Fortune's Stroke

Fortune's Stroke (2000) is the fourth novel in the Belisarius series, following Destiny's Shield. In the previous volume, the Malwa army lifted the siege of Babylon and pulled their troops back to Charax. Shakuntala had a discussion about her marriage prospects in Suppara, but Kungas recommended that she wait for further developments. The Persians offered a bride to the Emperor of Rome. Photius was appalled at the idea until his friends pointed out the advantages to the common people of Rome. Then the emperor joined in the celebration and even got a little drunk. In this novel, Belisarius faces Lord Damodara and the Rajputs in the Zagros mountains. He scouts out the terrain and almost gets caught by an ambush set for him by Rana Sanga, but Belisarius and his bodyguards elude the Rajputs. Belisarius certainly deserves the rebukes he receives from his friends for underestimating his opponents. Sanga later inspects the scene and tells his subordinate that he had expected the ambush to fail. He also agrees with Pratap that there was no reason for following the Romans through the qanat and plenty of reasons not to do so. Both of them have a profound respect for the ability of Valentinian, not to mention the other Romans. Antonina is getting a tour of the city of Axum with Eon while his father Kaleb is consulting with the imperial advisors about the proposals from Rome. They are returning to the royal compound when she sees three men -- one an Indian -- running away from the compound. Then Ousanas tackles both Eon and Antonina and takes them to the ground just as a huge explosion destroys the buildings. The negusa nagast and his eldest son died in the explosion. Now Eon is the only remaining heir to the throne. After a brief -- and largely symbolic -- trial of the dawazz Ousanas, Eon is conferred with the title of negusa nagast. He immediately begins planning for revenge against the Malwa and their dupes. In Suppara, Irene Macrembolitissa -- Roman ambassador to the rebels in southern India -- literally runs into Kungas in the halls of the palace. She has been briefed by Belisarius, but doesn't expect much from an illiterate barbarian. Then she learns a little more about him and gains ample respect for the man. He is certainly illiterate, but he is not a barbarian. So she starts teaching him to read. Then Irene has a private meeting with Dadaji Holkar, Shakuntala's peshwa and the former slave of Belisarius. She is expecting his arrival. Irene now has an extensive network of spies and volunteers to search for Dadaji's wife, son and two daughters before he can even ask for her help. In this story, Rana Sanga realizes that Belisarius is blocking them from turning to the south. Lord Damodara agrees and the two decide to continue to the north into whatever trap Belisarius has contrived. When the Ye-tai object to marching rather than attacking the pass, Damodara gives them the honor of leading the march. Let the Ye-tai bear the

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.

This book carries on the tradition of a fine series. It has strong character development and good continuity with the previous books in the series. Belisarius continues to vex the Malwa with the assistance of his loyal supporters and Aide(his crystalline guide from the future). It also expands the role of those supporters considerably, making Belisarius seem more human.

Got it. Read it in one long sitting. Wasted a whole day. Except it wasn't a waste, because it's an excellent book. There's more action among the other characters, but Belisarius remains at the center of this story. Aide becomes more humanized (and occasionally a bit *too* cute), and the story continues. If you liked the earlier books, you'll like this one; it's every bit as good. Also, this book (very much like early Heinlein) is not only a great story, but one with a moral point. It's not heavy-handed, but it's there, and it's good. Bravo!

This is the fifth Eric Flint book I've read. I suppose it's possible that some day he'll write a bad book, but I won't be able to review it because the shock will have killed me. This one didn't disappoint me in the least. Belisarius doesn't figure as centrally in this one as in the previous three books, simply because Flint gives more room to the vitally-needed Rome-Axum alliance and to Shakuntala, Rhagunath Rao, and the Deccan Revolt. With the possible exception of Churchill, nobody has ever changed the course of a war single-handed, and even Belisarius can't manage this one alone. Fortunately, Belisarius has friends, without whose help he would find himself out on the end of a long tree limb, and find the Malwa standing behind him with chainsaws. Antonina, Eon, Ousanas, Shakuntala, Irene Makrembolitassa, Kungas, and Rhagunath Rao are all people well worth spending time with. I'd have liked to see a bit more of Byzantium and what's going on back there in this book, but that can wait. We'll be going back. The really neat thing about this book is that Flint understands that, while wars aren't won without combat, the true battle is always in people's minds and souls. Two scenes in the book bring this out starkly. In one scene (no spoilers here) Belisarius does more damage to the Malwa in ten minutes with his wits, wisdom and words, than in the entire Battle of Charax. He did it so neatly that I didn't even realize the Malwa had been stabbed through the belly until the book was almost over. In the other scene, we encounter the *true* depths of the Malwa evil. The key section occupied only two paragraphs, but when I finished them, I felt as if somebody had dripped icewater down my spine. This is *writing*! The book is, of course, part of a series, so we don't see how the whole story comes out, but the ending, like those of the earlier books, is both logically and emotionally satisfying. We are allowed to rejoice with our friends even as we realize that the REAL work lies ahead. There are now three living authors whose new books I'm willing to buy sight unseen on the strength of their names. Poul Anderson, Lois McMaster Bujold, and now, Eric Flint. Once more, thank you Eric. I'm looking forward to the next Belisarius book, to "Rats, Bats and Vats" later this year, and "1633" next year. Peace and blessings.