Belisarius Series by Eric Flint, David Drake

Only three things stand between the Malwa and the conquest of Earth: Byzantium, the empire of Rome in the East; a crystal that urges mankind to fight; and Belisarius, general of the Byzantine Empire, and arguably the greatest commmander the Earth has ever known.

The Malwa Empire, using gunpowder weapons and ruthless terror, has conquered 6th century India and is forging the subcontinent's vast population into an invincible weapon of tyranny. The supermind that commands the Malwa intends first to rule the world and then to set its inexorable stamp over all eternity. No action is too bestial for the supermind to order, nor for its Malwa lackeys to execute.Belisarius, the finest general of his, or any age, must save the world if he can... moreThe Malwa Empire, using gunpowder weapons and ruthless terror, has conquered 6th century India and is forging the subcontinent's vast population into an invincible weapon of tyranny. The supermind that commands the Malwa intends first to rule the world and then to set its inexorable stamp over all eternity. No action is too bestial for the supermind to order, nor for its Malwa lackeys to execute.Belisarius, the finest general of his, or any age, must save the world if he can. Graded 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. Against them are numbers, savagery, and an icy, inhuman intelligence that is without weakness or mercy.In Constantinople, those who would oppose evil face not only Malwa assassins and home-grown traitors but also the suspicions of the emperor himself: Justinian the Great, whose brilliant, febrile mind sees a threat from any competence and a plot in any counsel. If the truth comes out, the only question is whether Malwa daggers or Justinian's executioners wilt get to the patriots first.As Belisarius fights his way across the chaos of northern India, Constantinople explodes in a tumult that could destroy the city, the empire, and all hope for mankind. Courage and cunning must face overwhelming evil — But when Belisarius leads the forces of good, only a fool would side with evil. less

Two complete novels in one volume—the beginning of the Belisarius saga.An Oblique Approach : In northern India the Malwa have created an empire of unexampled evil. Guided or possessed by an intelligence from beyond time, with new weapons, old treachery, and an implacable will to power, the Malwa will sweep over the whole Earth... moreTwo complete novels in one volume—the beginning of the Belisarius saga.An Oblique Approach : In northern India the Malwa have created an empire of unexampled evil. Guided or possessed by an intelligence from beyond time, with new weapons, old treachery, and an implacable will to power, the Malwa will sweep over the whole Earth. Only three things stand between the Malwa and their plan of eternal domination: the empire of Rome in the East, Byzantium; a crystal with vision; and a man named Belisarius, the greatest commander Earth has ever known.In the Heart of Darkness : Having conquered sixth century India, the Malwa Empire 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. less

Eric Flint and David Drake's alt-history epic devoted to real-life Byzantine butt-kicker Belisarius has reached part three--Destiny's Shield--and this installment finally busts loose with some serious head-to-head. Everybody's favorite general is leading an outnumbered Roman-Persian force to check Malwa aggression in the east, forced to action by the fiends' sea-borne invasion of the Tigris-Euphrates delta and their subsequent siege of Babylon... moreEric Flint and David Drake's alt-history epic devoted to real-life Byzantine butt-kicker Belisarius has reached part three--Destiny's Shield--and this installment finally busts loose with some serious head-to-head. Everybody's favorite general is leading an outnumbered Roman-Persian force to check Malwa aggression in the east, forced to action by the fiends' sea-borne invasion of the Tigris-Euphrates delta and their subsequent siege of Babylon. For those unfamiliar with the series, this what-if puts the Malwa Empire in control of the Indian subcontinent thanks to diabolical assistance from across time, granting their forces superior strategy and advanced weaponry. But the ever-canny Belisarius is equal to the challenge, with no small help from a telepathic crystal named Aid that acts as both adviser and seer.The writing tandem of Flint and Drake still proves strong--relative newcomer Flint (Mother of Demons) seems well-paired with military-SF powerhouse Drake, creator of "the meanest bunch of mercs who ever nuked a world for pay" (that'd be Hammer's Slammers, natch). The two offer up their usual dose of meticulous historical detail and realistic, mud-and-blood combat and tactics. Throw in some time-bending fun like Belisarius's "invention" of the Knights Hospitaler and phrases like "fire in the hole," and you know you're in for a good time. (Of course, if you're new to the series, check out the first book, An Oblique Approach.) --Paul Hughes less

Aide, a human soul embodied in a jewel, journeys back in time to join forces with Belisarius, the greatest general of the sixth century, to stop Link, an evil supercomputer that is using its vast powers to rewrite history to create the powerful, technologically advance Malwa Empire. Reprint.

1.       The Belisarius series has been very popular, with over a quarter of a million copies in print. 2.       Eric Flint is co-author of three New York Times best sellers: 1634: The Galileo Affair, 1634: The Baltic War and 1634: The Bavarian Crisis. 3.       David Drake has written many bestsellers, including the Hammer’s Slammers series for Baen, and the Lord of the Isles series for Tor. 4.     Eric Flint is a brilliant star of fantasy and science fiction... more1.       The Belisarius series has been very popular, with over a quarter of a million copies in print. 2.       Eric Flint is co-author of three New York Times best sellers: 1634: The Galileo Affair, 1634: The Baltic War and 1634: The Bavarian Crisis. 3.       David Drake has written many bestsellers, including the Hammer’s Slammers series for Baen, and the Lord of the Isles series for Tor. 4.     Eric Flint is a brilliant star of fantasy and science fiction. His alternate history novel, 1632, is a strong seller in mass market, with an 87% sell through to date, and strong critical praise, as from Publishers Weekly, which called it “gripping and expertly detailed.” 5.       Advertising in Locus, more 6.       Simultaneous hardcover and trade paperback editions. 7.       Co-op availableContinuing the popular Belisarius saga, with two full-length novels in one volume.   Destiny’s Shield: Evil from beyond time: The Malwa Empire squats like a toad across sixth century India, commanded by ruthless men with depraved appetites. But the thing from the distant future that commands them is far worse. Those who oppose the purulent Hell the Malwa will make of Earth have sent a crystal, Aide, to halt their advance. Aide holds all human knowledge—but cannot act by himself. That requires Count Belisarius, the greatest general fo the age and perhaps of all ages, who must outwit the evil empire—and then, when there is no longer room to maneuver, to meet it sword-edge to sword-edge, lest evil beyond human conception rules the world forever.   Fortune’s Stroke: Link, the supercomputer from a future that should not, must not exist has used terror and gunpowder weapons to forge the Malwa Empire on the Indian subcontinent. Aide and Belisarius have led the armies of Byzantium and blunted the first assault of the Malwa hordes. Now he and his allies from all the world face overwhelming numbers in a ring that tightens about them. The armies of Good and Evil gathered on the fertile plains of Mesopotamia will decide the fate of the world—and the fate of all the future. less

Armed with lancers, breech-loading rifles, steamships, and galleys, General Belisarius, accompanied by his own ally from the future, ventures into the Malwa Empire, a sixth-century kingdom ruled by Link, a horrifying and evil entity from the future.

The Malwa and their evil have been driven back to their Indian heartland, but there they coil to strike again. Ruled by a monster from the future which is part computer and part demon, they prepare a fresh attack whose success will leave them rulers of the world—and the monster that guides the Malwa will rule the whole future! Belisarius, the greatest general of his age, has arrayed the forces of Mankind against the Malwa evil... moreThe Malwa and their evil have been driven back to their Indian heartland, but there they coil to strike again. Ruled by a monster from the future which is part computer and part demon, they prepare a fresh attack whose success will leave them rulers of the world—and the monster that guides the Malwa will rule the whole future! Belisarius, the greatest general of his age, has arrayed the forces of Mankind against the Malwa evil. On his breast is the jewel sent to his support from a future of hope and freedom, willing to guide him but never to direct his actions. Behind him are allies from across Europe, Asia and Africa--mutually distrustful but aware that neither they nor Mankind have any hope if the Malwa prevail. Belisarius faces armies and assassins, ruthless brutality and inhuman cruelty. There is no hope for Mankind if he fails—so he must not fail! less

Concluding the popular Belisarius saga, with two full-length novels in one volume: The Tide of Victory: The creators of the monster called Link once were human, but that was distant ages in their past. Now, from the far future, they have sent their creation back to rule the Malwa Empire, then to conquer and shape the world of the sixth century A.D. into the form that will make their own foul existence possible... moreConcluding the popular Belisarius saga, with two full-length novels in one volume: The Tide of Victory: The creators of the monster called Link once were human, but that was distant ages in their past. Now, from the far future, they have sent their creation back to rule the Malwa Empire, then to conquer and shape the world of the sixth century A.D. into the form that will make their own foul existence possible. Those in the future who never were human have sent their own messenger to the past: Aide, a gleaming jewel who has come to Belisarius, the greatest general of the sixth century and perhaps any century. Between them they have forged an alliance of all the world against the evil fro the far future—and an army that can be the spear through evil’s heart. The Dance of Time: The Malwa and their evil have been driven back to their Indian heartland, but there they coil to strike again. Ruled by a monster from the future that is part computer and part demon, they prepare a fresh attack whose success will leave them rulers of the world—and the monster that guides the Malwa will rule the whole future. Guided by Aide, Belisarius has arrayed the forces of Mankind against the Malwa evil. There is no hope for Mankind if he fails—so he must not fail! The triumphant conclusion of the Belisarius saga. less