From Publishers Weekly
High spirits and ingenuity mark the fifth volume in the Belisarius series from veteran Drake (Foreign Legions) and relative newcomer Flint (The Philosophical Strangler), who have devised an intriguing premise and developed it intelligently. Agents from two mutually exclusive futures travel back to the sixth century and begin to steer history in conflicting directions. One wants to mold humanity into a single pattern and is directing a ruthless, fanatical empire based in India but designed to take over the world; the other accepts human diversity and attempts to rally the quarreling nations of Asia and Africa to resist domination. Fortunately, the benign intelligence has teamed up with the Roman general Belisarius, a military genius with a gift for coordinating people as well as army maneuvers. This novel focuses on Belisarius's invasion of India. With all military history to draw on and action scattered across several continents, the story races through many scenes as steamboats launch Greek fire, telegraph lines connect the Romans and their allies and delicious palace intrigues simmer. The far-ranging locations and huge cast of characters may be confusing, but the book does include maps and a long glossary of names, places and unfamiliar vocabulary. More seriously, readers might wish for fewer conferences during which characters cheerfully congratulate themselves on how clever they are. Overall, though, the fascination of seeing familiar tactics applied in unfamiliar situations makes this novel a winner. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Guided by a crystalline entity from the future, General Belisarius's Roman armies continue their campaign into the land of Indus, seeking to thwart the malign plans of the Malwa overlord. Flint's fifth installment of his popular alternate history series (e.g., An Oblique Approach; In the Heart of Darkness) depicts ancient history as it never was, complete with alien intelligences, 20th-century technology, and modern sensibilities. Purchase where the series is popular. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The fifth volume of the big, exuberant Belisarius saga is appropriately titled, for in it the alliance of Romans, Persians, and Ethiopians takes to sea to bring war to the coasts of the Malwa empire. This move strikes at the heart of the Malwa forces and encourages their rebellious subjects--at high cost, however, for the Malwa are as determined, if not as numerous, as ever, and fighting in what is now northwest India and on the coasts is fierce and bloody. New maritime technology makes the allies more effective at sea but doesn't prevent some desperate last stands or save the attractive young Ethiopian emperor from a mortal wound. The main hope for allied victory lies in the fact that some of the Malwa's comrades in arms are beginning to have second thoughts, and that Narses, the treacherous eunuch, seems more capable than ever of betraying three or four different parties before breakfast. Meanwhile, the saga continues to be a feast for any military sf reader with a sense of humor. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

An Evil

The creators of the monster called Link oncee were human, but that was distant ages in their past. Now, from the far future, they have sent their creation back to shape the world of the 6th century AD into the form that will make their own foul existence possible.

Taught and ruled by Link, the Malwa Empire has spread from the Indus Valley, across India and into Mesopotamia. Its inhuman master has chosen its instruments from the most brutal and degraded members of humanity, and they have served its monstrous ends well.

A Guide

Those in the future who never were human have sent their own messenger to the past: Aide, a gleaming jewel who can warn but not lead; who can teach the construction of new weapons but cannot wield those weapons himself.

Aide has come to Belisarius, the greatest general of the 6th century and perhaps any century. Between them they have forged an alliance of all the world against evil—and an army that can be the spear through evil's heart.

A Crusade

With lancers and breech-loading rifles, with steamships and with galleys, Belisarius is marching into the Malwa heartland. In a world aflame with treachery, assassination, and slaughter beyond anything save the battles of mythology, he and his companions know only one sure thing: if they fail, their whole world is doomed to living Hell—for all time!

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Guided by a crystalline entity from the future, General Belisarius's Roman armies continue their campaign into the land of Indus, seeking to thwart the malign plans of the Malwa overlord. Flint's fifth installment of his popular alternate history series (e.g., An Oblique Approach; In the Heart of Darkness) depicts ancient history as it never was, complete with alien intelligences, 20th-century technology, and modern sensibilities. Purchase where the series is popular. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews