I liked the style of this glimpse into Suleyman’s quest to gain territory in Europe. It’s well structured narrative nonfiction that reads beautifully and compellingly.

The information included was just okay, seeming to oscillate at random between whether it wants to be a detailed biography on the life of Suleyman or a more micro examination of the land wars waged between he and Charles V.

We don’t actually hear much about Charles V in this book, which I suppose is okay in the sense that Suleyman is the more intriguing figure in general and the perspective from which we’re meant to view the events in this particular account, but it still leaves the content feeling unbalanced and Charles appearing to be an unworthy adversary. Which is some respects, he was, though not to the degree to which it might appear here.

If you know a fair amount about Suleyman as well as about Venetian politics in the 16th century, there isn’t much here that will be new to you, though it’s well told regardless, and the audiobook is narrated beautifully.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Pretty good read, I dont know much about what i read so not sure how well written it was but it was a good afternoon read.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Read 6% of the way into this book but kept starting and stopping and ultimately forgot about it. Figured it was better to review as is. It was written well just not my cup of tea.

I received an ARC of this audiobook by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

I went into The Lion House thinking it was going to be a biography about Suleiman the Magnificent. I'm assuming this is the first book in an upcoming series since it ends when Suleiman is in his 40s. However I feel like 300+ pages later and I still don't know a lot about Suleiman and what made him tick. I'd say this book puts a lot more focus on his famous advisor and close friend Ibrahim Pasha of Parga. Another focus would be all of the wars. But to be honest it appears to my limited knowledge that the Ottomans were predominantly sieging cities at this time, so the descriptions don't have a lot of military strategy in them. And it's pretty repetitive. I lost focus a lot when describing the sieges.

Another issue that I have with this book is how de Bellaigue chose to write it. It's not written like a traditional historical biography where the author describes the events and then writes how they interpret the facts. It's written in the present tense like a novel. I had issues with this writing style. First as somebody who has studied history extensively it's hard to determine where the line between facts from primary and secondary sources and the author's interpretation lie. And second de Bellaigue's writing style is overwrought.

Overall I'm very meh about The Lion House. I definitely don't recommend it if it's going to be your first foray into this period in history. I don't think I'll pick up the second book when it comes out. I rate The Lion House 3 out of 5 stars.

I chose this audiobook because I wanted to learn more about this time period. I was intrigued by the writing style which involves a present tense narrative of this nonfictional story.
Maybe the topic did not interest me as much as I hope, because I still found it boring in spite of a writing style that other reviews have stated made the book feel more like a historical fiction novel. To me if felt like it was neither nonfiction nor was it a novel. I am not sure if the writing technique failed for me or if I just wasn't as interested in the topic as I thought I would be.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Lion House: the Coming of a King’ is non-fiction so well done that you might just think you’re reading a deeply intriguing historical drama. While dense and thorough, Christopher de Bellaigue’s account of Suleiman the Magnificent’s incredible vie to become Sovereign of the World versus the Holy Roman Empire of the 16th century, it is so much more than that.

While regaling us the remarkable and true events of this campaign, Bellaigue creates and urgency and intimacy regarding the lives of not only the powers of the time but also all in their orbit— from diplomats to concubines to much more ordinary folk.

Through this engaging version of one of the most incredible and sweeping power struggles in human history, you’ll find scheming mistresses, slaves who rise to great political power, famed architects, formidable pirate captains, the everyday mingling of Christian and Muslim peoples while more powerful people assert that the differences matter to those small folk, and much more.

Whether you’ve an existing interest in the Ottoman Empire or this is a gateway to historical nonfiction for you, I guarantee you will be completely ensnared by ‘The Lion House.’ This one is a must-read.

I really enjoyed this nonfiction audiobook. I am fascinated with Ottoman history and this work ranges geographically, narratively, chronologically. I would definitely recommend this to my friends and I think this would be a great book interested in how the eastern and western worlds interacted in the 16th century.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC of The Lion House.
I read this book because Suleyman the Magnificent fascinates me. I am of the age where High School history class didn't go beyond the Eastern borders of Europe. So though I knew the name, I didn't know the history. Even as I began reading, I wasn't sure if I was reading a novel or a history book. Some reviews have compared the book to Wolf Hall. So I knew I was reading/listening to a novel.
First I would like to commend the narrator: Barnaby Edwards. He is the perfect narrator for this kind of book. He brought the action alive for me. He has a marvelous voice. It was easy to understand him as well as feel that he knew his subject backward and forward.

The book relates the story of Suleyman's life starting with his father's rule, the father's death, and Suleyman becoming Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Both in small intimate rooms and on the battlefield, we learn how Suleyman ruled, how he conquered so many Christian countries and the deviousness of being in power at that time. That time wasn't so long ago: 500 years and a present-day map tells us how things have changed, how power switches hands, and how precarious being the ultimate ruler was.

This book is fascinating. We see Suleyman through many different eyes which gives us a real sense of the multifaceted being who had supreme power. I recommend this book to any history buff. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to be read a bloody good story while walking or going to sleep.