In the Heart of Darkness

Belisarius #2

by Eric Flint, David Drake

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. 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.

Genres: Science Fiction, Alternate History, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Ebooks, Military Fiction

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Eric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Belasarius series is a six-volume alternate history that pits the legions of Rome against the Malwa empire of northern India within a science fiction infrastructure of time travel and artificial intelligence. It's a vast, sprawling fantasy with many characters and enough manly derring-do to satisfy any fan of Conan. The story was devised and outlined by David Drake, a master of both military science fiction and an expert on Roman history, and the books were written by Eric Flint, who was a relatively new writer when he began the work. Drake plotted it as a trilogy, but Flint added depth and details that caused the doubled expansion. Trying to keep the historical details straight from the time-changed anachronisms became challenging, but I found the plots captivating throughout. I enjoyed checking to see which characters were fictional and which were taken from history. Flint diverged a bit from Drake's plot in the first book which caused some problems later on in the series, but it recovered quite satisfactorily. There's adventure and romance and philosophy and gritty military action and good (if occasionally rough) humor and I enjoyed it all immensely. I read the first five books back-to-back in 2001 (and the details have merged in my memory, which is why I'm using the same comments for all the book listings here), but I remember how impatient I was for the final volume and how much I enjoyed it after a five year wait. Good stuff!

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole "alternate history Byzantine vs. Indian Empires slugfest" thing that I was expecting to kick into high gear unfortunately did not with this book. I was thoroughly entertained by An Oblique Approach but this seems to be a bit of a sophomore slump. Basically, Belisarius spends the ENTIRE fucking book pissing around in India hanging out with Malwa officials as part of his grand strategy...it stayed afloat because I love the setting and concept and there's a decent bit of action but this was a marked step down in fun from the first one. It pretty much seems like Flint & Drake signed a contract with Baen for a certain amount of books and then after Flint blew what was possibly too big a load with Oblique Approach they were kind of left adrift with the second entry as it was too early to start the fireworks.

Man...these books are like six hundred pages long and I have NO fucking idea what happened in this one. I'm actually laughing as I type this because that's horrible. There's some excruciatingly boring intrigue in Constantinople with Justinian, Antonina et al. and some decent looks at the Malwa military machine in action...there's an entertaining epic chase scene and of course the end has some pretty solid military action with motherfuckers shooting rockets off in the Hippodrome and some naval scrapping. The authors really need to keep in mind that this whole plot, setting and story is really just an excuse for epic military strategy and war shit with some sci-fi flavor, and that's what I wanna read. I'm not interested in watery characterization and following subplots for characters that I absolutely give no shit for.

Given that Flint always makes an effort to include a good chunk of real history in his books I did learn some stuff. It did help me make some sense of the Indian caste system, and the dearth of obscure historical figures was super interesting. That's one of the things that I like about this book; most history nerds will be familiar with a Justinian or a Belisarius but you find out about lesser-known figures like Sittas or John of Cappadocia with Flint. Also, I love the inclusion of the Axumite characters. I know next to nothing about dark ages Africa and its people and states so it was interesting to get a look at what they might have been like. I also liked Flint's insistence on not making Belisarius' enemies bumbling fools or mustache-twirling villains, particularly Rana Sanga.

More complaints...I want more fucking visual detail! I don't know what half of these places or people look like, which drives me nuts. I have a super visual imagination so anytime an author can help me out by providing this kind of detail it makes the reading experience that much meatier and awesome. Flint insists on not doing this for me. Also, his weird fence-sitting with the sci-fi stuff is weird. Either do it or not, man. There were honestly times where I'd go like 200 pages and forget the whole fucking warring-AIs part of the story and be jarred out of it when the Old Gods or whatever got mentioned or some fucker whips out an utterly anachronistic firearm. Still...despite all these complaints I did read it pretty quickly, so I must have been entertained. Entertainment never turned into pure fun like with the first book, though, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for a more eventful third entry.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, clean fun. Rousing tale with a good resolution, even though it is part of a series. (It can be done. All a bit too easy, but that's typical for Flint and Drake alternate history novels.

Two quibbles, one technical and one philosophic. First, Flint and Drake's paragraphing is so disjointed that the reader often has to stop and re-read portions just to figure out who said what to whom. That knocks the reader out of the spell of the story.

Second, Even if "Aide" provides infallible information of the history of our timeline, once events in Belisarius' time start to diverge from that history everything thereafter becomes doubtful. Especially when major battles change, or future technologies are introduced, or key players go different places and do different things. The reliability of even simple records of who was born or died when become increasingly unlikely--even natural events may eventually be altered.

A good read.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

2018 reread: Superb second installment in this really good series.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast read for me. It moved at a good pace; it builds upon the characters and situations form the first book (I realize most books in a series perform this action, but some authors do a better job than other authors of building upon the earlier books). I did like the way this book developed although having Belisarius, his wife, and their respective soldiers fight off an attempted coup by treasonous leaders in Constantinople was a bit much - it seemed like a "bloodier" version of what transpired in Drake's . . . second? novel in The General series.

In this book, Belisarius and his "crew" are still heading deeper into India, spying on the Malwa and attempting to learn as much as they can about them. They have been learning quite a bit about the Malwa Empire and the Malway's army. Belisarius ends up talking some "strategy" with an opposing officer, sharing two important observations he had made about the Indian's tactics (such as they were). For example, he claimed he could have ended a siege significantly earlier than the two years it took the Indian army; Belisarius claimed he could have ended it in four-to-six months. He also shared some other points with his opposite number, such as how "amateurs study strategy while professionals study logistics." Belisarius points out that the Malwa Army (numbering over several million men) is wasting time and energy with so many people; its costs are enormous because of the amount of food it takes to feed so many people when it could do the same amount of work with fewer individuals in the army. I forget the other point he made, but it seemed like it was a significant point.

There were a couple of "moments" I found "interesting" while reading. (Well, that were more "exciting or interesting" than other parts.) I thought it was interesting how he wavered after watching the underground explosives decimate the Malwa Army and the "rebels" charge from the besieged city to strike out against their antagonists. The Malwa forces are in shambles due to the "shock and awe" of the explosion and are no match for the oncoming forces. The oncoming forces are heading straight for the Emperor's tent. The Rajput force that was "guarding" the Romans immediately charge to the defense of their Emperor, never thinking to try and rally the surviving troops against the rebel forces. After mulling the situation over internally, Belisarius decides it is in his best interests to assist in the salvation of the Indian emperor. To do so, he and his men rally the Ye-Tai "enforcers" and Malwa common soldiers to great affect and attack the oncoming rebel forces. The onslaught of the rallied forces is such a shock that the rebel forces are easily destroyed, en masse. Part of the reason why Belisarius does this is to get close to the Emperor so that Aide can determine whether or not the Emperor is a part of Link or not.

Venandakatra gives the royal family of the conquered city as a "gift" to Belasarius to do with as he pleases. He orders one of his men to kill the royal family immediately and without any torture involved. It is quickly and brutally done, and he has it done for various reasons. The strongest reason is that he must maintain the charade that he is considering to betray his oath to the Roman Emperor, Justinian, and there is no way out of the trap the Indians have placed before him save by executing the royal family. He knows the family is "dead", anyway, and that the Indian Emperor will not let them live without first torturing them, so he has spared them the agony of being tortured until death. This moment was discussed a few more times over the course of the story.

there were a couple of other "crazy" scenes in them. One involves the Kushan guards realizing that "Princess" (now Empress) Shakuntala is not only alive but has been hiding under their noses as one of Prince Eon's "concubines." They are furious with their lord and commander, Kungas, and believe he has both behaved dishonorably and lied to them. The only way to deal with the situation is to deal with it "head-on", which Empress Shakuntala does. She has all of the Kushan guards enter the pavilion where she is staying after she has had her friends and companions arrayed as "ladies in waiting" as opposed to "concubines" and whores. She ultimately does win over the hearts and minds of the Kushan contingent after declaring she needs a "retinue of bodyguards" and could not think of a finer retinue than those who had first saved her from the Ye-Tai raping her in her former room in the palace and then had been placed over her as guards to keep Raghunath Rao from freeing her. Clearly as these soldiers were the only ones who could keep Rao from freeing her, then they were the only ones capable of protecting her. They do come around, after some discussion, and agree to become her personal bodyguard(s). It was an interesting situation, to say the least.

The "scene" where Belisarius finally encounters Link is pretty crazy. His companions realize that Belisarius is heading into a trap and arrange multiple diversions to ensure his escape and freedom (as well as their own). Belisarius escapes from the barge on which Link "lives" on his own, but his companions set off multiple explosions around the city to help Belisarius escape the city as well as to facilitate their own escapes. It becomes essentially three groups (not including Belisarius) who make their way to freedom. It was a pretty crazy moment in the book, that is for sure, with all of the chaos going on around them (which they used to the fullest extent to their advantage)! It also explains why Belisarius wanted at least three elephants as well as multiple horses of prized stock that were never ridden.

Belisarius' escape from India is never "fully explained" in the book, but that was okay with me. It only added to the man's mystique and abilities. He managed to fool everybody, all of the time, as he made his way westward, back to Constantinople. His fellow Thracians and their Axum allies had an "easier" time of it than Belisarius did, but they still found Belisarius awaiting them at the dock of the Axumite capital with the Axumite king. It was pretty hilarious, the reactions of his comrades when they saw him alive and waiting for them.

Shakuntala and her group also managed to escape because of Belisarius' planning ahead like he did. She and her party escaped via the three Asian elephants and their guard of Kushan soldiers. They did not move as fast as the others, but they also traveled in the opposite direction from the Romans and Axumites (north instead of south-southwest). She and Belisarius' "slave" posed as husband and wife and managed to fool everybody they encountered by their performance until they were beyond the grasp of the Malwa forces.

I thought it was pretty hilarious when the Rajput commander, Rana Sanga, is discussing with his commanders how it was possible for the princess to even be able to escape. Nanda Lal points out that it was Venandakatra's decision to replace those same Kushan guards with priests and torturers. The way the book describes it, Venandakatra was so concerned about maintaining the "virginal purity" of the princess until he arrived to be able to rape that he "put her in the custody of sworn celibates . . . instead of an elite Kushan unit." You have to actually read it in the book to get the full effect, but it is pretty hilarious.

Antonina is pretty bad-@$$ as she manages to kill multiple assassins (thugs and rapists) before Maurice arrives to save her from the rest. She has realized that the Malwan representative is no longer "interested in her" or what she has to offer (treason behavior-wise) and intends to have her killed on her way back to her villa. She takes refuge inside a kitchen and begins the fight of her life, killing many of her antagonists before Maurice disposes of the rest. After this point, the attempted coup begins and she finds herself being the first woman in command of a Roman unit and in the fight of her life. It was somehow romantic and comical when it describes Belarius finding her in the city - both are covered in blood and kissing fiercely in the midst of the battle.

It was a good book. It still has the quirky sense of humor that was in the first book, but not as much of it. It moved at a quick pace. I did like how, every five-to-six chapters, there were dates at the start of each chapter to give the reader an idea of how much time had elapsed over the course of the novel. It helped keep things in perspective in my opinion. It definitely has some brutal moments in it; it also has some interesting "character developments" that helped "improve" the story and keep it moving along. I would probably rank this book as 3.4 - 3.6 stars, rounded down. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[YouKneeK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book in the Belisarius series as much as I had enjoyed the first one, and for pretty much the same reasons. The characters were likeable (except the ones you weren’t supposed to like) and funny, and the story was interesting.

As with the first book, the characters are slightly over-the-top and without many shades of gray. However, there were a couple missteps here and there on the part of the good guys, as opposed to the first book where everything always went exactly as planned. I enjoyed that because it added a little more tension to the story.

The science fiction element is still mostly in the background story-wise, but we start to learn more about it in this book. I look forward to seeing how that aspect of things will develop and be further explained as the series progresses. This book tied up several major plot threads that had been woven throughout these first two books, so I also look forward to seeing what will happen in the next book.

[Coyora Dokusho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read at least (3) times.

Going through a lot right now so I'm glad that I read this. I was reading it while I was waiting for my Dad to call (never had talked to him before) and reading about people overcoming the insupportable and different kinds of people figuring out that they're all still *people* was really helpful.

[Paul Close · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, though slightly disjointed pacing at times. Weak ending, obviously playing into the next book in the series.





Aide's enemy Link is discovered, speaking through Great Lady Holi, the Malwa Emperor's aunt.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belisarius, General of the Eastern Roman Empire, is deep in India to find allies against the Malwa Empire. The Malwa, with the aid of cyborg sent from the future, have developed gunpowder rockets centuries early. To counter this other people from the future have sent Belisarius a crystalline entity. However both future entities only know what history has recorded, a record that is quickly being rendered moot by things like the use of stirrups by Roman cavalry.

Still for Belisarius questions of the future are eclipsed by more immediate concerns. Primarily, how will he return safely to Rome with the knowledge necessary to oppose the Malwa. The Malwa, however, have set their own schemes in motion and, if successful, Constantinople may lie in ruins upon Belisarius' return. Unfortunately for the Malwa, Constantinople is well versed in intrigue and the Empress and Belisarius' wife have caught wind of the plot.

This is a truly enjoyable book. One of the main issues in book 1 was that the author makes the crystal from the future a mystery the ancients are ill-equipped to understand. This leads to misleading discussions of magic and visions. In this book we are finally told why the travelers from the future have returned and the story becomes extremely enjoyable.

Bottom line: If you make it through book 1 you should definitely read book 2.

[Carl Palmateer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this series in a disjointed fashion for sometime as the books popup for me. I've done the beginning, end, a side story and its been fun.

The Belisarius Saga is not Robert Graves but obviously the authors are familiar with it. The character of the General and the major players seems to come through this time warp, military, scifi, whatif, story. And its the people that make stories, not the science, not the battles, the people. Its fun, interesting and occasionally requires leaps of faith but it is fiction.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this 2nd volume of Drake & Flint's Belisarius sextet, the general's escape from India so angers the chief Malwa spymaster that he orders the assassination of the general's wife, Antonina. After Antonina survives the attempt with the help of the cataphract Maurice, the Malwa spymaster in Constantinople instigates a riot in the ampitheater, culminating in the blinding of Emperor Justinian. The cataphracts, led by Antonina, put down the revolt, as Belisarius arrives home to pick up the pieces.

[Filip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I liked the previous volume better. Don't get me wrong - everything that was good in the previous book is still here, but it gets a bit annoying how clever Belisarius and his allies are and how utterly incompetent their enemies are (though truth be told it has some justification). Finally Link appears and he is a fascinating villain. I am also curious how things will go following the ending of this book - all signs point out to open war being the only course of action.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is even better then the first in the series. It’s just surprisingly good entertainment. What’s not to love about Byzantine history combined with sci-fi? Flint and Drake have crafted a wildly entertaining novel that seems written just for me. Just think of your favorite action movie in book form. I owe it to another Goodreads member for recommending An Oblique Approach. I’m looking forward to the third novel in the series.

[C. Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is well written, moves fairly quickly, has good character development. The 'Link' alien elements seemed out of place and not that well incorporated to me. At the end, the two proposed emperors got confused. It's an interesting read for history buffs.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of all

There are many who can write a good story with outstanding characters and those who can create a great world with good people . Eric Flint has combined both an excellent world and the most fascinating characters to fill it.

[Karsten Stiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

First - you have to read the first installment "An oblique approach" first to understand the story-background. But if you did that, and loved it, and read this book - I promise you a time of great excitement. Enjoy it!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in the Belisarius series.

[Freyja · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like political intrigue, battles, and philosophy, this is the book for you. It will definitely hold your attention.

[jim combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Flint's storytelling is second to none. This series is a spectacle filled with tiny little pieces of love and joy and horror. Filled with characters that have depth.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good series

Enjoyed the second book of series. The story added some more details about existing characters. Looking forward to next book in series.

[Antoine Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!
Nice development in the plot, lots of great characters, top action!

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another nice entry into the alternate history genre

[John Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite series. Alternative history of conquest.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

HUMAN EVIL DIRECTED BY AN INTELLIGENCE FROM BEYOND TIMEThe 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. 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. 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 will 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!

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the Belisarius series may be my least favorite, but that's not saying all that much. It's divided into two parts, one that's basically a heist in India and the other is a training montage in Constantinople, and they come together in a couple of battle scenes. I am a sucker for training montages, but the heist section doesn't really do it for me.

The Constantinople sections are just more interesting because they reveal things that I don't already know, plus Antonina gets to be a hands-down, no-questions-asked badass in her own right. (She slaughters a whole bunch of thugs sent to kill her with a cleaver and a pot of soup. It's awesome.) We get some POVs from the conspirators that give perspective on the larger situation, and the counter-conspiracy is generally clever and fun.

The sections in India are just not as engaging. They're generally told in very distant third-person, following rumors and outcomes of our heroes' actions rather than the heroes themselves. Rana Sanga is a great POV character, but we still get way too much time with random innkeepers and not enough with the actual protagonists. The actual plot is clever, but the method of delivery kills much of the tension and potential character development.

So on balance, it's a mediocre book at best. But it moves the series along, and we get to the good parts fast enough/

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Military SciFi/Alternate history in which an evil empire appears in India in the fifth century. Famous historical general Belisarius receives a warning from the future and must counter the threat. This series goes deeper into philosophical and poetical tangents than similar works. Eric Flint’s classic wry humour pervades the prose. The books can almost be read as historical novels and contain quite a few interesting tidbits about the period. The series consist of:

An Oblique Approach
In The Heart of Darkness
Destiny’s shield
Fortune’s Stroke
The Tide of Victory
The Dance of Time

The sixth and final book, The Dance of Time came out over two years late and seems a bit of a late addition. It tied up all the loose ends neatly, even though the actual conclusion to the conflict was foregone by this time. However, the habit of the authors to show off their characters’s cleverness, while only a minor annoyance in the first five volumes, really grated on my nerves in the sixth book. Endless uses of “Why not?” and equally endless enumerations of “how cool are we” items both in the exposition and the dialogue are just plain bad style. Still and all, a satisfying conclusion.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=660

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another free download from Baen well worth the read. In this entry, Roman general Belisarius is "spying out the land" in Malwa-controlled India, with a secondary goal of arranging the escape of the young princess he saw in a vision from the "Talisman of God." His loyal cohort of Cataphracts are along for the ride, as well as new friends from Ethiopia.
Well paced with good character development (I especially enjoyed the "Dawaz" Ousannas), local flavor, and plenty of Flint's trademark wry humor. Don't read it without the first book (An Oblique Approach), of course, but if you enjoyed that one, the second will not disappoint.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In order to avoid danger at home, Belisarius must embark on a journey to India into the very heart of the Malwa Empire (see? We sorta got title!). With only three bodyguards, and a tiny embassy from the mysterious Axumite Empire (today we know it as Ethiopia), he meets the Malwa emperor and his evil henchmen, the Rajput king (and India's greatest warrior) Rana Sanga, and a young slave girl who would be empress of the fallen empire of Andhra. His greatest opponent however is the power behind the throne: the evil cyborg from the very distant future, Link.

[Adena Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is obvious that the author has done a lot of research into the person Belisarius and his times. It is equally obvious that the author has taken a few liberties with the character of Belisarius, Antonia, Theodora and Julianus - and for the better! I love these characters! I have to follow them to see what they are going to do next, particularly the twisty and convoluted Belisarius and his twisty convoluted contingency plans! Pity the Malwa - or better yet, do not pity them at all!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally learning not to read and drink at the same time as its far hard to choke and laugh at the same time, at least in regards to this series that is. The hilarious comments that pop unexpectedly in these books can be morally dangerous for those of us that like to read while eating and drinking but I have to admit its so worth it :)