Destiny's Shield [Hardcover]

Eric Flint (Author), David Drake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

Cruel, ruthless, depraved, the Malwa Empire dominates 6th century India. And the thing from the distant future that commands it is far worse. Those in the future who oppose the Hell the Malwa will make of Earth have sent a crystal, Aide, to halt their advance. But Aide cannot act by himself. He has found a champion -- Count Belisarius of Byzantium, perhaps the greatest general of all time -- to help him defeat the enemies of humankind. No matter what it costs.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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. 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

From Publishers Weekly

Following up An Oblique Approach and In the Heart of Darkness, Flint and Drake continue their primitive warfare series set in a Roman empire that has been changed by the arrival of a time traveler. Known as "Aide," this crystalline entity, when held in the hand of the Roman general Count Belisarius, reveals enough of future technology and history that the Roman army in A.D. 531 is equipped with rockets and portable cannons, and supported by a network of semaphore towers. Ostensibly, Aide's motive is to help the Romans change the course of history by defeating their enemies, the Malwa, based in India, so that, in the distant future, Aide's people will not be enslaved by "the Great Ones." The Romans do alter the future through their actions, but the authors neither address the larger implications of time-travel paradoxes, nor reveal any of Aide's deeper motives. Instead, they dwell on the rather straightforward adventures of Belisarius, who leads the Roman army against the Malwa; his wife, Antonina, who spearheads the development of Roman weaponry; and the eight-year-old Roman emperor, Photius. The battle scenes and strategies are as expert as expected in a book with Drake's name on it, but the ending, though superficially winding up the series, has an inconclusive feel, as if there's at least one more episode to come. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 471 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671578170
• ISBN-13: 978-0671578176
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't wait for the paperback, December 13, 1999

By 

Michael Huston (Summerville, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Destiny's Shield (Hardcover)

I came across a novel on the Baen web page called, "1632" by an author unknown to me, Eric Flint. I read the first 21 chapters on the web page and knew that this was going to be one of the top authors in science fiction. ("1632" is like "Island in the Sea of Time" if it had been was written by Leo Frankowski.) I looked up what other books Eric Flint might have written and found this series, written with David Drake. I quickly read the first two books in the series, then had to buy the hardback of "Destiny's Shield." This is the third book in the series which began with, "An Oblique Approach." I missed reading "An Oblique Approach" when it first appeared at the book stores because I assumed it was just another pseudo historical science fiction novel. It IS set during height of the Eastern Roman Empire, in an alternate universe, but this is a GREAT pseudo historical science fiction novel. There is a certain similarity to "The General" series which David Drake also coauthored, but this is better. With "Destiny's Shield," the series just gets more interesting. I'm hooked, and now I have to wait for the next novel in the series.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully *large* canvas, June 7, 2000

By 

Geoffrey Kidd (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Destiny's Shield (Belisarius) (Mass Market Paperback)

Good Morning, General Belisarius. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, will be to lead your armies against overwhelming force led by the ultimate evil. If you lose, commit suicide, for humanity will enter an age of darkness that will never lift. If you or any of your companions are caught, you will face slow death by hideous torture. This message from the future will *NOT* self-destruct because you will *need* everthing it can teach you. Good luck.

With this, the third (of four so far) book in the series, the overall structure of the story is now plain. We get to watch Belisarius, his wife Antonina and their friends, like the I.M. force, begin forging a boom to lower on the Malwa. The true pleasure of this series is that it's on a much larger, far more beautiful, and incomparably better painted canvas. You don't HAVE to read the earlier books to follow the story. Eric Flint intersperses enough of a situation report into the tale that you can jump in and pretty much figure out what's going on. However, there is a lot of the fun getting to know these people over the course of several books.

As seems to be his habit, Flint's writing is superb, and the people, places, time and battles are well-drawn. Again, as always, there are wonderfully memorable scenes, including one particular sequence where Antonina comes into her own. If Belisarius is a Craftsmaster of War, she is a Cook, seasoning the siege of an impregnable fortress with a dash of force and a soupcon of violence in a display of lateral thinking that left me dumbfounded, admiring, awestruck, and laughing like hell.

Start to finish, this book is a pure delight, and I get to start on number four at once! I have only one complaint: I agree that - the maps could be better, since much of the ground of the story is unfamiliar to those of us who are not historians.

As always, Eric, thank you for hours of reading pleasure.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belisarius Strikes Back, October 26, 2008

By 

Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Destiny's Shield (Belisarius) (Mass Market Paperback)

Destiny's Shield (1999) is the third novel in the Belisarius series, following In the Heart of Darkness. In the previous volume, the traitors blinded Justinian and threatened Theodora. Narses killed John of Cappadocia and saved her life.

Thracian bucellarii, Greek cataphracts, and the infantry followed Belisarius into the Great Palace and drove off or captured the traitors inside. Then Belisarius led his troops to the Hippodrome to support Antonina and her grenadiers. The Theodora Cohort faced the mob within the Hippodrome and, with help from the cataphracts and infantry, devastated both them and the Malwa kshatriya.

Since Justinian was blind, he could no longer be Emperor. Theodora was a woman, so she couldn't be Emperor. That was a problem to be solved.

In India, Empress Shakuntala of Andhra convinced Dadaji Holkar to remain as her chief advisor. He agreed as long as his master -- Belisarius -- allowed him to do so. She also forced him to face the need to find his family.

In this novel, Photius -- Antonina's eight year old son -- is adopted by Justinian and Theodora and then acclaimed as the Emperor. Theodora will be his regnant and Justinian his advisor. Hypatia will be his governess and Justin his chief bodyguard. Belisarius will be his strategos and Antonina his comfort.

Baresmanas of the Suren is the new Persian Ambassador. His audience is the first public appearance of the new emperor. He worries Photius until the young emperor makes a slight mistake in his greeting for the ambassador. When Baresmanas smiles warmly at his recovery, Photius is relieved. Baresmanas suddenly reminds Photius of his stepfather Belisarius.

After putting Photius to bed, Antonina joins a conference with the Persian ambassador. Baresmanas is just concluding a long and involved speech warning the Romans against interfering in the secession in Persia. As he is finishing his remarks, Irene Macrembolitissa ushers in a Persian officer, who whispers in the ambassador's ear.

When the ambassador withdraws to speak to his own entourage, Irene passes on the gist of the news. Persia has been invaded by the Malwa. Khusrau -- the new King of Kings -- has instructed Baresmanas to ask for Roman aid.

The Romans can only provide about ten thousand men under Belisarius. They must leave troops along the Danube to keep out the barbarian tribes and the cataphracts under Sittas must remain in Rome to ensure its stability after the attempted coup. Moreover, they need to send troops to Egypt to put down a revolt by the patriarch and the army commander.

In this story, Belisarius leaves for Persia with his troops and the Persian ambassador. He and the Persians will face an army of two hundred thousand men. Only the Malwa could raise and support as army of this size.

The King of Kings is encamped within the ruins of Babylon. The bulk of the Malwa army has his army under siege, but cavalry units are scouring the rest of the country. Only Belisarius and his forces are available to counter these Malwa troops.

Antonina is leading the expedition against their opponents within Egypt. She has the Theodora Cohort, an infantry legion and five hundred cataphracts as well as hundreds of the newly formed order of the Knights Hospitaler. She also has Ashot as her military advisor and Irene as her intelligence advisor.

When they reach the harbor of Alexandria, the naval command tries to prevent their entry. Antonina lets their delegation board her ship, listens to their offensive remarks, and then has them bound and gagged. John of Rhodes brings in the gunship Theodora and clears out the blocking dromons.

Empress Shakuntala is having problems with her maternal grandfather. He is demanding her departure from Kerala and is neglecting to block assassination attempts against her. In talks with his advisors, the empress agrees to leave if her grandfather pays for transportation and supplies. Otherwise, her Marathas may well take his kingdom from him.

This tale brings the first military victories against the Malwa. Of course, the Malwa losses are minor compared to their total strength, but the victories by Belisarius greatly increase the morale of the allies. Then Great Lady Holi -- and Link -- come to Persia to take direct charge of the Malwa forces.

This volume includes almost every form of armed conflict other than the use of weapons of mass destruction. Still, Belisarius creates his own weapon of mass destruction. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Drake & Flint fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of military and naval combat and political intrigue in a war against evil.

-Arthur W. Jordin