Belisarius is one of histories great might have beens. The last Procouncil of Rome, a military leader of great genius, as an old man he lead an untrained army to destroy an invasion of barbarians. He almost united the Roman Empire, almost.

What if.... David Drake wrote that he presented S. M. Stirling with an essay on the life of Belisarius, the series "The General" resulted. If Mr. Drake did the same with Mr. Flint, than this series would be the variation on that theme.

Happily, Mr. Flint proves to be an an excellent writer, not the same writter as M. Stirling, but his own. Stirling's strength is his physical presents. You can see his story. Mr Flint's strength is his feel, you can feel his story.

The one great weakness is that while Theodora, and, to a lesser degree, Antonia, have personalities with strengths and weaknesses, the other characters, including Belisarious, are one dimentional, few doubts, no fears, to perfect.

The story itself is! a rousing yarn, filled with action, a touch of philosophy, and an emerging conflict between the idea of "the All" versus "The One", the individual of society.

I look foward with anticipation for the next installment.

THIS BOOK WAS A PLEASURE TO READ.( JUST LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR, AN OBLIQUE APPROACH.) I PARTICULARLY ENJOY THE CREDIT GIVEN TO BELISARIUS' ABILITIES. THE REAL ONE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST MILITARY LEADERS IN HISTORY. MORE POWER TO THE DAVID DRAKE AND ERIC FLINT COLLABORATION. WHEN IS THE THIRD BOOK COMING OUT? I CAN'T WAIT TO BUY IT.

David Drake has, in essence, recreated his "The General" series in the 6th century Roman Empire (Eastern) using some well known historical figures. His use of these names in the context of the story line is very compelling and inspries a very beliveable "air" to the story-line. The use of the jewel as a guide and mentor to Belisarius through his struggles and plots is a weakness to the story, as it is all to familiar to David Drake fans. I must apploigise to Eric Flint, as I have referred to only David Drake as the author when, in fact, Mr. Flint has brought much to this story as well. A "feel" for the time period that is essencial for the story to move as fluidly as it does between the main players and sub-plots. Overall, the series is entertaining and absorbing and moves well. Each book has left me waiting for the next .

This was such an interesting tale in the beginning. It was a fantasy-based story that reminded me of the movie Predator but set in the Roman era.

I don't know which author started this novel, but he was by far the better writer because, by the middle half, it started to drag and bore me. I could actually feel the steam of the story run out. What a shame...

Great idea that could have panned out for a much better ending.

This is a well-written action novel, though its plot is not quite as original as some other readers may think. Like all good action stories, it avoids dragging passages--but there are no time-outs for character development. There are a couple of weaknesses in the book, however. One shortcoming is the climax, where the final confrontation ends rather quickly and ordinarily; and that is surprising, considering that the entire book up to that point hypes the speed and power of the phile.
Another shortcoming concerns a rogue subplot, about how the hero's teenage son is seduced by a tutor and "converted" into a willing homosexual (yeah, sure)--leading to the hero's nasty revenge against the tutor. That subplot, besides being ridiculous, serves no useful purpose to the main plot and is evidently only a gratuituous expression of the authors' personal bias.

Part history lesson, part absolutely believable science fiction, all thriller.

To put this book in movie terms, imagine a big game hunter from Ancient Rome encountering both an Alien and a Predator at the same time. The hunter should have a short messy end, right? Guess again. The ending will stay with you for a long time.

I have loved David Drake since I read the Hammers Slammers book. Eric Flint is new to me. Since I am unable to say where one starts and the other ends, this review is for both.

I bought the whole series to date in one shot when I learned of them, and read them all, one right after the other, though I had to fight my spouse for them. I enjoyed the stories completely, and had no trouble following the plot. The battle scenes are realistic, which I prefer, though other readers, I have noted have a little trouble with the descriptions of the bloodshed. Most likely the same people who think Braveheart was too bloody. My answer to that is, they are describing a war. War is NEVER pretty or humane, no matter how much you soften it.

I can't wait for the next book to see what happens to Belisarius and all his aids, associates, allies and friends. Throughout the series, I kept thinking, if the characters are this twisted, what are the authors like? I'd love to meet them. Keep it up! And please don't sacrifice your wonderful quality for speed. I can wait. (Oh, and I loved what happenned to Valentinian, and laughed at his message. That alone would have me anxious to read the next book.)

Eric Flint and David Drake make a great team. I thoroughly enjoed this book. I have read the three previous books in this series and this one continued the story very well. It was worth waiting for.

I love the characters and the plot is fascinating. I have always been interested in this time period, and this series has brought the cultures of this time and place to life for me. I think that I have learned more about india and the people who lived there than I ever did in school. In addition, the authors do a good job of introducing modern military hardware (rockets and guns) and tactics while adjusting them for the capabilities of the period. The military, political and social details in this book add considerable background and depth to the plot.

The only problem was that the book did not hold my interest as intensely as the earlier books did. There were also a few places where I would have been happier with a more detailed build up to a scene. I wanted to know more about what happened to the characters on the way; I wanted richer descriptions. I would have been thrilled if the book had been a hundred pages longer.

This is not a serious problem. The series as a whole is still a rich and enthralling alternative history and I am looking forward to the nect book.

Let me begin by saying that I read a lot of books in many genres. I don't review most of them but I have to share my absolute pleasure in this series. Except for the Honor Harrington series, I don't read much military sf. I don't recall why I decided to try this series - my experience with Drake has been mixed - but I did. I can truly say that this series is fabulous! I can't remember the last time I finished a chapter in a book and said aloud "this is great stuff." There is hardly a flaw - even the history is accurate. The last time I knew I had something this enthralling was reading David Eddings. I am sure I'll be re-reading this series and sharing it with my friends.

In terms of this particular volume, I believe the authors handled their task well. The growing number of characters and their far-flung locations does slow the action a bit but makes up for it by introducing some interesting developments in terms of lives and romances. At my last count, we had 4 separate major action locations and plot lines. Frankly, that's enough or the books must be longer. This is a danger. As I said in reviewing another book, separate plot lines are fine, as long as they are plot lines and not sound bites. Otherwise, to the authors: keep up the good work and words! Wonderful Stuff! Read it. Now!

... in this case it could be justified. I 've read all the books of Drake/Flint's Bellisarius-series so far and like them a lot. It's just that the story becomes drawn out with so many sub-plots and -stories. The upcomming sixth book hopefully will conclude the story arc - but IMHOP four books would have done the job.

This book itself is well written, the characters are known even if there is some fluctuation: one major killed , a few new introduced. However for someone who doesn't know the story so far the book must be an enigma: there is this Roman General Bellisarius, who must be mad because he talks with some inner voice and ponders American Civil War decisions while campaigning in India....

Sounds crazy, reads crazy and then there is a book cover that crys SWORDS! SEX! EPLOSIONS! Please! Was this really necessary? This is a book of alternate history and is by and large meant to be serious. So why did the publishers burden it with this cover? Do they worry that because of the lenght of the series the readers might abandon it and know want to gain a new, somewhat different audience?

Ok
Overall the alterantive history series is good, very good actually. In general I recommend it. But...

As each new volume is released the characters begin to act more like comedians and less like actual people. It appears that the authors are trying to milk as much $$$ out of it as possible

The intra character quips which were charming in the first series are wearing really thin. The plot is pretty much done, we know whats going to happen, and who will do it, no mystery here.
I really cant believe this volume doesnt finish it up.

It would have been a great 3 book series! You can easily pull out the hokey banter (10%) the repeated quips (10%) the repetitive story lines (10%) and the history lessons for those who havent read the previous volumes (20%)

Of course you can filter and distill the 6 books (1 still unpublished) into 3 so that your left with a darn good story. But filtering out 40%-50% is burdensome. It gets so bad at times that I start skipping pages!

Im tired of hearing how big one characters breasts are, or how "only the soul matters in the end" or how one character looks like a weasel, and being told over and over again about past episodes that occured in earlier volumes etc. etc. etc ad nauseum...Sheesh...

This series could have been a classic, but it's degrading itself with every new volume. I still recommend the series, but thats more in the way of how bad most other works are, and how good this one "Could have been"

Belisarius's Byzantine army, equipped with 17th century weaponry, has wiped out the Malwa invasion of Persia. Yet the Malwa Empire, led by the future intelligence of Link, remains larger and more powerful than the combined Roman and Persian might. Only by taking the war to the Malwa in India itself can the world have a chance at victory--and to eliminate the destruction that Link will surely bring if not stopped.

In THE TIDE OF VICTORY, the Indian rebel forces, the Persians, the Romans, and allies Ethiopia and Kungas combine to attack Malwa from the south, northwest, and southwest. The Malwa are slowly adopting more modern weapons and tactics. Belesarius and his allies will have to up their own skills if they are to survive, let alone achieve victory.

THE TIDE OF VICTORY continues this fine alternative history series featuring Belisarius, the great Byzantine general--here equipped with a crystal intelligence that gives him access to knowledge of the great generals of the musket period---Grant, Sherman, Lee, Wellington, and King Gustav Adolf of Sweden.

The highlights of this novel comes in Belisarius's military campaign toward the end of the novel (which is reminiscent of Lee's Peninsula campaigns during the American Civil War), and especially in the doings of the other characters. Minor characters from earlier in the series now have major roles to play themselves. Antoinia, Belisarius's wife, can be cloying with Belisarius, but seems heroic apart from him. Eon, the Ethiopian King, has grown from a boy to a man--and hero. I especially liked the development of Narses--another historically significant Byzantine who, here, has betrayed the Roman cause and is now struggling to create a world where he, an intelligent, scheming, amoral eunich, can thrive.

Authors Eric Flint and David Drake deliver exciting military action--intriguing alternate history matchups between late Roman cavalry and 17th century musketeers, and interesting characters.

Belisarius was one of the world's great generals and is an ideal candidate for alternative history. From the story-telling standpoint, however, he has become a little too successful. In particular, his clever adoption of a new technology just in time to meet the needs of battle is starting to get predictable. Link has been in control of the Malwa for a long time--why not make Belisarius use his genius against superior weapons--rather than simply adopt early-modern tactics to slaughter huge hordes of (admittedly mostly evil) Malwa?

Overall a very weak book. With two decent stories the rst being garbage. Gene Wolf's "Straw" being one of the worst stories I have ever had the displeasure of reading. Save your money, if you want some excellent futuristic war stories try the warhammer 40K books.

Let me give you a quick summary

Basic Trianing-I enjoyed this kinda reminded me of Ender's Game only without the brother and sister.

Straw=Gene Wolfe wrote this and it is an excellent story but what is it doing in a collection of science fiction stories? (Get the book youu'll see)

R&R-Shows that us gimps can still kick butt.

Re-upping-just a good story all around

Clash by Night-This story is great after reading it and looking at the bios I was amazed to discover that it was published in 1947. For years one of my uncles used to tell me about the quality of stuff that they published in Mags like Astonding and Galaxy. If this story is the rule and not the exception he was right.

The only story I didn't like was the one by David Drake. You know those things that you hate regardless of how good they are? I can't stand Drake's writting style, no offense Mr. Drake.

Even this does not take away from a wonderful set of stories. This is a true find for any serious Scifi fan.

David Drake hasn't written any really good Military Science Fiction work in years. The Hammer's Slammers Series were the last mil-sci books of his that I really enjoyed. (His works set in Rome are also excellent but I consider that a seperate category.) I think to a large extent he exhausted what he felt that he needed to express. He moved on to writing in other styles and other subjects (fantasy and northworld gods). He also seemed to collaborate a lot which seemed to leave something lacking.

He is the editor of this book and he brought in some truly excellent stories. A great collection. Some of them are downright chilling. They are all entertaining.

Highly recommended if your tastes lean to the military science fiction genre.

A good read, but Drake has done better. Some of the events and character decisions just didn't quite ring true. Enjoyable, and worth reading for those who like David Drake's work. If you don't know Drake's work yet, go find a copy of THE FORLORN HOPE or WITH THE LIGHTNINGS or perhaps KILLER.

In Patriots, it appears that Drake is setting up a Sci-fi American Revolution. Events appear to be leading up to a revolution anyway. This book appears to be a setup for a whole series. Very good characters, well thought out, it just doesn't feel complete. So come on Mr. Drake, tell me the rest of this story as only you can.

The book Patriots is about a group of people that settled on the planet Greenwood. These people must defend their homeland against people from Earth and other planets that are intending to take over the planet. These invaders see big profits in Greenwood and are motivated by greed. The people from Greenwood show their would be invaders that they will not back down easily. I thought that the author's portrayal of the characters was very realistic, and the way they reacted to the situation that they were in, was portrayed very well. However, the story suddenly ended abruptly at the end of the book, as if something was missing. I think that the author should write a continuation of this story. Overall, this is a good book for someone that wants to read a Sci-fi novel that is not very long, and is very intersting for anyone who wants to get started with Sci-fi novels.

While i really have no ides just how much of the three volumes comprising this book, i find in reading it that i see a lot of Stirling in the actual writing, and that the Drake elements i detect are primarily in the over-arching plot of the series as a whole.

That is, the characters and the action of the stories put me most strongly in mind of Stirling's own series in which the Coast Guard training ship Eagle and the island of Nantucket have been cast back into the distant p[ast, and the protagonoists must work to shape history in their own favour and image. I never really felt as if i were reading descriptions of characters and situations that put me in mind of Hammer's Slammers or other Drake creations.

That said, David Drake's interest in history has clearly shaped these books; i'm fairly sure that the basic plot is derived from events and actions from late Roman ages. Although the period is not one i am particularly familiar with, it would not surprise me to learn that the protagonist is inspired by Belisarius.

Another aspect that seems more Stirling than Drake is tghe manner in which the campaigns and battles that make up the majority of the sotry are handled; again, more a matter of perception of style than of definite evidence. I am well-acquainted with he work of both, and that's the feeling i get.

As to the story (stories) itself, while not the most wonderful military sf i've ever read, there was enough of interest to keep me going, pushing along to see what was going to happen. On the other hand, if i was encountering the series for the first time in individual book form, i doubt that i would get past the first volume. Too much shooting, not enough substance.

The setup and mechanics of the stories are interesting -- i particularly like the ocncept of huge dogs replacing horses (though i doubt that they'd be as much like real dogs physically as they are protrayed, the square-cube law being what it is), and i like the way that the implications of this are worked out.

The mix of primitive and advanced (and Extremely Advanced) technology employed makes for interesting logistic considerations ("Amateurs study tactics. Professionals study logistics.") and action sequences.

The political maneuvering -- the most Drake-like parts of the story, to my taste -- is interesting, but too superficially-presented.

All in all, a good solid read for those who like Drake, Stirling or military SF in general, but not one i would advise running out and spending the rent money on.

This hardback reprint from Baen includes the final 3 books in David Drake's/S.M. Stirling's "The General" series about Raj Whitehall (in an alt-history role replacing the Byzantine general Belisarius). The books were first released in paperback ~ 10 years ago, glad to see them back in print. This hefty 3 volume sequel follows up to the first two books, also combined and released in hardback as 'Warlord'.

I enjoyed these books when they first came out, I remember being very frustrated each time I'd finish a book because I had to wait months before the next book in the series came out. Play your cards right and you'll have all the enjoyment, none of the frustration. As it should be.

After you've finished these books you may find yourself curious about the history behind this alt-history series. If so, I also recommend 'Count Belisarius' by Robert Graves.

Conqueror is the second omnibus edition in the General series, containing the third, fourth and fifth novels. Eleven centuries after the Fall of the interstellar civilization called the Federation of Man, the planet Bellevue is in a downward spiral toward barbarism. The Civil Government controls only a portion of the planet and has been pushed out of the Old Residence, the original capital. Other areas are controlled by the Brigade and the Colony.

Raj Whitehall is a General in the army of the Civil Government of Holy Federation. He has foiled an invasion by the Colony and retakened the Southern Territories from the Squadron. He has been aided in these endeavors by the Center, a pre-Fall military/political computer facility. It has the ability to communicate by voice and pictures to and from Raj and can present detailed, lifelike scenarios to him for various projected actions.

His friend Thom Poplanich, a scion of the previous imperial dynasty, is being retained in suspension within the Center, learning the skills of governing.

In The Anvil (1993), the third novel in the series, Raj commands the campaign against the Western Territories and the barbarians of the Brigade, who hold the Old Residence.

In The Steel (1993), the fourth novel in the series, Raj has taken Lion City and continues his march toward the Old Residence.

In The Sword (1995), the fifth novel in the series, Raj has taken the Old Residence, but his wife Suzette has shot the Governor's young heir, Cabot Clerett, when the man tried to shoot Raj. The Governor is about to reduce Raj to quivering protein, but is interrupted by news that the Colony has invaded the Eastern provinces, taking Gurnyca. The military situation looks hopeless, so Raj is reprieved and given command in the East, with full Viceregal authority.

This story presumes a level of technology -- i.e., ships, armaments and equipment -- at about the pre-Civil War stage, much higher than that of Byzantium during the time of Belisarius, but still not as devastating as that of World War I. Thus, the force multipliers of firepower and mobility increased the damage that could be done by smaller forces against the more primitive Squadron and Brigade forces. However, the forces lead by Whitehall did not have such technological superiority over the Colony forces and, indeed, had a numerical disadvantage, so Raj used superior maneuvering, massed artillery fire, and defensive positions against them.

Recommended for Stirling & Drake fans and anyone else who enjoys military SF set in a early industrial milieau.

Good characters and a good story, however you have to keep one's wits about you to follow the thread of the tale thro' the different time periods; worth the effort. Recommended!

An interesting look at not just time travel and "timecops" but also the future of conflict in a world where technology has made nonlethal weaponry feasible. A good addition to your SF library

This entertaining book was very different from the GENERAL series with Center and Raj Whitehall. Raj only has a bit part in this story, although his reminiscing about his life after the general series ended was satisfying (but short).

This is a World War I technology level war story, with very interesting battle scenes, but poor character involvement. The story skips in and out of the hero's life over a period of decades. As a reader, I never really connected that much with the people. I was interested in the final outcome of the war, but the nations were just as interesting as the people in this story, and just as identifiable.

This is a good solid read. If you are a big Raj Whitehall fan, it's fun to think that Center has given him a sort of immortality. If you want to see two of the greatest military authors have fun with World War I, this book is definitely for you. Maybe, as some reviewers have mentioned, if this were expanded into a whole series I would have felt more involved with the characters.

A continuation of the General series is a pleasant surprise. The Chosen continues David Drakes' penchant for molding a military fiction around actual history. S.M. Stirling contributes a strategical view of the situational plot which is usually lacking in Drakes' novels (not to the detriment of his stories, though). The S.M. Stirling/David Drake tandem achieves a notable work in this novel. Granted, I enjoy both authors, but rarely am I compelled to start and finish a book in one day. This one was an exception. The military action holds your interest while the promise of the resolution of the strategical situation keeps you turning pages. This novel is a worthy continuation of the General series, although the character of the CENTER computer is much more muted and almost non-existent. In past novels the computer was an integral part of the story; in The Chosen it is much farther in the background. In summary, the story could easily stretch over five novels as the previous series did. The story felt a bit rushed, with far less detail than I had hoped for.

Read Stirling's Draka novels first for an added appreciation of this book. The Chosen resemble the Draka, and the Santandans are kin to the Alliance for Democracy. In both plots, the Chosen/Draka have more slaves and resources and strive toward world conquest. Here, the technology level is World War I. But the real contrast is in the different strategy used by Santander, and in the resultant outcome. It is as though in the Draka universe, the Alliance had elected to fight in the time frame of "Under the Yoke", instead of staying at peace, paving the way to its disasterous fate in "Stone Dogs".

I like Mr. Drake's writting, but this book stunk; I got so disgusted with it that I stopped at page 171 out of 314.

The book is made up of a several short stories in which a group of Roman Soldiers battle Primitive Aliens. This Roman Legion lost a battle and their captors sold them into slavery. Unknown to the Roman's or the people who sold them, the buyer is an alien. The alien belongs to a Trade Confederation that is only allowed to war with people at the technological level of their opponent. That's where the Romans come in.

In Real History the Roman Legions proved that Soldiers will defeat Warriors every time, discipline makes all the difference. That's one of the truism that makes Military Fiction enjoyable, the idea that hard work and discipline will get you through tough times. The problem with this book is that there is no hope of a reward for the heroes at the end. The get injured, patched up, fight, get injured, patched up, and fight in a never ending cycle. There is no hope of freedom from slavery, no hope of every doing anything but fighting and dying, no hope of finding a wife, no hope of children; there's no hope of anything. A story with no hope is a drudgery. I'm still a fan of Mr. Drake's and I will still read his books, but I cannot recommend this one.

Although I've been a fan of military science fiction books for a while, this was my first introduction of David Drake. I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed. Other people have already done a great job of covering the plot, so I won't bore you by going over it again. However, I would like to point out that this book is not a collection of short stories. The book has several independent military campaigns in it, but they involve the same people and are interconnected. Also, while this book was written several years ago (mid-80's, I think), it doesn't feel dated they way many books from that era do.

The characters have a lot of dimension to them and they react in very human ways to the situations that they face. They also grow over the course of the book. I often found myself wondering how I would react if I was in their place.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in this book that you can point at and think "Wow, everyone should read this book!" There really are no grand or unique ideas presented; however, if you're looking to kill some time, this is a fine book to pick up. This would also be a good book to get someone interested in the Roman Empire, military fiction, or science fiction. Cheers!

Altho this book is not "new" , I was pleased to find that it has been reprinted. This was actually my first introduction to David Drake and his exciting style of military sci-fi. I am now able to replace my tattered copy!

To summarize the story line without belaboring the details , a Roman Legion is taken into captivity by starfaring aliens. The aliens then utilize the military prowess of the Romans to subjugate other low-tech planets (it seems that a galactic league of some sort prohibits the use of hi-tech force aginst primitives!). The Roman soldiers don't realize that they have been captive for several thousand years due to the time altering effects of light speed space travel , and sieze upon an opportunity to overthrow their captors. Drake then concludes the novel in a uniquely "Roman" manner! Great read--fun!