The Religion

Simon Vance draws listeners into the 110-day war for Malta between the Muslims and the Knights of St. John the Baptist in 1565. As the war rages, Tannhauser, raised by Muslims and now a Christian sword-for-hire, helps Contessa Carla La Penautier find her estranged son, Orlandu, fathered by Ludovico Ludovici, a monk and vicious Inquisitor. Vance uses a variety of accents to distinguish the far-reaching cast of multinationals. The Italians seem a bit off, but the rest of the characters have more subtle accents. Vance deals with this huge cast in a way that differen?tiates individuals yet doesn't overshadow the story. His narration captures every nuance of the battle for religious supremacy. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 8, 2007
Willocks, a novelist (Bad City Blues
) and screenwriter (Sin
), strikes gold with this epic account of the Turkish siege of Malta in 1565—the first of a planned trilogy featuring Mattias Tannhauser, the son of a Saxon blacksmith. Young Tannhauser is kidnapped by Muslim raiders and trained as a holy warrior before winning his release and settling in Sicily, where he becomes a prosperous arms dealer. His comfortable life is interrupted by the arrival of Contessa Carla La Penautier, a young widow who uses her considerable charms (and title) to recruit Tannhauser to help her find Orlandu, the bastard son she was forced to abandon at birth 12 years earlier. Arriving on Malta, where Carla believes her son is, Tannhauser and Carla get caught in the Turkish attack on the Christian enclave. Meanwhile, Orlandu's father, Ludovico Ludovici, a monk and feared inquisitor, has returned to Malta with hopes of bringing Malta under papal control. Tannhauser has to find Orlandu, unmask the scheming and unscrupulous Ludovici, survive vicious combat against the Turks, win Carla's heart and find a way to escape the "island of fanatics and fools." In Tannhauser, Willocks has created a dazzling hero whose debut will leave readers eager for the next installment.

Starred review from January 29, 2007
Vance brings gusto to the audio edition of Willocks's swashbuckling tale of romance, adventure and religious conflict on the island of Malta during the 16th century. The novel ushers in an ambitious new historical fiction trilogy detailing the medieval exploits of Capt. Mattias Tannhauser, a soldier of fortune possessing carnal appetite and droll irreverence akin to such appealing bad-boy icons as James Bond or Capt. Jack Sparrow. The Religion
centers on the warrior Tannhauser's unlikely journey to help French countess Carla La Penautier locate the illegitimate son from whom she was forcibly separated 12 years earlier. Mattias, Carla and their companions must also confront both the invading Ottoman Empire and a rogue Roman Inquisitor who happens to be the father of Carla's child. Willocks's evocative prose comes brimming to life with Vance's skillful delivery. Vance adds complexity and depth to Tannhauser, a hero whose devil-may-care persona masks the scars of his war-torn childhood. Vance's portrayals of Tannhauser's two love interests—the devout, well-bred Carla La Penautier and her earthy, mystical servant, Amparo—also provide a riveting aura of sexual tension. Simultaneous release with the FSG hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 8).