Alliances are made to be broken with arch enemies.
583602
This was a free e-book, though I did end up buying the Audiobook as well. My favorite devise. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised. It takes place in the mid 1400's. Rather than kill the lairds from the opposing clans, Gregor MacLeod takes a son from each and raises them as his own - as brothers, in turn it unites all the clans. I enjoyed the writing and the narrator. It was a bit difficult to keep track of all the names thrown out in the first chapter, but had them all straight quick enough. I'll have to check out the next in the series.
119105
Books 4, 5 6 deal with a different enemy.  In book 3, after a tremendous struggle, The Alliance has won the war and is victorious.  However, a new, Alien enemy is introduced.  One that is much more advanced and implacable.  No communications, kill them all, let the deity sort them out.  Erik Cain he cohorts have to figure out how to defeat the enemy (once they realize who it is....).  Along with this, we get some strange bedfellows where former enemies become battle mates and companions.  I do like how the author showed that is was all or nothing in defeating this enemy.

The action is hard on the Allies against the First Imperium.  Given the technology differences the Allies have a tough job to fill.

While all of this is going on, we get some more background on the espionage and other machinations going on that will play large if mankind is successful.

I enjoyed all three books.  A bit repetitive on the fight scenes and some of the melodrama but I enjoyed all three.
278676
The ranks of the alliance are starting to split. Henry can no longer look the other way. Gail does what she must but being the assistant to Black is destroying her. His plans for shifters has gone to extremes, but who will stop him.

Received book from author for an honest review.
774292
The country of Volstov has just won a hard-fought war with the Ke-Han Empire, fought with its magic-fueled flying metal dragons and narrowly overcoming a magical plague sent by the enemy.  However, peace is still not assured.  A diplomatic delegation of magicians and a few military men is dispatched to the defeated capital of Lapis, charged with working with the strange and prickly Empire in order to work out the terms of peace.  General Alcibiades is one of the few military men.  He is no diplomat and had hoped to have some time at home after the arduous war, but the Esar, ruler of Volstov, personally commanded him to go.  He's a simple soldier at heart, impatient with the alien ultra-formal customs of Ke-Han, he leaves the diplomacy up to the others.  To further his discomfort, he find himself sharing quarters with one of the oddest of the delegates, Caius Graylace, a magician recently recalled from exile who is eager to immerse himself in the intricacies of the Ke-Han court and whom Alcibiades thinks is totally insane.

At the Ke-Han Court, formality and protocol continue despite the defeat.  The old Emperor commits suicide, as is their custom, and his eldest sons decide to live to continue the line.  Mamoru is the younger son.  He's loyal to his stronger elder brother and has gained some experience as a leader during the war which he hopes will be good enough to help aid in re-building the empire, although he remains fairly sheltered and innocent within the dangerous Court, where poison-tasters, intrigue and assassins are rife.  Iseul, the new Emperor, is his opposite--decisive, hard, ruthless.  Caught totally unaware, Mamoru's devoted servant/companion/mentor learns the new Emperor plans to assassinate his brother (presumably to remove any competition), and they both must overcome their vows to obey the Emperor and flee for their lives.

The story follows the events depicted in HAVE MERCY, but features different characters and can be read as a stand-alone.  It is told in first-person, switching from chapter to chapter between the four characters: the soldier Alcibiades, the magician Caius, the fleeing brother of the emperor Mamoru, and his loyal and resourceful servant Kouje.  Alcibiades and Caius are strangers to the ways of the mysterious Ke-Han Court and need to explore it and find the highlights and pitfalls while negotiating their way to find Peace with a still-dangerous Emperor.  Mamoru and Kouje are almost strangers in their own land as they are forced to make their way beyond the confines and protocol of the Court while evading those hunting for them.  While the threats are often not immediate, there is suspense in spades while we see the world and people through outsiders' eyes.

The world-building is good enough to keep things interesting, even though the alternate universe Russian and Japanese cultures are somewhat familiar.  Magic plays a very small part, despite the title, but the four main characters and their growth in having to deal with each other and their situations are well depicted and fascinating and easily able to carry our interest.  It is the characters that really stand out, particularly the quirky, fey Caius and the sweet, earnest Mamoru, balanced by the no-nonsense General and resolute servant.  They make this an exciting and memorable read.
2468161
Two people, two organizations, separate ideologies. Both people want to be faithful to their own organization and each other. That is not possible.....
985542
There have been many attempts to write laws for a world history. This is another try.

What the writer's theory is that large empires start off along what he calls metaenthic frontier. This is a region that separates two or more peoples that do not get along. This conflict is often genocidal. On each side of this border people unite to face the deadly enemy on the other side. Whatever the argument people have is seen as minor compared to the enemy they face on the other side. Overtime an **asabiya** forms which is a collective will and unity.  As a group gains this **asabiya** it often gains in power and goes on to form a state or empire. In time as the empire gains in power and wealth, the differences between the have and have-nots grow. Soon the state starts to fall apart as it  **asabiya** declines.

I confess that I have doubts about some of his history. For example I am not aware that early Romans dislike for the Gauls was as significant as the writer claims. Early Romans went to war almost every year, Livy's list of Roman conflicts is filled with such battles and wars with neighbouring people. Rome gained this **asabiya** not with its conflict with Gauls which it survived partly because of this **asabiya** but with its conflict with its neighbours. Later with Punic. It was Cathage not Gaul that Cato finished his speeches in the Senate with the phrase "Furthermore, it is my opinion that Carthage must be destroyed".  The cry 'Hannibal is at the gates' was used to frighten naughty Roman children. After Cathage, Rome went after many other people first before taking on the Gauls.

Nor am I convinced the Byzantine Empire was a new empire. The Byzantinians saw themselves as Roman.

Nor am I sure the early history of the French and English states are centered on these metaenthic frontiers as he claims. Again it appears the main enemies were locals that ethnically were close to themselves.

Having said this, I did find many of discussions interesting. In an agricultural where wealth centers on land, I can agree that different classes in a society are greatly affected by changes in workers availability, salaries and rents. Since often, it is the upper-class that is the main consumers, I found in particular  fascinating how such conflicts as the Roman Marcus and Sulla  help to reduce the weight on society by killing them off.

Some of the comments I disagree with as I am a believer in the great man in history. If say  Alexander the great had not been, there probably would never have been a Macedonian Empire, the Persia would probably have survived. Much of our history would be different. Even modern history, would be completely different if say Bismark, Marx, Lenin or Hitler had not lived.

I found disappointing the book has little discussion of the mathematics promised. I was hoping to read something about it here. This maybe different for you though.
765570
The old minotaur Emperor is old and the empire corrupt, yet Emperor Chot remains unbeatable in the arena. Rather than try his chances in the traditional method of minotaur succession, General Hotak launches a coup. Aided by his magician/priestess wife, Hotak ruthlessly destroys everyone loyal to the old regime, sending army units and ghosts against those who even consider resisting. Yet Hotak is unsatisfied with ruling the minotaur islands. Throwing aside Chot's tentative alliance with humans, Hotak decides to make common cause with the minotaurs' most ancient enemy--the ogres.
Although Hotak has eliminated most of the resistance, a few minotaurs remain unbowed. General Rahm, somehow protected from the priestess's magic, gathers a small force committed to destroying the pretender-emperor. Captured and worked as a slave in the mines, Faros plots eventual revenge. Yet their efforts, weak though they may be, are constantly undermined by the priestess's control over ghosts themselves.
Author Richard A. Knaak writes an exciting fantasy novel. The violent and headstrong minotaurs make intriguing protagonists. Hotak is surprisingly complex, wishing to serve his people and empire at the same time as he ruthlessly suppresses anyone who dares to oppose him. His wife and oldest son, in contrast, are purely self-interested, yet intelligent enough to know that supporting Hotak will serve their own interests as well--at least until Hotak finds family obligations at odds with his duty to his nation. Knaap's writing is approachable and his characters distinctive and interesting.
Fans of the DragonLance universe will find a lot to enjoy in NIGHT OF BLOOD.
429956
Humanity's first contact with an alien civilization, the Merkiaari, did not go well.  In the ensuing war, many planets were destroyed along with countless human lives.

So now, when the alliance's explorers discover another sentient species, the new species is watched very carefully.

The explorers discover that the Shan are an interesting and relatively peaceful people.  Unfortunately, they too have been attacked by the hated Merkiaari.  The humans and the Shan take some time learning to trust each other.

Then the unthinkable happens.  The Merkiaari attack again.  Will the humans and the Shan survive this onslaught by the murderous Merkiaari?

When I began reading this book, I was somewhat confused.  The author jumped around between characters and plot lines which seemed unrelated to each other.  Then I discovered that this book is a prequel to the rest of the series.  While this novel is interesting and well written, it would probably be better understood after reading some of the other books in the series.

Interesting characters and an easy to read style made this novel and enjoyable read.

I liked it.
2502062
The second volume of Hickman's Time Runs Out mini event continues the same strengths and weaknesses as the previous one. With the incursion events rapidly devolving (the Avengers learn that the number of remaining universes has drastically dwindled to a few handfuls), the various factions are struggling to decide how to handle the problem. Dr. Doom continues his own plotting alongside the Molecule Man; the Cabal continues to viciously wipe out opposing Earths; the Avengers World team uses AIM's resources to send a team into the multiverse to track down the original source of the incursion events; and the SHIELD Avengers and Illuminati continue their squabble over the Illuminati's perceived crimes. This volume does do a stronger job of explaining how things devolved so rapidly during the eight month time skip between the star of Time Runs Out and the end of New Avengers Volume Four. We find out definitely what happened to Dr. Strange and Iron Man (who had been missing) and thanks to the Multiverse Avengers team (led by Hyperion and Thor) we get a bit more background on what caused the incursions in the first place. The big set piece of this volume is certainly the throw down between the Illuminati and Cap's Avengers. With the reveal last volume that, yes, Invisible Woman is her husband's mole inside SHIELD and she hasn't actually abandoned Reed, we get to see the Illuminati make their final stand against their former friends. Again, as with the previous volume the fight between SHIELD and the Illuminati is a bit frustrating as it requires some characters to act counter intuitively. Again, with the threat of the world ending one has to wonder why Cap, Hawkeye, and Carol Danvers spend so much time pouting over the Illuminati instead of helping to find a solution. We also get a frustrating sequence where Black Widow and Spider-Woman travel to Cabal-held Wakanda to try and save Iron Man who is being held prisoner there after a fruitless attempt to single-handedly take down the villains. Despite the fact that they are, you know, friends, Jessica and Natasha leave Iron Man to languish simply because he isn't sorry about his actions with the Illuminati. Still, despite these sometimes aggravating character beats the main story is still plenty engaging and the big throw down at the end is solid.
3614543
Imagine a race of people who depending on what elements their mother and father can control will have aspects of that magical ability passed on to them and it can be more than one or two elements. Well then the bad guys show up and want to rule over everyone as they destroy key elementals that could stop them. It's a good thing some have chosen to hide their powers so they aren't killed or considered a threat. More twists and turns than you can shake a stick at. Great reading.
3068200
She is a shifter that can't shift, he can't seem to get things right. They belong to different kingdoms whose treaty is holding by a thread. She is a means to the throne. He is trying to recover a treasure he allowed to be stolen. They are both nobodies, yet they control the threat of war between their kingdoms
682853
Talon was a Celtic tribal chieftan and warrior who was killed by his evil cousin who wanted to be the new leader of the tribe and also slaughtered his younger sister Ceara in front of him. The Celtic war god Camulus cursed Talon for killing his son in a battle and Talon is doomed to have any human that he loves die. He already lost his beloved wife Nynia and their son.

Sunshine Runningwolf an artist who has a very short attention span. She rescues him after being hit by a Mardi Gras float and Talon can't keep Sunshine out of his head, while their enemy have their own plans to destroy them both. Sunshine carries the soul of Talons dead wife. Cumulus has joined forces with Dyonisus, a Greek God wanting to gain his Godhood, and with Stynx. Stynx has his own agenda to get vengaence.

In this book we get to meet Zarek and Valerius, the Roman general who both Kyrian and Julian would die to get their hands on. And Vane and his brother Fang, Katagari slayers who help Talon and Acheron.
2200959
The Middle East is going on in a similar way today.  The weapons are newer but the plotting among religions and political factions continues.
3334944
Great game with lots of twists and turns.  It forces you to make alliances and stab them in the back.  Great fun to be had by all.
4797195
Having introduced the core cast of characters in Rogue Squadron, author Michael Stackpole now begins weaving plot lines that will no doubt run through the next few books in the series.  As the first story ended the Rebellion had won a strategic victory that could be the first step to capturing the Imperial Capital planet of Coruscant, or so they have been led to think.  The new Imperial Leader Ysanne Isard actually has an evil scheme to destroy the Rebellion, and our characters seem to be playing right into her slimey hands.
Sadly Stackpole cheats a bit in his narrative, characters bump into each other far too easily on what is supposed to be such a crowded and construction jumbled planet, also a team of elite fighters sent on a spying mission?  The Rebellion can't be that hard up for agents and warriors.  On the plus side Stackpole allows the emotional toll of living a resistance fighters life show in his characters, which makes the tension all the more real, as does his frequent use of cliffhanger chapter endings.  In the end the pluses outweight the minuses and Star Wars X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble remains a taut read until the climatic battle.  Recommended.
4481688
Peace has come to Arianus, but for Haplo the fight continues. His only hope lies in convincing Lord Xar of the truth, and stopping him. For Lord Xar has found a new ambition, the Seventh Gate. Now Haplo must contend with Xars messenger. Unwilling to kill, Haplo must convince a fellow Patryn to join him in open rebellion.

At first the story relies on a series of vignettes to establish where each character is, gradually bringing them together, uniting the diverse threads into two parallel plots. Most of the story focuses on self-contained subplots, relying on frequent changes of perspective to conceal the sluggish pace of the main plot. Internal conflicts dominate, bringing characters together in pairs for brief scenes, revealing a small amount of information about each character, then breaking them apart, sending each character off to collide with another character, starting a fresh scene. Tensions slowly build towards climactic group discussions, which make strong use of each characters distinct voice before scattering the group once more. Touching moments bring one storyline to a predictable conclusion, while the other ends on a cliffhanger, paving the way for the final installment.

+Strong Characters
+Strong Dialogue
*Strong but Fragmented Plot
*Frequently Changing Perspectives
-Slow

3.5/5
4954078
For centuries, the Videssos Empire has grown under the power of its Avtokrator (Emperor) and its unified faith in Phos, the god of light and goodness in Phos's eternal battle with Skatos, the god of darkness and evil. It is an article of faith in Videssos that Phos is more powerful than Skatos, that good will eventually triumph. But when civil war breaks out and the two Avtokrator candidates pull troops from the frontiers and the city garrisons, barbarian nomads break through the ancient boundaries and begin to pillage--in an orgy of destruction that cuts the Empire in half.

Rhavas is a priest of Phos, cousin to the legitimate Avtokrator, and the head of the church in the northern city of Skopentzana. He has always believed in Phos's eventual triumph, but the barbarian invasion makes him question his faith. When he learns that his prayer and blessing has no power, but that his curse can kill, Rhavas comes to believe that Phos may not be the stronger. With half the Empire in ruins, with rape in the streets and with the followers of Phos opening the Empire's gates to the enemy, who can believe that Phos is truly the stronger. And if the core belief of Videssos is mistaken, is it not the duty of a priest to correct those mistaken beliefs, to reform the church?

Author Harry Turtledove undertakes the difficult and intriguing task of making a man who embrasses evil the hero of this story. Rhavas begins as a likable character--engaging the readers interest and sympathy. The disasters that overtake him would make many question their faith, but Rhavas goes beyond questioning into an active embrace of evil. It is a mark of Turtledove's strength as a writer that he is able to pull off such a difficult task and still create a compelling story.

Turtledove's Videssos Empire is a fantasy version of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire, but with working magic. The events of BRIDGE OF THE SEPARATOR bear a strong relationship to the Germanic destruction of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century--when Gothic followers of the Arian heresy conquered Rome itself. The fantasy element adds a twist to Turtledove's story, but the historical texture really increases reader interest.

Fans of the Videssos series will definitely want to read this one as so much of the later history of the Empire depend on Rhavas and his heresy. Those who have discovered Turtledove in his alternate history mode should be aware that BRIDGE OF THE SEPARATOR is not alternate history as generally understood but a fictional world with certain similarities to the world of our ancient past.