The Dance of Time

I have read all the books in this series, and this one is as good if not better than the rest. It finally ties up all the loose ends. If you enjoy military (science) fiction, than this is a good series for you.

This book does not disappoint. It brings to conclusion the entire series and makes me want to see a sequel as the earth develops along the new lines created by Justinian and Theodora.

The Dance of Time (2006) is the sixth novel in the Belisarius Series, following The Tide of Victory. In the previous volume, the allies have forced the Malwa back into northern India. Calopodius is blinded while commanding the defense of Bakkur Island. Narses has faked the death of Rana Sanga's wife and children and left them in the custody of Lady Damodara. The Damodara palace cellars are also a refuge for the family of Dadaji Holkar and the Roman cataphracts Valentinian and Anastasius. In this novel, Damodara finds himself under heavy pressure from the Mahaveda priests. When Rana Sanga says that he believes his family to still be alive, Damodara immediately thinks of Narses, the master manipulator. Then Narses confirms his suspicions and tells them the current location of the family. Damodara is quite irritated, but also feels a sense of relief; the die is cast and he is now free to pursue his own destiny. Calopodius finds a niche for himself as the director of communications for Belisarius. He also begins writing an official history of the war and the unofficial, but highly regarded, Dispatches to the Army. The wife of Calopodius the Blind pursues her husband into India, leaving confusion, better sanitation, and effective hospitals along her path. The Empress Regent Theodora allows the young Emperor Photius and his consort to travel to India by way of Egypt and Ethiopia. Antonina appoints Ousanas as angabo and husband of Eon's widow Rukaiya, then takes Ousanas out of Ethiopia with the Emperor's progression. Agathius and his wife join the progression at Charax. This series is another tale based on the life of Belisarius, arguably the best general of the Eastern Roman Empire. He may have been the best general of all time, but his strategy and tactics were based on the archaic war machines of his age. Thus Belisarius cannot be directly compared with Napoleon, Robert E. Lee, or other modern generals. Several science fiction and alternate history tales have provided Belisarius, or his equivalent, with artillery and other advanced weapons. Yet such fiction proves nothing about his inherent capability to accept and use such tools. However, it does prove the respect of these authors. This series is unusual in that such advanced weapons were developed from existing materials and technologies. Only the basic knowledge was imported from the future. In that respect, this series is much like De Camp's Lest Darkness Fall. Highly recommended for Flint & Drake fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of great generals, psychological warfare, and battles against horrendous odds. -Arthur W. Jordin

All good things must come to an end. The ONLY thing I hated about this book was that it is the last in the marvelous series that began with "An Oblique Approach", and continued with "In the Heart of Darkness", "Destiny's Shield", "Fortune's Stroke",and "The Tide of Victory." I've reviewed all of them in glowing terms, and I'm happy to say the final book is worthy of its predecessors. In many ways, this book comes down to the "bunker scene." We start out KNOWING the vile Malwa Empire is doomed, but Flint and Drake draw dramatic tension from other problems. Will LINK, the monster from the future escape, possibly to start over again and succeed next time? What sort of peace can people who have spent years as enemies create? How will the various empires fare, in a new history where the industrial revolution has been kicked off a millennium early? Flint and Drake show us all of the above and more, along with incidents funny and tragic, grand and small, as this story sweeps toward a conclusion both victorious and tragic. For examples, I'm never going to forget the Parable of the Onions. Or the Great Gamble... Or the Mongoose and his pupil... Or Calopodius... Or The Wife... and all the rest of the treasures, laughter, and tears this book holds. This series, as a whole, is a magnificent tapestry, with threads artfully woven together and apart, forming a marvelous and beautiful whole. Thank you Eric and David.

Unfortunately it had to happen at some point, the conculsion of the Belisaruis series... I found it to be a great read all in all. There where places in this the last book I could have wished for more detail, more pages or just that the series wasn't ending. But I must say that Eric Flint and David Drake have pulled off a conclusion to a series that in my mind is right up there at the top of the stack in science fiction! In case you don't recall, the series contains these books: An Oblique Approach, In the Heart of Darkness, Destiny's Shield, Fortune's Stroke, The Tide of Victory, The Dance of Time. In many tales of Science Fiction AI spells the downfall of humanity. We see it in film and print and it is becoming a phobia of the technology set even today. But here is a tale that says "No". A machine, no matter how smart, possessing no matter how much information of science and the history of war is no match for a human. Oh this is unmistakeably a human who is one in millions. But a being of flesh, bone and of breath none-the-less. It is in this tale that the authors show us what loyality and belief in a cause can do. What one man, one person can summon up to destroy evil. Oh it is a fictional series we say... But our history is full of men and woman who in greater or lesser measure have step in to the breach and for an measure of time, some longer than others have, have held the forcess of darkness at bay.