From Publishers Weekly
Barone returns to the cradle of civilization in his sanguinary sequel to
Dawn of Empire. Lord Eskkar, a former barbarian who earlier saved the city of Akkad from almost-certain defeat, and Lady Trella, an erstwhile slave and his wife, now rule the biggest city on the Tigris. Hoping to crush the bandits marauding in the countryside and extend Akkadian rule, Eskkar dispatches one band of soldiers south from Akkad and leads another north. In Eskkar's absence, Korthac, a newly arrived Egyptian warrior posing as a trader, schemes to infiltrate the city with his followers and seize power. Korthac sends assassins to track down Eskkar, and bandits south to ambush the returning Akkadian soldiers. Inside the city, his followers attack the soldiers left behind to keep order and take a pregnant Lady Trella prisoner. The ruthless Korthac plans to kill Trella once his rule is established, but, unknown to him, Eskkar survives and is preparing to retake the city. The frenetic action might be predictable, but it's never boring. The setting is convincingly rendered, and the characters—heroes and villains—are sharply drawn. Fans of ancient historical fiction will enjoy this instructive journey to the dawn of civilization.
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Review
“Never boring...the setting is convincingly rendered, and the characters--heroes and villains--are sharply drawn.” (Publishers Weekly )
“Beautifully imagined and researched adventure, with terrific action!” (Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author )
“[A] wonderful book! Big, passionate, powerful, epic...sheer story-telling prowess. I couldn’t put it down!” (--John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of THE HUNT CLUB )
“Barone knows his stuff and writes fluently of life, love, and war.” (John Lescroart )
“EMPIRE RISING is a winner from the first page to the last. Highly recommended.” (John Lescroart )
“Equal parts history lesson, love story and war saga, Barone’s first historical will have readers turning pages.” (Publishers Weekly )
“If Bernard Cornwell and Diana Gabaldon decided to collaborate on a novel, the result would be something like this.” (Arizona Republic )
“[A] compelling first novel ...Readers will find it hard to put down this dramatic tale of conflict.” (Library Journal )
