Rafael Sabatini

The Most Evil Man in Italy? Cesare Borgia served as Machiavelli's model of the ideal ruler for The Prince. The illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, he was a cardinal at age 22. He lived hard and died hard, murdering his enemies, seizing power in Florence, and marrying off his sister Lucretia for political gain, not once but three times. This is his remarkable story. Sabatini does not takes sides but faces off with the facts presenting a vary unbiased...

Count Francesco battles the forces of the Duke for the attentions of the Prince's niece in this rousing adventure that reminds us of the Romance in Adventure. Sabatini's Love-at-Arms is an exuberant romp through love and war, heroism and treachery in late 15th-Century Italy. A strong and noble Count must save the Prince's beautiful niece from the unwanted attentions of both a loathsome Duke and a treacherous courtier. Live the siege of the impregnable...

Bardelys the Magnificent is a 1906 historical adventure novel by the Italian-born British writer Rafael Sabatini. It is set in France during the reign of Louis XIII. In 1926 the story was adapted into a film version Bardelys the Magnificent by the Hollywood studio MGM, with John Gilbert playing the title role. It is is a first-person adventure told by a wealthy French nobleman of rakish, but honorable, character. Mistaken identity, romance with a...

The Strolling Saint, first published in 1913, is a swashbuckler romance set in 16th century Italy. There is a strong underlying theme of religious hypocrisy, as the main character is forced into a career in the clergy, before having to fight the church to regain his inheritance. (Goodreads)

A selection of short works in which Sabatini writes as different protagonists out for a night on the town. Using his talent for imagery, his art as a wordsmith and his wry sense of humor, it makes these books a window into the past. To this edition of the Second Series of The Historical Nights' Entertainment are added three stories from the volume originally published under the title of The Justice of the Duke. (Goodreads)

The life of an heiress is in jeopardy and her only hope is to place her trust in the wiles of a middle-aged swordsman with no use for "women's troubles." As the plots of the conspirators converge it will take all the wiles and accumulated wisdom of Martin Marie Rigobert de Garnache to uncover their identity, to save Valerie de La Vauvraye and keep his promise to his Queen. A great swashbuckler with a fun romance plot. Some of the twists of the plot...

The Tavern Knight is set in the age of Cromwell and the conflict features in the story. The protagonist is a debauched man, living without much care for ethics or honor - he's living just for revenge that he doubts he'll ever get. Then, opportunity presents itself. He begins to make decisions that will result in his long desired revenge, but he'll have to burn some folks to do it. And, the remnant of his sense of ethics reawakens. It is interesting...

A master swordsman travels to dangerous, Revolution-era France to claim his inheritance, in this swashbuckling adventure by the author Captain Blood. The French Revolution is well underway. Countless French nobles are escaping from the horrible violence and traveling to England for refuge. Meanwhile, Quentin de Morlaix, master swordsman, runs a popular fencing school in London. He may have been raised in England since he was a baby, but his French...

The Suitors of Yvonne also known as The Lovers of Yvonne was written in 1902. This first novel of Sabatini is told in the first person narrative style. It is a swashbuckling romance, full of swordplay, foiled assassination attempts, and a heroic rescue. Sabatini is a master of writing action and adventure scenes. (Goodreads)

“The Snare”, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Peninsular War, brings together battlefield action and behind-the-scenes intrigue in a pulse-pounding story that action-adventure fans will surely appreciate.