Download or read book The Assassins written by Bernard Lewis and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-08-05 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a master historian, the definitive account of history's first terrorists An offshoot of the Ismaili Shi'ite sect of Islam, the Assassins were the first group to make systematic use of murder as a political weapon. Established in Iran and Syria in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, they aimed to overthrow the existing Sunni order in Islam and replace it with their own. They terrorized their foes with a series of dramatic murders of Islamic leaders, as well as of some of the Crusaders, who brought their name and fame back to Europe. Professor Lewis traces the history of this radical group, studying its teachings and its influence on Muslim thought. Particularly insightful in light of the rise of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. and in Israel, this account of the Assassins -- whose name is now synonymous with politically motivated murderers -- places recent events in historical perspective and sheds new light on the fanatic mind.

Download or read book Day of the Assassins written by Michael Burleigh and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2021-05-27 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘Written with Burleigh’s characteristic brio, with pithy summaries of historical moments (he is brilliant on the Americans in Vietnam, for example) and full of surprising vignettes’ – The Times ’Book of the Week’ In Day of the Assassins, acclaimed historian Michael Burleigh examines assassination as a special category of political violence and asks whether, like a contagious disease, it can be catching. Focusing chiefly on the last century and a half, Burleigh takes readers from Europe, Russia, Israel and the United States to the Congo, India, Iran, Laos, Rwanda, South Africa and Vietnam. And, as we travel, we revisit notable assassinations, among them Leon Trotsky, Hendrik Verwoerd, Juvénal Habyarimana, Indira Gandhi, Yitzhak Rabin and Jamal Khashoggi. Combining human drama, questions of political morality and the sheer randomness of events, Day of the Assassins is a riveting insight into the politics of violence. ‘Brilliant and timely . . . Our world today is as dangerous and mixed-up as it has ever been. Luckily we have Michael Burleigh to help us make sense of it.’ – Mail on Sunday

Download or read book Night of the Assassins written by Howard Blum and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-06-02 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A truly thrilling expose of the previously unknown Nazi assassination plot that could have changed history." — Edward Jay Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of The Assassination Chronicles The New York Times bestselling author returns with a tale as riveting and suspenseful as any thriller: the true story of the Nazi plot to kill the leaders of the United States, Great Britain, and the U.S.S.R. during World War II. The mission: to kill the three most important and heavily guarded men in the world. The assassins: a specially trained team headed by the killer known as The Most Dangerous Man in Europe. The stakes: nothing less than the future of the Western world. The year is 1943 and the three Allied leaders—Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin—are meeting for the first time at a top-secret conference in Tehran. But the Nazis have learned about the meeting and Hitler sees it as his last chance to turn the tide. Although the war is undoubtedly lost, the Germans believe that perhaps a new set of Allied leaders might be willing to make a more reasonable peace in its aftermath. And so a plan is devised—code name Operation Long Jump—to assassinate FDR, Churchill, and Stalin. Immediately, a highly trained, hand-picked team of Nazi commandos is assembled, trained, armed with special weapons, and parachuted into Iran. They have six days to complete the daring assignment before the statesmen will return home. With no margin for error and little time to spare, Mike Reilly, the head of FDR’s Secret Service detail—a man from a Montana silver mining town who describes himself as “an Irish cop with more muscle than brains”—must overcome his suspicions and instincts to work with a Soviet agent from the NKVD (the precursor to the KGB) to save the three most powerful men in the world. Filled with eight pages of black-and-white photographs, Night of the Assassins is a suspenseful true-life tale about an impossible mission, a ticking clock, and one man who stepped up to the challenge and prevented a world catastrophe.

Download or read book Our Lady of the Assassins written by Fernando Vallejo and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2001 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tie-in with the eponymous new film by Barbet Schroeder.

Download or read book Assassin s Quest written by Robin Hobb and published by Spectra. This book was released on 1998-01-05 with total page 769 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An enthralling conclusion to this superb trilogy, displaying an exceptional combination of originality, magic, adventure, character, and drama.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz—or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest—perhaps to death. Only Verity’s return—or the heir his princess carries—can save the Six Duchies. But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him—currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was. Praise for Robin Hobb and Assassin’s Quest “Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb’s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.”—George R. R. Martin “Superbly written, wholly satisfying, unforgettable: better than any fantasy trilogy in print—including mine!”—Melanie Rawn

Download or read book The Templars and the Assassins written by James Wasserman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2001-04-01 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • An examination of the interactions of the Christian Knights Templar and their Muslim counterparts, the Assassins, and of the profound changes in Western society that resulted. • Restores the reputation of the secret Muslim order of the Assassins, disparaged as the world's first terrorist group. • Dispels many myths about the Knights Templar and provides the most incisive portrait of them to date. A thousand years ago Christian battled Muslim for possession of a strip of land upon which both their religions were founded. These Crusades changed the course of Western history, but less known is the fact that they also were the meeting ground for two legendary secret societies: The Knights Templar and their Muslim counterparts, the Assassins. In The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven, occult scholar and secret society member James Wasserman provides compelling evidence that the interaction of the Knights Templar and the Assassins in the Holy Land transformed the Templars from the Pope's private army into a true occult society, from which they would sow the seeds of the Renaissance and the Western Mystery Tradition. Both orders were destroyed as heretical some seven hundred years ago, but Templar survivors are believed to have carried the secret teachings of the East into an occult underground, from which sprang both Rosicrucianism and Masonry. Assassin survivors, known as Nizari Ismailis, flourish to this day under the spiritual leadership of the Aga Khan. Wasserman strips the myths from both groups and penetrates to the heart of their enlightened beliefs and rigorous practices, delivering the most probing picture yet of these holy warriors.

Download or read book The Assassins written by Jan Young and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-12-14 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forty-six historic tales of murder and mayhem on a global scale: This book contains true stories, authenticated through the use of both modern and contemporary sources. They range from the year 1337 BCE through 2006 CE, from the United States and Europe to the Mid-east and the Orient. The murderers range from incompetent to highly competent and from despicable to glorious. The victims were prominent politically and, in some cases, financially. Some deserved to die, most did not. All four assassinations of US Presidents are included, as are three attempted Presidential assassinations. Although the stories make interesting reading by themselves, the grouping of them in a single volume gives breadth and allows the reader to understand the scope of the assassination phenomenon, to see trends and to assess their value.

Download or read book The Assassins written by Gayle Lynds and published by Atlantic Books Ltd. This book was released on 2015-07-02 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently retired from US military intelligence, Judd Ryder is walking home one evening when he sees a man wearing his clothes step out of his house. Moments later, the man is killed in a hit-and-run. Was the stranger the intended victim, or was it Judd himself? Searching the man, Judd finds a phone with only one number dialled - to CIA trainee Eva Blake, Judd's former girlfriend. What Judd and Eva don't know is that they've unwittingly been trapped in a battle to the death against six professional assassins, and only one will be left standing....

Download or read book Assassins written by W B Bartlett and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2009-07-20 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The so-called ' Assassins' are one of the most spectacular legends of medieval history. In the popular imagination they are drug-crazed fanatics who launched murderous attacks on their enemies, terrorising the medieval world. Since the tales of Marco Polo and others, the myths surrounding them have been fantastically embellished and the truth has become ever more obscure. Universally loathed and feared, they were especially frightening because they apparently had no fear of death. Bartlett's book deftly traces the origins of the sect out of the schisms within the early Islamic religion and examines the impact of Hasan-i-Sabbah, its founder, and Sinan - the legendary 'Old Man of the Mountain'. This popular history follows the vivid history of the group over the next two centuries, including its clash with the crusaders, its near destruction at the hands of the Mongols, and its subsequent history. Finally, and fascinatingly, we discover how the myths surrounding the Assassins have developed over time, and why indeed they continue to have such an impact on the popular imagination.

Download or read book The Assassins written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Fawcett. This book was released on 1975 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yvonne, Hugh, and Stephen, the widow and surviving brothers of assassinated right-wing politco Andrew Petrie are left to determine the facts of Petrie's death and to find another buffer for their empty, isolated lives.

Download or read book Three Assassins written by Kotaro Isaka and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2022-08-09 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Pick By the internationally bestselling author of Bullet Train, the high-octane new thriller, set in Tokyo’s criminal underworld, pits an ordinary man against a group of talented and very unusual assassins Three Assassins is the high-stakes, high-style, and utterly propulsive follow-up to Kotaro Isaka’s international bestseller, Bullet Train, a Crime Reads "Most Anticipated Book of 2021." Suzuki is an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. To get answers and his revenge, Suzuki abandons his law-abiding lifestyle and takes a low-level job with a front company operated by the crime gang Maiden, who are responsible for his wife’s death. Before long, Suzuki finds himself caught up in a network of quirky and highly effective assassins: The Cicada is a knife expert. The Pusher nudges people into oncoming traffic. The Whale whispers bleak aphorisms to his victims until they take their own lives. Intense and electrifying, Three Assassins delivers a wild ride through the criminal underworld of Tokyo, populated by contract killers who are almost superhumanly good at their jobs.

Download or read book The Assassins of Isis written by P. C. Doherty and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2006-11-14 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mysterious Sebaus--a sect taking its name from demons--has stolen a powerful secret, and the wrath of the fiery Hatusu knows no bounds. But when the empire's great military hero, General Suten, is bitten to death by vipers, it appears events have spiraled out of her control. Meanwhile, a dark shadow lies across the Temple of Isis. The peace of this holy place, renowned as an oasis of calm and healing, has been disturbed. Four of the Hesets, the temple handmaids, have vanished without a trace. Will Lord Amerotke, Pharaoh's Chief Judge, unravel the mysteries before further violence erupts? Or will he find the perpetrators in league with forced beyond his jurisdiction?

Download or read book The Assassins Gate written by George Packer and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2014-05-06 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Named One of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review Named one of the Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post Book World, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, TheSan Francisco Chronicle Book Review, Los Angeles Times Book Review, USA Today, Time, and New York magazine. Winner of the Overseas Press Club’s Cornelius Ryan Award for Best Nonfiction Book on International Affairs Winner of the New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq recounts how the United States set about changing the history of the Middle East and became ensnared in a guerrilla war in Iraq. It brings to life the people and ideas that created the Bush administration's war policy and led America to the Assassins' Gate—the main point of entry into the American zone in Baghdad. The Assassins' Gate also describes the place of the war in American life: the ideological battles in Washington that led to chaos in Iraq, the ordeal of a fallen soldier's family, and the political culture of a country too bitterly polarized to realize such a vast and morally complex undertaking. George Packer's best-selling first-person narrative combines the scope of an epic history with the depth and intimacy of a novel, creating a masterful account of America's most controversial foreign venture since Vietnam.

Download or read book The Book of Spies written by Gayle Lynds and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2011-03 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After being imprisoned for the vehicular manslaughter of her husband, rare book expert Eva Blake gets a chance at early release if she helps find a cache of books believed to be lost, but when she sights her husband alive and well, she must join an ex-intelligence agent to seek the truth.

Download or read book The Ismaili Assassins written by James Waterson and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2008-10-30 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A fascinating history . . . The Medieval conflict between Christians and Muslims has many similarities to the Middle East today.”—Firetrench The Ismaili Assassins were an underground group of political killers who were ready to kill Christians and Muslims alike with complete disregard for their own lives. Under the powerful control of an enigmatic grand master, these devoted murderers often slayed their victims in public, cultivating their terrifying reputation. They assumed disguises and their weapon of choice was a dagger. The dagger was blessed by the grand master and killing with it was a holy and sanctified act; poison or other methods of murder were forbidden to the followers of the sect. Surviving a mission was considered a deep dishonor and mothers rejoiced when they heard that their Assassin sons had died having completed their deadly acts. Unsurprisingly, their formidable reputation spread far and wide. In 1253, the Mongol chiefs were so fearful of them that they massacred and enslaved the Assassins’ women and children in an attempt to liquidate the sect. The English monarch, Edward I, was nearly dispatched by their blades and Richard the Lionheart’s reputation was sullied by his association with the Assassins’ murder of Conrad of Montferrat. The Ismaili Assassins explores the origins, actions and legacy of this notorious sect. Enriched with eyewitness accounts from Islamic and Western sources, this important book unlocks the history of the Crusades and the early Islamic period, giving the reader entry into a historical epoch that is thrilling and pertinent. “An inherently fascinating, deftly written, and impressively informative read from beginning to end.”—Midwest Book Review

Download or read book The Assassin s Song written by M. G. Vassanji and published by Penguin Books India. This book was released on 2007 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Important Book . . . Vassanji Writes About Faith And Conflict Like No Other. His Prose Is Impeccable -Khushwant Singh The Assassin S Song Is A Stunning Evocation Of The Physical And Emotional Landscape Of A Man Caught Between Filial Obligation And Personal Yearning, Between The Ancient And The Modern. It Is The Story Of Karsan Dargawalla, The Estranged Elder Son Of The Saheb Of Pirbaag, And Of Nur Fazal, A Mysterious Thirteenth-Century Sufi Saint. In The Aftermath Of The Gujarat Violence Of 2002, Karsan, Heir To The Now Destroyed Pirbaag, Shrine To The Medieval Sufi, Begins To Recall Not Only The Rich History Of His Forefathers And His Beloved Pirbaag But Also The Bittersweet Journey That Took Him From His Dusty Village In Gujarat To The Ivy Covered Campus Of Harvard, And From The Halls Of Academia To The Blissful Reverie Of North American Suburbia. Drawn Back To Where It All Began, Karsan Finds That In The Circle Of Life, He Forged His Own Identity Independent Of His Father S Position And Pirbaag; Lost And Rediscovered His Faith; Watched His Family Be Ripped Apart By Abandonment And Death; And Now, As He Slowly Remembers The Bol Of His Forefathers And Sings The Ginans Of Pirbaag, It Is Redemption That He Seeks. But As He Picks Up The Threads Of A Life He Rejected Decades Ago, Karsan Realizes There May Be No Absolution. A Novel Of Grand Historical Sweep And Intricate Personal Drama, The Assassin S Song Is A Heartbreaking Ballad Of Life Irrevocably Tainted By The Bigotry Of Narrow Thought And Rigid Faith. Full Of The Delicate Insight And Searing Compassion That Are M.G. Vassanji S Hallmarks Shashi Tharoor

Download or read book The Assassin s Blade written by Sarah J. Maas and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The twist of a knife. The birth of a legend. Step into the world of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas with this collection of prequel novellas. Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful Assassin's Guild and its scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, she yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. But when Arobynn dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, Celaena finds herself acting independently of his wishes and questioning her own allegiance. If she hopes to escape Arobynn's clutches, Celaena will have to put her faith in her wits and her blade . . . knowing that if she fails, she'll lose not just a chance at freedom but her life. A prequel to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas explores the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling-and deadly-world. Included in this volume: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord The Assassin and the Healer The Assassin and the Desert The Assassin and the Underworld The Assassin and the Empire