Against a Crescent Storm, Vol. 3 (The Balkan Legends)
In her novel set in the Balkans around 1389, Sowards traces the violent struggle among Serbs, Hungarians, Bulgarians, and other uneasy neighbours—rivals as often as allies—who nonetheless face a fierce common enemy in the advancing Ottoman Turks. Roving bands of thieves and mercenaries add yet another layer of peril to an already fractured landscape.
The narrative follows three groups. Danilo and his lord, Ivan (a zupan), work to defend Sivi Gora. Despite the rivalries that divide the peninsula, they attempt to forge alliances strong enough to resist the expanding Ottoman Empire. Maja and Luca, orphaned siblings and gifted mosaic artists, cross paths with Danilo when he rescues them after a brutal attack on the road. Meanwhile, Iskandar leads a band of Muslim ghazis who nurse a personal grudge against Danilo and seek to win favour with the Ottoman Sultan.
The plot centres on Sivi Gora’s increasingly desperate struggle as war draws near. Spies weaken the city’s defences from within, forcing the women into a dangerous mission to rescue the captured zupan. All three storylines converge in the aftermath of the Battle of Kosovo, amid a devastated countryside marked by courage, treachery, and irrevocable loss.
This is a richly layered novel with an unusual setting, multiple intersecting plotlines, and a wide cast driven by conflicting loyalties. Although violence saturates the narrative, the author keeps each thread clear and each character distinct. The unexpected romance is tender, the stakes immense, and the overall achievement remarkable.
