William Napier – författare

Two unlikely English heroes are swept up in an epic and bloody sea battle that will change history.1571. Chained to a slave galley in the heart of the Mediterranean, it seems that English adventurers Ingoldsby and Hodge might have finally run out of luck. But they''ve survived worse, and as the men around them drop dead at their oars, they''re determined to escape.By a miracle of fate, they find their way back to dry land and freedom - but unable to return home. With the Ottoman Empire set on strangling the crusading Christian power before it can take root, hostilities between East and West - Muslim and Christian - are vicious and deadly. And as the sun rises on one day in October, five hours of bloodshed will change the course of history. Once again, the two Englishmen find themselves living on borrowed time...

Hardened by battle, seasoned by war, four adventurers caught in the path of one of history''s most enigmatic leaders.

1571. At the great naval battle of Lepanto the Ottoman Empire is finally defeated, and it seems that Europe is safe.

But then Nicholas Ingoldsby is summoned to London by the Queen herself and sent on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople, the heart of the old enemy - and then onward, to a little-known but rising power called Muscovy, ruled by a deranged but cunning czar - Ivan the Terrible.

The rise of Muscovy has also caught the attention of the Ottomans; and their allies, the wild Tatar horsemen of the Asiatic steppes, Russia''s ancient enemy. Soon Nicholas and his fellow travellers are caught up in their most dangerous adventure yet, trapped in a doomed Muscovy with a vast army of Tatar tribesmen riding down upon them, vowed to burn the city to the ground and extinguish Russia for ever...

A stunning historical novel - the first in an epic trilogy about the rise and fall of one of history''s greatest villains.The dawn of the fifth century AD, and the Roman Empire totters on the edge of the abyss. Already divided into two, the Imperium is looking dangerously vulnerable to her European rivals. The huge barbarian tribes of the Vandals and Visigoths sense that their time is upon them. But, unbeknown to all of these great players, a new power is rising in the East. A strange nation of primitive horse warriors has been striking terror upon border peoples for fifty years. But few realise what is about to happen. For these so called ''Huns'' now have a new leader. His name is Attila - ''the Scourge of God''.Thus begins a saga of warfare, lust and power which brings the whole of the Christian world to its knees - and ends in blood on the fields of France. It is a story of two men: Attila the Hun and Aetius the Roman. One who wanted to destroy the world, and one who fought one final battle to save it...

The gripping and bloody story of one of history''s most infamous and enigmatic villains - part II in the ATTILA trilogyThe 5th century has dawned in blood. The young boy exiled thirty years ago has grown into a man. One stormy autumn day, a mysterious rider is seen out on the plains. Attila has returned, his sentence served, to claim his kingdom. He will ride out at the head of no more than one hundred chosen men, driven by the ambition to unite all the feuding Hunnish and Scythian tribes under single banner and a single king. An impossible ambition. For Attila and his chosen men must triumph over blizzards and deserts, bandit kings and hidden mountain kingdoms, and furious battle with the terrible Kutrigur Huns. But all will flock to his banner, answer his call. His power is mysterious and inexpressible, his strength of character and iron will cannot be opposed. And far to the west lies a promised empire both fabulously wealthy and tottering to its knees. An empire full of gold and silver and dark-eyed slavegirls - the Empire of Rome. And this strange horde from out of the Scythian wilderness will bring a night to fall on that Empire like no other¿

The battlefields run with blood in this gripping finale to the bestselling Attila trilogy.

The infamous leader of the Huns stills thirsts for blood and supremacy as he crosses the Danube and prepares to attack the Western Empire and face once more his boyhood friend-turned-foe: Aetius the Roman.

For Attila is set on a plan that will take him right through the entire Italian peninsular and up to the gates of Rome. He must weigh up whether he should attack this, the greatest of cities, or whether the gamble is too high, even for the most battle-hardened of warlords.

In this tumultuous conclusion to the life of the warrior, we see the biggest choices of his blood-soaked career played out, and travel with him right into the silken tent where Attila must ultimately face his destiny.

Two unlikely English heroes are swept up in an epic and bloody sea battle that will change history. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS CLASH OF EMPIRES: THE RED SEA.

1571. Chained to a slave galley in the heart of the Mediterranean, it seems that English adventurers Ingoldsby and Hodge might have finally run out of luck. But as former Knights of St John, they''ve survived worse, and while the men around them drop dead at their oars, they''re determined to escape.

By a miracle of fate, they find their way back to dry land and freedom - but unable to return home. With the Ottoman Empire set on strangling the crusading Christian power before it can take root, hostilities between East and West - Muslim and Christian - are vicious and deadly.

And as the sun rises on one day in October, five hours of bloodshed will change the course of history. Once again, the two Englishmen find themselves living on borrowed time...

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS CLASH OF EMPIRES: THE RED SEA

The siege of Malta: A brutal combat. A test of courage. A battle that will change history.Previously published as CLASH OF EMPIRES: THE GREAT SIEGE.1565: a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean stands gatekeeper between East and West. It is about to become the scene for one of the most powerful stories of bravery, battle and bloodlust: the siege of Malta. Formed in the Holy Land in the 11th century, a small band of knights had long sought a home. Driven from their lands by Ottoman might, they came to rest in Malta from where they watched the Turks and corsairs raid the Spanish empire. As word came from Constantinople that Malta was in the sights of the Ottoman Empire, all of Europe watched a force of over 30,000 men besieged the island - peopled by 500 knights and a few thousand local soldiers. On that small rock an epic struggle will be played out - the story of individual men, warriors and slaves, but also the story of two worlds colliding.

Author William Napier takes us for a wild ride through the ranks of corporate Americas executive management teams in Drowning in Bad Management! Napier, a thirty-year corporate finance executive with experience primarily in the mortgage-banking industry, considers the mostly ineffective types of managers who are frequently encountered in corporations and the almost unbelievable myriad of blunders perpetrated by these alleged executives at many companies.

There are issues that seem to emerge again and again in corporate America in a never-ending cycle of ineffectiveness. He posits that many of the supposed geniuses running corporate America are in reality far more ordinary than extraordinary in terms of their management skills. A special chapter is included dealing specifically with The Rise and Fall of Mortgage Banking, in which the author sets the record straight about the causes of this debacle and dispels the misinformation and political posturing that has so badly misrepresented what really happened and who is to blame.

Drowning in Bad Management! points out the lack of truth in much of the worlds business and government dialogue that is causing a lack of solutions for the critical issues that plague businesses and governments globally. To mitigate the damage to and negative perceptions of corporate America, Napier recommends proposals to stop the madness that is being perpetrated by runaway corporate America executives and their cohorts.