In the Heart of Darkness: Amazon.ca: David Drake, Eric Flint: Books

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by Eric Flint

4.1 out of 5 stars (21)

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Product Description

Belisarius, the great general, is all that stands between the alien Malwa and domination of sixth-century Earth. The supermind that controls the Malwa, intends first to rule the world and then to put its stamp upon all eternity. And Belisarius has another enemy to contend with, closer to home.

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The Malwa Empire has conquered 6th century India and is forging the subcontinent's vast population into an invincible weapon of tyranny. Belisarius, the finest general of his age, must save the world. Guided by visions from a future that may never be, he and a band of comrades penetrate the Malwa heartland, seeking the core of the enemy's power. And when Belisarius leads the forces of good, only a fool would side with evil.

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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars The 2nd of a great series, Jun 17 2004

By	Michael Lynn Mcguire "mmcguire" (Sugar Land, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great, great, great book. I especially enjoy a great series since I sometimes read 2 to 3 books a week. Very engaging, the characters are real and well developed, the plot is very interesting. I generally do not go in for alternate history but this one draws me in for some reason.

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5.0 out of 5 stars "Deadly with his mind is Belisarius", Jan 6 2003

By	Yiwei Sun (Tucker, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This book and its series is the achime of military sci-fi. It broadens the scope of battle beyond mere skirmishes and brings it into the full context of inter-continental warfare with a Roman era technological base that is further enhanced by a living intelligence from the future, with all the knowledge that represents. It is the mix of the old and the new, the profound and the pragmatic, and finally the just and the unjust. This is a book about evil men and their weaknesses just as it is about General Belisarius and his ability to command. This book and its series differentiate the exact facets of what makes your enemy tick and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage and your enemies' disadvantage. It logically and consistently combines such military maxims as "Peace through superior firepower", "Taking an enemy intact without a fight is the achime of battle", "The First rule of battle is that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy", and "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".

The battle with the Malwa have almost reached its head. This story features the conclusion of the Byzantine politics in Rome, for better or for worse. Every facets that Belisarius can gather is being readied for the war with Malwa. Belisarius has succeeded in his "Oblique Approach" and has set up the environment necessary to beat his enemy into obliteration. The next step will be taken by Malwa, in the "Destiny's Shield".

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4.0 out of 5 stars The saga continues..., April 29 2001

By	N. Dodson "wheatpuppy" (South Dakota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those of you who have not read AN OBLIQUE APPROACH, I suggest you do so before reading this book. It may not be strictly necessary, but it will make the series more enjoyable for you. For followers of the series, this is a strong follow-up to the first book. Depending more on individual action than intricate battle-plans, it makes a refreshing change of pace that is still absorbing.

In this second installment of the Belisarius series, Our Hero has rescued the Empress Shakuntala and finally meets his ultimate enemy face-to-face. Link, the supercomputer from the future, lives in the body of one of the Malwa royalty. Unable to hide his true intentions from the mind-reading machine, Belisarius is forced to flee India. His African, Roman, and Indian friends split up to help confuse pursuit, and much of the book is taken up with their various escapades.

On the home front, Antonina and Theodora are dealing with treachery and treason as Malwa and Romans ally to overthrow the Emperor. Antonina has not been a sluggard while her husband was away; she is the leader of the newly formed cohort of grenadiers. Rioting in the streets, attempted assassinations, and the best efforts of the Malwa empire are no match for Belisarius and his wife, but tragedy does strike the Emperor Justinian in the end.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection in Storytelling
It's difficult to review a perfect book like this one. Every superlative in the language would merely be redundant. Read more

Published on Jun 1 2000 by Geoffrey Kidd

5.0 out of 5 stars Grand SF Strategy on an Earthly Plane
This series is, to my mind the best stuff Flint and Drake have done so far. It is fun to watch generals, armies and empires rise in fantasy lands, but I get a little more joy in... Read more

Published on April 27 2000 by A fan

1.0 out of 5 stars This new series should be avoided by Drake fans.
Drake's second visit to the Belisarius model falls very far short of his first, The General series. I am an avid fan of all Drake's work and in particular have read and re-read... Read more

Published on Jul 21 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY VIBRANT CHARACTERS, READS LIKE A FLASHING METEOR
THIS BOOK WAS A PLEASURE TO READ.( JUST LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR, AN OBLIQUE APPROACH.) I PARTICULARLY ENJOY THE CREDIT GIVEN TO BELISARIUS' ABILITIES. Read more

Published on Mar 17 1999