Destiny's Shield - Hardcover

Eric Flint; David Drake

4.18

2,300 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671578170 ISBN 13: 9780671578176

Publisher: Baen, 1999

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The Malwa empire lies across 6th century India. The people who command its bureaucracy and armies are cruel, ruthless men with depraved appetites which their power permits them to indulge in, but the thing that commands them from the future is worse.

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Review:

Eric Flint and David Drake's alt-history epic devoted to real-life Byzantine butt-kicker Belisarius has reached part three--Destiny's Shield--and this installment finally busts loose with some serious head-to-head. Everybody's favorite general is leading an outnumbered Roman-Persian force to check Malwa aggression in the east, forced to action by the fiends' sea-borne invasion of the Tigris-Euphrates delta and their subsequent siege of Babylon. For those unfamiliar with the series, this what-if puts the Malwa Empire in control of the Indian subcontinent thanks to diabolical assistance from across time, granting their forces superior strategy and advanced weaponry. But the ever-canny Belisarius is equal to the challenge, with no small help from a telepathic crystal named Aid that acts as both adviser and seer.

The writing tandem of Flint and Drake still proves strong--relative newcomer Flint (Mother of Demons) seems well-paired with military-SF powerhouse Drake, creator of "the meanest bunch of mercs who ever nuked a world for pay" (that'd be Hammer's Slammers, natch). The two offer up their usual dose of meticulous historical detail and realistic, mud-and-blood combat and tactics. Throw in some time-bending fun like Belisarius's "invention" of the Knights Hospitaler and phrases like "fire in the hole," and you know you're in for a good time. (Of course, if you're new to the series, check out the first book, An Oblique Approach.) --Paul Hughes

From the Inside Flap:

EVIL FROM BEYOND TIME

The Malwa Empire squats like a toad across 6th century India. The people who command the Malwa bureaucracy and armies are cruel, ruthless men with depraved appetites which their power permits them to indulge to the full.

The thing from the distant future that commands them is far worse.

AN ADVISOR WITHOUT A BODY

Those who oppose the pustulent Hell the Malwa will make of Earth have sent a crystal, Aide, to halt their advance. Aide holds all human knowledge -- but Aide cannot act by himself.

A CHAMPION FOR ALL TIMES

Count Belisarius, the greatest general of Byzantium and perhaps the greatest of all time, must defeat the Malwa and the enemies of humankind which direct the evil empire.

With Aide's advice --

With the support of Empress Theodora --

With the courage and ruthless skill of his wife Antonina --

And with a few thousand of the best soldiers in the world, Belisarius must face the Malwa invaders beyond Rome's borders. Maneuvering through Mesopotamia in unfamiliar terrain and the risk of doubtful allies, Belisarius must outwit powerful enemies -- and then, when there is no longer room to maneuver, to meet them sword-edge to sword-edge.

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