From Publishers Weekly In the fourth volume of his Oath of Empire series, Harlan (Shadow of Ararat) brings his exquisitely detailed, multifaceted saga of an alternative seventh-century Roman Empire to a satisfying close. Familiarity with the three previous installments, however, is essential to understanding the motivations of some characters, Mohammed in particular. While the author relegates some important individuals from the earlier books to bit roles in this movie-like chronicle, he develops others more fully, though with somewhat confusing attributes and rationales. Galen, emperor of Rome, continues to hold the fate of the Empire in the balance, alternately aided and frustrated by his sorcerer brother, Maxian. The resurrected Gaius Julius (Caesar) and the Duchess Anastasia intrigue against one another and the brothers, playing out the traditional Roman grasp for power. All oppose the evil Persian sorcerer, Dahak, lord of the seven serpents, who can count as his allies the King of Kings, the Palmyran queens and the raised dead. The conflict comes to a head first in Alexandria, where Aurelian, the middle brother, faces especially bloody fighting, dust and suffering. On Aurelian's death, the action moves to Sicilia, where Maxian, now emperor, finally understands the true nature of his enemy. Rip-roaring battle scenes offset the sometimes slow pace necessary to keep all the complexities of the story on track. This is opulent historical fantasy on a grand scale.

In some far distant future year, the human race has spread out among the stars, encountering other species and an Empire that spans at least this corner of the galaxy. The Empire is ruled from the Imperial City of Tenochtitlan (which he know as Mexico City), the capital of the planet Anahuac. But the advance of Imperial Mexica has revealed that there were earlier powerful interstellar empires, which are long gone now, leaving behind their mysterious artifacts.When a survey team goes missing, it's up to Dr. Gretchen Andersen to unravel the mystery, a mystery centered on these ancient artifacts, one that could shake the very foundations of the Empire.

Amazon.com Review This is the second book in the Oath of Empire series, set in an alternate Roman Empire circa A.D. 623. Prince Maxian, younger brother to Galen, Emperor of the Western Empire (Rome), and Heraclius, Emperor of the Eastern Empire (Constantinople), has returned to Rome to disrupt the magical power of the centuries-old oath of allegiance to the Emperor that all legionnaires take. Maxian believes the oath constrains citizens to a narrow path, stifling creativity as well as any thought of disobedience, and he intends to use all his sorcerous power--and the help of Alexander the Great and Gaius Julius Caesar, whom he has raised from the dead--to succeed. The Empire, meanwhile, is threatened by multiple enemies: The insane Persian necromancer Dahak is determined to raise an army by any means to regain the Peacock Throne toppled by the Empire. Zoë, niece of Palmyra's Queen Zenobia, and her ragged but determined followers plot revenge on Rome for allowing the Persians to sack and destroy their beloved city. And in the deserts of Iraq, a man named Mohammed is driven by a prophetic vision to build an army against the Empire. Harlan's attention to detail is impressive, at times overwhelming, as he fills the broad canvas of his hypothetical Roman Empire. Readers with the stamina to follow every thread of the multitudinous plot lines here will find a vigorously imagined, thought-provoking story. --Charlene Brusso

From Publishers WeeklyAn artfully constructed alternate history setting, in which Earth and nearby worlds are ruled by an alliance of the Aztecs and the Japanese, serves as a tantalizing background to a breathless yet tedious stream of battle scenes and complex conspiracies in the third Time of the Sixth Sun installment (after 2005's House of Reeds). Archeologist Gretchen Anderssen, mysterious provocateur Green Hummingbird and other familiar characters find an unusual ancient artifact. Several military forces soon converge on it, with unknown forces behind the scenes pulling the strings, but the focus is not on the politics, intrigue and people behind this complex encounter. Instead, battles are described at length in technical jargon, spaceships explode with monotonous regularity and bodies pile up by the dozens, overwhelming the intriguing subtleties of the world. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review“If you like space opera you will enjoy Thomas Harlan's House Of Reeds. I look forward to his next book set in this milieu."--Paul Hanley, SF Crowsnest, on House of Reeds“An eerie, utterly compelling puzzler, replete with fascinating ideas and absorbing characters.”--_Kirkus Reviews_ (starred review) on Wasteland of Flint"Against that intriguing background, Harlan sets an archaeological adventure of epic proportions…. The trickle of details regarding the long-passed original inhabitants of Ephesus III heightens and sustains the fascination of an already action-packed story.”--_Booklist_ on Wasteland of Flint

From Publishers Weekly In Campbell Award nominee Harlan's third, grittily realistic installation of the Oath of Empire series (Shadow of Ararat and The Gate of Fire), imperial Rome under Emperor Galen is simultaneously in the midst of war with Persia and fighting a new and God-aided battle against the forces of Mohammed the prophet, while the magical protective "Oath" is in danger of shattering. Prince Maxian has, until now, been trying to break the oath laid on Rome in the hope of helping the Western Empire. To his dismay, he learns that he has been deceived by powerful magic and is actually bringing about the empire's defeat. In an abrupt about-face, he recants the path of evil to find a way to strengthen the oath. In the meantime, the two men Prince Maxian raised from the dead, Gaius Julius Caesar and Alexandros of Macedonia (Alexander the Great), are using their skills to Rome's advantage. Alexander starts to build an army to aid the west, while Gaius Julius schemes his way into the inner circles of Roman power. This is an epic novel, with lots of power-mongering, glorious battles and the fate of the Roman Empire squarely at the center. Some series books can be picked up easily this is not one of them. Regardless of the introduction, the plot is so diverse and the characters so numerous that reading the two earlier books is a must. Harlan portrays the ancient Roman world in exquisite detail; the battle scenes in particular are so vivid you can almost taste the blood and dust.

Amazon.com Review Thomas Harlan's impressive first novel, The Shadow of Ararat, delivers big-screen entertainment. It's an alternate history with babes, battles, and believable magic theory and technology, not to mention political intrigue and major spectacle. The Roman Empire has reached our 7th century without falling or becoming Christian. Galen Atreus, Emperor of the West, and Heraclius, Emperor of the East, join forces to overthrow Chroseos II, Emperor of Persia. The book follows four major characters. Dwyrin MacDonald, a young Irishman learning sorcery, is prematurely initiated and sent to fight with the Roman army, though he can barely control his gift for calling fire. The Roman Thyatis Julia Clodia, a covert warfare specialist, leads her unit behind enemy lines. Ahmet, an Egyptian priest/sorcerer at Dwyrin's school, sets out to rescue Dwyrin but meets Mohammed (yes, that Mohammed). They join Roman allies Nabatea and Palmyra, desert cities facing superior Persian forces without Roman aid. Finally, Maxian Atreus, Galen's youngest brother, a healer-magician, discovers a "curse" protecting the State from inimical magic but also preventing nonmagical progress. He sets out to lift it at any cost, resurrecting canny Julius Caesar and searching for Alexander the Great--an even greater source of magical power.