Hammer and Anvil [Mass Market Paperback]

Hammer and Anvil (1996) is the second fantasy novel in the Time of Troubles series, following The Stolen Throne. In the previous volume, Avtokrator Likinios of Videssos is overthrown by one of his generals and his family is wiped out. Sharbaraz King of Kings decides to take back the lands relinquished to Likinios while punishing the usurper Genesios.

In this novel, the Maniakai had been banished to Kalavria by Likinios after Sharbaraz was restored to his throne and then they had been left in exile by Genesios. The elder Maniakes is Governor of the island and the younger Maniakes is his deputy. Their residence is within the fortress above Kastavala, the main city on the island.

After half a dozen years on the island, the Maniakai spot a ship heading toward the harbor and the younger Maniakes goes down to the quay to learn the news. The ship is carrying passengers, grandees from Videssos the City. They all want to talk to Maniakes the Elder.

Kourikos is the spokesman for the group and also the father of the younger Maniakes's betrothed Niphone. When the elder Maniakes comes into their presence, the grandees all fall into a full proskenesis before him. They have come to ask him to overthrow Genesios and take the throne of the empire.

Genesios has been a very bad Avtokrator, killing his supposed enemies right and left and ignoring the depredations of the Kubratoi and the Makuraners. He is widely hated and feared, but admired by none. The basic question is whether anyone will defend his right to the throne.

Maniakes the Elder refuses to try for the throne, but he offers his son as an alternative. The grandees agree to back Maniakes the Younger for Avtokrator, but not without inner doubts. The younger Maniakes and his cousin Rhegorios sail with most of the ships and troops of Kalavria to overcome the current Avtokrator.

In this story, the small fleet sails across the Sailors' Sea to Opsikion, another provincial city larger than Kastavala. There the governor, the military and naval leaders, and most of the citizenry join his cause. After integrating the army with his troops, Rhegorios heads overland toward Videssos the City.

Maniakes the Younger adds the naval forces of Opsikion to his own and sails toward the Key, a major naval base protecting Videssos the City. About a third of the fleet join him before he gets to the Key and most of the rest declare for him near the island. While he is integrating his forces and planning the battle ahead, a sorcerer attacks him and the naval commander Erinakios. Bagdasares the wizard saves him, but Erinakios is murdered.

When they reach Videssos the City, the sailors have to protect him from the adoring mob. Genesios flees the palace, but is found by the sailors. Maniakes the Younger executes him on the spot.

This story puts the younger Maniakes on the throne, but he is faced by all the problems created by Genesios. The Makuraners are still in the westlands and the Kubratoi are still raiding in the north. The treasury in very low and the army troopers are scarce. He institutes a recruiting and training program, but no revenues are coming in from much of the empire.

Avtokrator Maniakes sends for his father, uncle and cousin in Kastavala to come to Videssos the City and sends messages out to commanders in the westlands asking about his brothers. He receives word that Tatoules is missing in action and may be a prisoner of the Makuraners. He hears nothing at all about Parsmanios.

Avtokrator Maniakes tries several times to turn things around, but has little success. He keeps trying to do more than Videssos is capable of doing at the time. Things are looking very gloomy for his reign.

This tale is loosely based on the history of the Byzantine Empire, starting with the overthrow of Phokas in 610 AD and the ascension of Heraclius as emperor. The story presents a modified -- and enhanced -- version of these historical events. The reversed and distorted geography and renamed sites are only the start of these modifications. The character names are also changed. However, little is actually known of this period in Byzantine history, so there is plenty of room for creative expression in the dialogues.

This work ends with an upturn in the fortunes of Avtokrator Maniakes and his empire. Hopefully, the next volume will continue this trend. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Turtledove fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of foreign cultures, military combat, and marital relations.

-Arthur W. Jordin

In which Maniakes seeks the throne of Videssos ...

This is the second of the original four books of the "Time of Troubles" quartet. It is set in the same world as the "Misplaced Legion" books, but several hundred years earlier. Anyone buying the books of this sequence has to be careful because of a change in the way the volumes are organised in more recent printings.

As originally published, the four books of this story were:

"The Stolen Throne"
"Hammer and Anvil"
"The Thousand Cities"
"Videssos Besieged"

"The Stolen Throne" and "Hammer and Anvil" have also been published together as "The Time of Troubles Part I"; similarly "The Thousand Cities" and "Videssos Besieged" are published together as "The Time of Troubles Part II".

The "Time of Troubles" series works best if you read the components in chronological order, but it does not particularly matter whether you read them before or after the "Misplaced Legion" or "Krispos" books.

"The Stolen Throne" is told from the viewpoint of Maniakes, son of Maniakes, who helped Abivard put the rightful King of Kings back on the throne of Makuran in the first book.

At the start of the book a vile usurper and tyrant, Genesios, is on the throne of Videssos. Fearing a potential rival, the previous legitimate Emperor had sent the Maniakes clan to a distant island where the father was made governor. Consequently they were not at hand to be executed when Genesios launched a reign of terror in which he killed almost every prominent man in Videssos the City. But to save the city, Maniakes is asked to proclaim himself emperor...

The central figure of "Bridge of the Separator" and principal bad guy from the "Misplaced Legion" quartet, Rhavas or Avshar, has an offstage part in this book. Genesios has a very powerful court wizard, who is noy named but who is very obviously Rhavas: the cover art shows a monster which Rhavas sends to attack Maniakes in his bed. Very fortunately for Maniakes, at some stage since "Bridge of the Separator" Rhavas appears to have lost the power to make anyone literally drop dead just by cursing them.

This series alternates between books told from the viewpoint of Abivard the general of Makuran, and books told from the viewpoint of the Videssian, Maniakes.

I enjoyed "The Time of Troubles" sequence and recommend it.

There are currently 12 novels set in the "Videssos" universe of which "Hammer and Anvil" is chronologically the third. The full list is as follows (dates assume that years in Videssos correspond to those in our world.)

c. 850 BC - "Bridge of the Separator"

c. 700 BC - The Time of Troubles series

"The Stolen Throne"
"Hammer and Anvil"
"The Thousand Cities"
"Videssos Besieged"


c. 550 BC - "The Tale of Krispos" trilogy

"Krispos Rising"
"Krispos of Videssos"
"Krispos the Emperor"

56 BC - "The Misplaced Legion" quartet

"The Misplaced Legion"
"An Emperor for the Legion"
"The Legion of Videssos"
"Swords of the Legion"

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars