When the heavily manned fleet of the Ottoman Empire met the ships of a fragile coalition of Christian European states in 1571, the waters off the coast of Greece, they say, ran red with blood. It was a victory of the West-the first major victory of Europeans against the Ottoman Empire. In this compelling piece of narrative history, Niccolo Capponi describes the underlying clash of cultures and takes a fresh look at the bloody struggle between oared fighting galleys and determined men of faith. As a description of the age-old conflict between Christianity and Islam, it is a story which resonates today.