The Golden Throne

A meticulously sourced work of narrative history . . . thrilling . . . Like Mantel, De Bellaigue delivers his story in a mashup of contemporary colloquialism and gorgeous descriptions . . . Sticking closely to the written records, he deploys the skills of the novelist to bring the archive thrillingly to life

Kathryn Hughes, Guardian

Wolf Hall with sultans and eunuchs . . . vividly evokes the Ottoman emperor’s reign in all its gory glory

The Times

Epic Mediterranean naval conflicts . . . dangerous realpolitik that creates then murderously shatters alliances . . . At the centre of this web of global political intrigue sits the inscrutable Suleiman . . . [and] the sultan’s attempt to balance his geopolitical scheming with his complex family life akin to a Turkish version of Succession

Financial Times

Sparkling . . . saturated with vivid colour and detail . . . puts the reader directly onto battlefields, inside council chambers and often at the heart of Suleyman’s thought processes . . . the dramatic details have an uncanny power of sticking in one’s mind

Andrew Lycett, Spectator

Fascinating . . . glittering . . . de Bellaigue swoops through the three-dimensional chess game that was European geopolitics in the mid-16th century with airy confidence

Katie Hickman, Literary Review

Galloping, novelistic . . . This is not a book simply about dynastic succession . . . The Ottomans were the menacing other that occupied the thoughts of every monarch across the continent. The winner in this game of thrones mattered to them too

Michael Prodger, New Statesman

Narrative non-fiction with all the verve of an immersive novel . . . propulsive . . . pacy . . . the worrisome question of who should inherit his throne . . . unleash[es] murderous mayhem in the royal family

Daily Mail

Absolutely spectacular. A book that brings the worlds of the Ottomans – and a lot more besides – to life. A triumph

Peter Frankopan

De Bellaigue is at the top of his game. He has made the most captivating Ottoman sultan his own. A thunderously good read

Justin Marozzi