Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Thief’s Tale | 2013 | Simon S J A Turney | Buy |
| 2 | The Priest’s Tale | 2013 | Simon S J A Turney | Buy |
| 3 | The Assassin’s Tale | 2014 | Simon S J A Turney | Buy |
| 4 | The Pasha’s Tale | 2015 | Simon S J A Turney | Buy |
The Ottoman Cycle is a four-book historical adventure set in Istanbul around 1481-1490 under Ottoman rule. Skiouros and Lykaion, sons of a Greek country farmer, are conscripted into the Janissary guards and brought to Istanbul. Their paths diverge immediately: Skiouros escapes into the Greek quarter and survives as a thief, while Lykaion converts to Islam and rises through the palace guard.
When Skiouros picks the wrong pocket, he stumbles into a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of imperial power. The brothers face a question that defined life for conquered Greeks under the Ottomans: whether the empire is worth serving, fighting, or fleeing. Each book is titled as a tale – The Thief’s Tale, The Priest’s Tale, The Assassin’s Tale, The Pasha’s Tale – and follows different characters through the same turbulent period.
The series represents Turney’s most significant departure from his Roman and Western European settings, bringing his eye for military detail and political intrigue to the Ottoman world.