"Christopher de Bellaigue has a magic talent for writing history. It is as if we are there as the era of Suleyman the Magnificent unfolds."
—Orhan Pamuk, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

"Poised effortlessly between two worlds and two ages, as at home in Istanbul as in the chambers of Venice, alert to every nuance of costume and gesture which is the key to imperial power, de Bellaigue brings you into councils and banquets, through sieges and bedrooms in a book as pungent and mysterious as the age it depicts"
—Rory Stewart, former British Cabinet Minister and Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University

“There are books that enlarge the mind, there are books that enrich the soul, but rarely comes a book so beautifully-written and profound that it manages to do both.”
—Elif Shafak, author of The Bastard of Istanbul

“The Ottoman Empire at the very height of its power and glory, narrated with a verve and flair that makes the characters burst from the pages. Outstanding history and an incredibly good read.”
—Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans

“Once you open The Lion House a historical universe is presented to the reader that captivates and astonishes. Christopher de Bellaigue writes with brilliance and The Lion House is near-impossible to put down. It is a superb example of historical literature and research, opening a vista upon Suleyman’s ascent, one of the most significant in world history.”
—Richard Whatmore, Professor of Modern History at University of St. Andrews

“A galloping, vivid present-tense narrative that brings stunningly to life the scale of Suleyman’s quest for world domination. Non-fiction with the readability of a thriller. Unputdownable.”
—Victoria Hislop, author of The Island

“Riveting, beautifully written and expertly told. De Bellaigue is a wonderful guide to the story of Suleyman’s quest for power and the rise of the Ottomans in a rapidly changing world.”
—Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads, A New History of the World

“Sensuous and scholarly, meticulously researched and deliciously irreverent, The Lion House is an intoxicating journey through the Ottomans’ golden age.”
—Amberin Zaman, former Turkey bureau chief of the Economist and Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center

“De Bellaigue guides us through the labyrinths of statecraft and private passions of the Ottoman court, the Doge’s palace and the geographies in between and beyond. The Lion House is full of breath-taking events at the cross-roads of empires happening at a moment in history when notions such as Europe, Asia, Christianity and Islam were infinitely more fluid and permeable than they are today.”
—Kerem Oktem, Professor of International Relations at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice