A warrior in disguise. A lover to be rescued. A city under siege. Cyprus, 1571. An island at war. The powerful Ottoman army has taken every city save one, Famagusta, a Venetian port and stronghold. Besieged by a force of 80,000 men, they city has valiantly fought back with its small garrison of warriors and mercenaries. The greatest among them is Captain Tempesta, a young noble unmatched in bravery and swordsmanship. Few, however, know the captain’s secret… that she has donned armour and passed herself off as a man in order to search for her beloved who has been imprisoned by the Turks. Will she triumph? The odds are overwhelmingly against her. The Turks are preparing to storm the city and slay all those within it, and still there has been no word of her beloved’s whereabouts… Selected by Julia Eccleshare as one of the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up." Other novels by Emilio Salgari The Sandokan Series The Tigers of Mompracem The Mystery of the Black Jungle The Pirates of Malaysia The Two Tigers The King of the Sea Quest for a Throne The Reckoning (forthcoming) The Black Corsair Series The Black Corsair The Queen of the Caribbean The Black Corsair's Daughter (forthcoming) Selected by Julia Eccleshare as one of the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. "One of Salgari's most amazing novels." ~Riccardo Colombo "While this is a YA novel I found it as interesting and engaging as when I read it as a teenager. Salgari writes very strong, and interesting, female characters. He also has a good sense of place, his vivid descriptions of historical places and historical events makes us almost believe that we are there, watching the action. Salgari's books were one of my first contacts with far away countries and different cultures and I can only recommend them to the younger generations as an excellent read." ~ Aneca, Goodreads.com "Captain Tempesta is a rousing swashbuckler of the past that still ensnares those brave enough to venture within its pages. Each time the reader thinks all is well, a new twist raises the stakes and puts the characters in greater danger on land and at sea. The siege of Famagusta, which occurred between 1570 and 1571, is vividly depicted. The tale itself demonstrates the fine line separating love from jealousy and hate. The characters are larger than life, but realistically portrayed. The villains - and yes, there is more than one - arouse loathing in readers, but they compel you to turn pages to see what happens. While there is a happily-ever-after ending, it isn't the one you expect. Salgari is a master storyteller, unknown to many readers of English, and he knows exactly how to capture your imagination and take you on high adventure rife with sword fights and daring deeds reminiscent of more familiar authors, such as Rafael Sabatini, Alexander Dumas, or Baroness Orczy. Captain Tempesta can easily stand alongside Captain Blood, the Musketeers, or the Scarlet Pimpernel, and be worthy of the honor." Cindy Vallar, Pirates and Privateers Sharing traditions. That's what we do at ROH Press. For over a century the adventure novels of Emilio Salgari have been popular with children in Italy and Latin America. His most popular works were pirate tales featuring Sandokan, 'the Tiger of Malaysia' and the Black Corsair, a nobleman turned pirate to avenge the murder of his brothers. They are considered classics for readers aged 10-14 and have been the basis for comic books, TV series and movies.   ROH Press has published the first ever English translations of his most popular works. In 2008, they were awarded the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs' Translation Award for the English language version of Emilio Salgari's classic  The Tigers of Mompracem.  In 2009  Captain Tempesta  the Sandokan and Black Corsair novels were listed in Julia Eccleshare's   1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.  Emilio Salgari was born in Verona on August 21, 1862, to a family of modest merchants. When his dream to captain his own vessel and explore the world was shattered by poor marks at a naval institute in Venice, he turned his passion for exploration and discovery to writing. He wrote more than two hundred adventure stories and novels, many of which are considered classics. Setting his tales in exotic locations, with heroes from a wide variety of cultures, Mr. Salgari used his powerful imagination to bring the wonders of the world to the doorstep of generations of readers. Arguably the best selling Italian author of all time, Emilio Salgari is virtually unknown to the English-speaking world. Yet, like his adventure-writing counterparts Jules Verne in France and Henry Rider Haggard in England, Emilio Salgari was knighted for his contribution to literature.