Altai - Wu Ming

When a fire rips through the Venetian
Arsenal in 1569, the enigmatic Emanuele De Zante, spy-catcher and
secret agent, is betrayed by his lover, imprisoned, and accused of
treason. Given the chance to escape, he embarks on a trans-European
odyssey that will test his loyalty and force him to question even
his own identity.
Through a series of deadly political games
leading all the way to the Sultan's palace in Constantinople, De Zante
and his companions spiral headfirst toward a conflict in which the great
empires of the Republic of Venice and the Ottomans threaten the very
foundations of civilization.