DESTINY'S SHIELD

Third entry in an established military/historical SF series (An Oblique Approach and In the Heart of Darkness, not seen). In a.d. 531, the blinded Roman Emperor Justinian’s wife, Theodora, is Empress Regent for young Photius, son of the outstanding and charismatic General Belisarius and his wife Antonina. In the remote future, a race of crystalline entities is locked in a time-war with the mysterious “new gods” who intend to destroy their enemies by rewriting the past. The crystals have sent a messenger, Aide, back in time to advise the Romans; from a pouch around Belisarius’s neck, Aide offers Belisarius telepathic glimpses of the future that existed before the new gods interfered. The new gods have sent their own avatar, a cyborg called Link; using the Malwa of India as its tool, Link intends to conquer the world and thus change history. The cyborg has already introduced rockets, grenades, and siege cannon. In turn, Aide shows Belisarius how to develop even better armaments. First on Link’s hit list is the Persian Empire. Overmatched, the Persians are reduced to begging their old enemies and rivals, the Romans, for help. Belisarius swiftly agrees to the alliance, and leading his army in person, he enters Persia, where Emperor Khusrau, beset by both the Malwa and civil war, hopes to defend Babylon. Quasi-history and politics deftly and colorfully set forth, with battles lovingly and realistically depicted. ‘Tis a pity the dialogue’s often conspicuously awful.