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Belisarius Triumphant, August 5, 2009
The Flames of Sunset (2009) is the third SF omnibus in the Belisarius series, following
Storm at Noontide. It contains
The Tide of Victory and
The Dance of Time. In the previous volumes, Belisarius has met the Malwa Empire troops in battle and defeated them by various stratagems. Now he heads into the heart of the Empire to finalize their defeat.
The Tide of Victory (2001) is the fifth SF novel in this series. After some last minute changes, the allied army splits into three attack vectors. Khusrau starts in Chabahari, marches inland to Sistan, and then crosses the desert to Sukkur. Belisarius takes Barbaricum and advances up the Indus toward Sukkur. The allied troops catch the Malwa forces in a classic hammer and anvil maneuver.
Meanwhile, under very high security, Kungas takes his Kushans to Marv and drives out the Malwa. Then he marches to Begram, which he makes his capital. Eventually, he takes the Khyber Pass and thereby starts a new front in the war against the Malwa.
In India, Venandakatra the Vile is having major problems with Damodara. He is not used to anyone telling him that he is foolish right in his face, so he orders Damodara to leave Bharakuccha. Damodara informs him that the army will be gone by the next evening.
Shakuntala is worried about Raghunath Rao. He has promised his wife that he will not risk his life until the succession is secure. After the baby is born, however, Rao will be paying a short visit with Venandakatra.
The Dance of Time (2006) is the sixth novel in this series. 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 and compares favorably with Sun Tzu, the Chinese student of war. But his strategy and tactics were based on the archaic war technology of the classical era. 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.
These novels conclude the series. If anyone has not previously read this series, it starts with
An Oblique Approach. Read and enjoy!
Highly recommended for Drake & Flint fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of great generals, psychological warfare, and battles against horrendous odds.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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