slashes a bloody path through Mesopotamia and northern Syria, eyeing Cairo as its prize. In a fateful battle on the wide plain just east of the biblical site of Armageddon, Egypt’s Mamluks come face-to-face with the seemingly unconquerable Mongols, who sacked their Kipchak tribes twenty-four years prior. At stake for Esel and the Mamluks is the survival of their people, preservation of their fledgling empire, and the continuance of Islam itself.
A gripping tale of betrayal and love, retribution and mercy, and abandonment and redemption, Edge of Armageddon is also a compelling account of the historical Battle of Ayn Julut—an unheralded clash whose outcome leaves crucial repercussions still felt today.
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 529