The Firebrand is an adventurous historical romance set in 16th-century Italy. The main character is Tizzo, a master swordsman, known as Firebrand because of his flaming red hair and flame-blue eyes. Frederick Schiller Faust (1892-1944) was an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns under the pen name Max Brand. Prolific in many genres he wrote historical novels, detective mysteries, pulp fiction stories and many more. His love for mythology was a constant source of inspiration for his fiction, and it has been speculated that these classical influences accounted in some part for his success as a popular writer. Many of his stories would later inspire films.