10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Videssians Between the Rivers, October 29, 2007
This review is from: The Thousand Cities (Times of Troubles , No 3) (Book III) (Mass Market Paperback)
The Thousand Cities (1997) is the third novel in The Time of Troubles series, following
Hammer and Anvil. In the previous volume, the Makurans raided through the westlands with little opposition. Yet they couldn't get across the Cattle Crossing to attack Videssos the City.
The Videssians concentrated on the Kubratoi, using the hammer and anvil technique against the nomads with great success. Then Avtokrator Maniakes started landing troops on the coast of the westlands to hit the Makuraner troops and flee back to the ships. The Videssian troops regained their confidence during these operations.
In this novel, Abivard is still within Across staring at Videssos the City and cursing the domon patrols in the strait. He is determinely trying to make the priests of Phos preach the heretical doctrines of the Vaspurakaners, but he believes the religious policies of Sharbaraz King of Kings will cause more trouble than otherwise. In Vaspurakan, the Makurans are having even more trouble trying to get the local priests to teach the doctrines of the Makuraner religion.
Soon Abivard receives word that Vaspurakaners are revolting. Vshnasp marzban is dead at the hand of the Vaspurakaners and his successor-- Mikhran marzban -- needs assistance to put down the revolt. Abivard gathers up all the troops in Across and rides off to Vaspurakan.
He doesn't try to take the Vaspurakaner fortresses on the way, but does fight forces deployed against him. He also burns the fields outside any fortification that tries to oppose his march. Then he breaks the siege at Poskh, but now he has to stop the revolution.
After discussing the events with Mikhran and various locals, Abivard travels to Shahapivan to speak to Hmayeak, the senior priest in the Vaspurkaner sect. Tatul -- the nakharar of Shahapivan -- refuses to let holy Hmayeak come to Abivard's tent, so Abivard asks to be admitted into the city. Tatul is dumbfounded at the request, but goes to consult Hmayeak.
Although Abivard is allowed within the city, he is not permitted within the shrine itself lest he defile it with his bloody presence. He talks to Hmayeak outside the doors and agrees that the Vaspurakaners can continue to worship Phos. Now he only has to convince Sharbaraz King of Kings.
Abivard drafts a letter to Sharbaraz and Mikhran cosigns it. Although he explains that the Vaspurakaners will be allowed to worship in their own way, he makes that news sound less significant than putting down the revolt. They only hope that Sharbaraz will focus on the good parts and overlook the bad parts of the message.
As Abivard waits for Sharbaraz's response, the first blizzard roars into Vaspurakan from the northwest. He makes sure all the men are adequately sheltered against the cold. During a lull, a courier rides in with a message from Sharbaraz. Abivard is to come to Mashiz at once.
In this story, Maniakes lands his troops in Lyssaion on the southern coast of the westlands. Then he takes his troops to the northwest to attack the Thousand Cities. Abivard is sent to the land between the rivers to stop Maniakes. Yet he only has the cavalry escort that accompanied him to Mashiz and the sole troops in the area are the local city guards.
As Abivard moves through the Thousand Cities, he musters the local militias, but initially finds only dregs and incompetents. Moreover, they are armed only with knives and clubs. Eventually, he reaches Harpar, just east of the Tib, where the local troops are half competent and armed with bows.
Abivard gathers more troops and trains them as they march. When he finally reaches the vicinity of the Videssian army, his troops are numerous and fairly competent. Still, they are only infantry facing Videssian cavalry.
Abivard starts harassing the Videssians with a night attack. When Maniakes moves off the next morning, Abivard follows him, but the Videssian cavalry can move faster than his infantry. So Abivard puts his soldiers on rafts and sails after the Videssians.
Abivard's troops stand firm when attacked, but still cannot move as fast as the Videssians. He sends a message to Romezan in Vaspurakan, with a copy to Sharbaraz, requesting him to bring the cavalry to assist him in the Thousand Cities. Sharbaraz responds with a message that he is countermanding Abivard's request, but Romezan comes anyway. The Makuraner cavalry and two rivers infantry jointly drive Maniakes out of the land between the rivers.
This story tells of the two years of war within the Thousand Cities and the gradual comprehension by Sharbaraz of the necessities of such warfare. Abivard slowly builds the two rivers infantry into a solid military force. They even become competent in joint operations with the Makuraner cavalry.
One thing that Sharbaraz learns from these failures is the importance of a navy. His countrymen are not sailors and they have no shipyards, for the Empire of Makuran is completely landlocked. All their rivers and streams are inland waters. Still, he starts to wonder how they can overcome this lack.
Highly recommended for Turtledove fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of land combat, military ingenuity, and political intrigue.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Time of Troubles" part three of four, November 25, 2006
This review is from: The Thousand Cities (Times of Troubles , No 3) (Book III) (Mass Market Paperback)
In which Abivard has to defend Makuran against Maniakes of Videssos ...
This is the third of the original four books of the "Time of Troubles" quartet. It is set in the same world as the "Misplaced Legion" books, but several hundred years earlier. Anyone buying the books of this sequence has to be careful because of a change in the way the volumes are organised in more recent printings.
As originally published, the four books of this story were:
"The Stolen Throne"
"Hammer and Anvil"
"The Thousand Cities"
"Videssos Besieged"
"The Stolen Throne" and "Hammer and Anvil" have also been published together as "The Time of Troubles Part I"; similarly "The Thousand Cities" and "Videssos Besieged" are published together as "The Time of Troubles Part II".
The "Time of Troubles" series works best if you read the components in chronological order, but it does not particularly matter whether you read them before or after the "Misplaced Legion" or "Krispos" books.
"The Thousand Cities" is told from the viewpoint of Abivard, now the principal general of Makuran. Maniakes, son of Maniakes, who helped Abivard put the rightful King of Kings back on the throne of Makuran in the first book, and became Emperor of Videssos in the second book, invades Makuran seeking to recover the territory his empire has lost. Abivard has to fight off the attack from his old friend and ally - while the King of Kings who owes Abivard his throne is becoming dangerously distrustful of Abivard ...
This series alternates between books told from the viewpoint of Abivard the general of Makuran, and books told from the viewpoint of the Emperor of Videssos, Maniakes.
I enjoyed "The Time of Troubles" sequence and recommend ir.
There are currently 12 novels set in the "Videssos" universe of which "The Thousand Cities" is chronologically the fourth. The full list is as follows (dates assume that years in Videssos correspond to those in our world.)
c. 850 BC - "Bridge of the Separator"
c. 700 BC - The Time of Troubles series
"The Stolen Throne"
"Hammer and Anvil"
"The Thousand Cities"
"Videssos Besieged"
c. 550 BC - "The Tale of Krispos" trilogy
"Krispos Rising"
"Krispos of Videssos"
"Krispos the Emperor"
56 BC - "The Misplaced Legion" quartet
"The Misplaced Legion"
"An Emperor for the Legion"
"The Legion of Videssos"
"Swords of the Legion"
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Times of Troubles or is it May you live in interesting times, January 6, 2000
This review is from: The Thousand Cities (Times of Troubles , No 3) (Book III) (Mass Market Paperback)
Harry Turtledove does brilliantly what very few can do well. He takes history and says what if...
In Time of Troubles, Turtledove takes the Oriental-like Empire Makuran and leads you through the struggles of Abivard, Marshal of the Makuran Army, to uphold his ruler's, the King of King Sharbaraz, orders.
Reintroducing Abivard (the hero of the first book in the series) is a lesson in change. Life has gone very well for Abivard, but you can tell how much he has changed and matured in his years of war with Videssos. But not just Abivard has changed... his entire empire has changed. Having regained the upper hand against Videssos, all Makuran characters seem to exude a confidence in their superior ability.
Turtledove brilliantly shows what can happen to an army and a nation when their confidence is shaken and what happens when they gain that confidence.
As all of his Vidissian stories are, Turtledove one again sets the tale in the lifetime of Avshar.
I, for one, would like to see him take up a tale several years after The Videssos Cycle and start a new tale, post-Avshar.
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