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    Agent of Byzantium
    Agent of Byzantium
    Agent of Byzantium
    Audiobook9 hours

    Agent of Byzantium

    Written by Harry Turtledove

    Narrated by Tim Campbell

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    A dashing master spy takes on the enemies of the Byzantine Empire and discovers impossible inventions like gunpowder and telescopes in a magnificent romp from the maestro of alternate-history science fiction.

    In another, very different timeline-one in which Mohammed embraced Christianity and Islam never came to be-the Byzantine Empire still flourishes in the fourteenth century, and wondrous technologies are emerging earlier than they did in our own. Having lost his family to the ravages of smallpox, Basil Argyros has decided to dedicate his life to Byzantium. A stalwart soldier and able secret agent, Basil serves his emperor courageously, going undercover to unearth Persia's dastardly plots and disrupting the dark machinations of his beautiful archenemy, the Persian spy Mirrane, while defusing dire threats emerging from the Western realm of the Franco-Saxons. But the world Basil so staunchly defends is changing rapidly, and he must remain ever vigilant, for in this great game of empires, the player who controls the most advanced tools and weaponry-tools like gunpowder, printing, vaccines, and telescopes-must certainly emerge victorious.

    A collection of interlocking stories that showcase the courage, ingenuity, and breathtaking derring-do of superspy Basil Argyros, Agent of Byzantium presents the great Harry Turtledove at his alternate-world-building best. At once intricate, exciting, witty, and wildly inventive, this is a many-faceted gem from a master of the genre.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 19, 2019
    ISBN9781977332615
    Author

    Harry Turtledove

    Harry Turtledove is an American novelist of science fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy. Publishers Weekly has called him the “master of alternate history,” and he is best known for his work in that genre. Some of his most popular titles include The Guns of the South, the novels of the Worldwar series, and the books in the Great War trilogy. In addition to many other honors and nominations, Turtledove has received the Hugo Award, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, and the Prometheus Award. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, earning a PhD in Byzantine history. Turtledove is married to mystery writer Laura Frankos, and together they have three daughters. The family lives in Southern California.

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    Reviews for Agent of Byzantium

    3.5/5

    93 ratings6 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Mr. Turtledove, like Isaac Asimov, is an ideas man, not a stylist. The book is an adequate entertainment.
    • 4/5
      One of my favorite Turtledove novels. It is a little less fantasy and more historical fiction, but he created a very believable Byzantium. The setting and characters are excellent. I put this up there with his early Videssos books for quality.
    • 3/5
      Some things do not age well. I had enjoyed these stories back when originally published and decided to purchase the collection as a classic. On rereading they come off as shallow formula stories with cardboard characters. Pity. It is one of the classics of alternate history. However my taste has moved on. Then again I have soured on Turtledove over time which could be part of the problem.
    • 2/5
      An interesting premise that suffers from Clan of the Cave Bear-itis, where the protaganist experiences many of the most interesting technological developments of history. Also, since this is a collection of independent stores, repetitive and somewhat of a slog to go through. Yet more proof that Turtledove is a poor wordsmith with good ideas.
    • 4/5
      Really reverse fantasy, in that all the things that seem to have supernatural causes are really the product of new (but actual) technology. Turtledove's not much of a writer, but these stories are solidly interesting.
    • 5/5
      Harry Turtledove has a well-deserved reputation as a writer of alternate history. Here is a collection of short stories set in a medieval world where Islam never developed and the Byzantine Empire of the Justinian Age continued onward.The stories feature Basil Argyros, a soldier and agent/spy for the Empire. During the course of his adventures, we get to explore the world as it might have been if history had taken a different course. The author's well written stories make this alternate world come alive.Turtledove must have quite a love of the Byzantine Empire, since his Videssos fantasy series is also based on Byzantine history and culture.