Alamut

Alamut by Vladimir Bartol. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780972028738.

The young and beautiful, gazelle-eyed Halima, and the equally as young and courageous Avani ibn Tahir, arrive at the fortress of Alamut, unaware that they will soon both be playing leading roles in the tragedy steadily unfolding behind the castle walls. For it is here that the Master of Alamut—the Old Man of the Mountain and self-proclaimed prophet Hasan ibn Sabbah--has devised a scheme, after years of arduous study, that will extend his rule across Persia and ultimately alter the political landscape of the world for centuries--but not without horrible human consequences. With the aid of carnal pleasures and the "keys" to paradise, Sabbah will turn Avani and his fellow devotees into "living daggers" that Sabbah will use to destroy his enemies and anyone else standing in his way to domination. Alamut is Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol’s near forgotten masterpiece--translated into 19 languages and a bestseller across Europe 60 years after its initial publication-- based on the life and legend of the original "assassin" and world’s first political terrorist, 11th century Ismaili leader Hasan ibn Sabbah. Revered by millions for his brilliance, and disdained by countless others for the reign of terror he spawned with his suicide missions, Sabbah has inspired scores of writers and artists throughout the centuries, including Rimbaud, Nerval, Borges, and William Burroughs. Written on the eve of World War II partly as a political allegory of the fascism that was engulfing Europe, Alamut is Bartols timeless and gripping story of one man’s unmanacled drive to play God and the human price paid by the innocent to fuel that drive.