Download or read book The Secret Order of Assassins written by Marshall G. S. Hodgson and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2005-04-05 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remains the most complete history of the Assassins. Beginning the story with the separation of Sunnis and Shi'ites and the rise of Ismâ'îlism, an offshoot of Shi'ism, Hodgson traces the long and complex history of power struggles within Islam that led ultimately to the separation of the Nizârî Ismâ'îlîs and their direct challenge to Muslim leadership.