The third book in the Belisarius series. Two AI's from the future have come to Earth - one to change the future in favor of machines, the other to prevent as much change as possible. (if you ignore the firearms.....) The action is in full swing now with Belisarius and his troops in the field countering the evil Link and minions. The in the field action in this book takes place in Persia, with the Roman legions facing off again against the skilled Persians. Good action, good setting, great characters and great military action. ( )

This was yet another enjoyable book in the Belisarius series. I like how each book tells a complete story, with a sense of victory at the end, even while you know that the over-all story isn’t done yet. I really don’t have much to write by way of a review, because the same things I noted in my reviews of the previous two books are still true about this book – great humor, interesting plot, and surprisingly (for me) enjoyable-to-read military strategizing.

I liked the turn that the plot took at the beginning of this book, and I liked the new allies that Belisarius found as a result. It does continue to stretch my credulity that Belisarius always finds himself surrounded by allies who are reasonable, like-minded men and who trust Belisarius and his decisions even when they don’t agree with them. Even when his allies disagree with a plan at first, they are quickly convinced by Belisarius’ unfailingly logical arguments or by his promises combined with his well-proven honor. I’d like to see Belisarius forced to work with an ally with whom he doesn’t he mesh as well -- somebody who isn’t a bumbling idiot, a jerk, or a doormat. The people Belisarius doesn’t mesh with usually end up being witless fools and/or evil people who Belisarius manipulates in order to further his own cause. The camaraderie is fun, but I’d like to see a little conflict too.

The science fiction element also progressed nicely in this book, although that aspect of the story was featured as sparingly as in previous books. Aide is really becoming an interesting character himself, which is quite a change from his sporadic and cryptic communication at the beginning of the series. I look forward to learning more about him. ( )

One more read, they seem to be getting better. The bad guys are now being challenged and even defeated. The good guys are doing well. ( )

good look at the roman empire with an alternate history twist

http://nhw.livejournal.com/190840.html

Someohow or other I picked this up electronically under the impression that it was the first in a series, and I could read it and decide if I liked the others. In fact it's the third in a series of alternative history novels where the sixth century AD Byzantine general Belisarius, with computer sidekick, battles against an Indian dynasty who have been supplied with gunpowder by allies from the far future.

I won't bother with the rest. Belisarius and his entourage were all fascinating personalities, but this is fan-fiction about them at six-volume length. They never lose a battle or an argument, and have all the best lines to the point that you wish their enemies would hire new speechwriters. It's also not clear what the ultimate aim of Belisarius' time-travelling backers is - they can hardly turn history back into the proper channel after clearing up the Malwa menace (as Belisarius does with the river Euphrates in this book). Pleasant enough reading, but not really compelling. ( )