Description

As dazzling and action packed as the best novels of James Rollins, George MacDonald Fraser, and Steve Berry, The Barbary Pirates will have readers cheering for William Dietrich and his dashing hero, Ethan Gage!

Swashbuckling American explorer and ladies' man Ethan Gage has seen his fair share of danger, having braved the sands of Egypt, the perils of the Atlantic Ocean, and the harsh wilderness of early America. Once more, he finds himself in a desperate race—this time with the Barbary Pirates, a powerful band of Muslim outlaws from North Africa. Also after Ethan is his nemesis—and former lover—Aurora Somerset, member of a dangerous sect called the Egyptian Rite. The prize is the Mirror of Archimedes, an ancient superweapon that, according to legend, once burned a Roman fleet with its power. In 1802, this death ray could tip the balance of power in the Mediterranean, and Ethan must stop the pirates from using it against the American, English, and French fleets.

From the salons and brothels of the Palais Royal of Paris, where the quest for information about his lost love Astiza involves real-life scientists and engineers—including inventor Robert Fulton—Ethan must travel at Napoleon's behest to the canals of Venice, the caves of Santorini, the dungeons of Tripoli, and finally to treachery on the high seas in the Mediterranean.

Can Ethan rescue Astiza without betraying the cause of his own United States? Can he save the two-year-old son he only recently discovered he had without allowing the Egyptian Rite to finally dominate the world? And when the sun rises on the Mirror of Archimedes, will everything Ethan cares about be set afire?

Delivering the fast-paced adventure, uncanny wit, and page-turning historical excitement that readers have come to expect from the masterful William Dietrich, The Barbary Pirates is Ethan Gage at his winningest, most hilarious, and most death defying.

About the Author

William Dietrich is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including the most recent Ethan Gage adventures, Napoleon's Pyramids, The Rosetta Key, and The Dakota Cipher. He is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, historian, and naturalist. A winner of the PNBA Award and Washington Governor Writer's Award, he is a professor of journalism at Western Washington University.

Praise for The Barbary Pirates: An Ethan Gage Adventure…

“Attention to those of you who like thrillers to be high-concept, historical and swash-buckling!”
-Daily News

“[Dietrich’s] most successful novel yet -- a puzzle-laden page turner.”
-Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Dietrich is an excellent writer, and fun-loving, amoral, and occasionally deadly Ethan Gage is a compelling hero who tries hard to do the right thing – if only he wasn’t so easily distracted by temptations. An action-filled romp that’s both historically accurate and great fun.”
-Library Journal

“As satisfying as an Indiana Jones film and offers enough historical knowledge to render the reader a fascinating raconteur on the topics of ancient Egypt and Napoleon Bonaparte.”
-USA Today

“Gage has many of the same moves as the late George MacDonald Fraser’s irresistible anti-hero, Sir Harry Flashman.”
-Sacramento Bee
-Sporatic Book Reviews

Dietrich works real characters and historical events into the mix, expertly blending fact and fiction. Fans of the earlier Gage novels will definitely want to read this one, but the book should be heartily recommended to all action-adventure lovers.
-Booklist