Empire Rising by Sam Barone

Empire Rising by Sam Barone

Synopsis

It is 3157 B.C.—The beginning of the Bronze Age and the rise of cities—and at the eastern edge of the great southern desert in Mesopotamia, men are at war. Bandits and worse plunder the countryside seeking women, slaves, and gold. Into this unsettled land come the outcast Korthac and the remnants of his mighty desert fighters. They encounter a band of thieves led by Ariamus. The two join forces and set their sights on the biggest prize of all: the burgeoning city of Akkad—the town formerly known as Orak that just a few months earlier defeated a horde of raiding barbarians by building an impenetrable wall. Akkad is known not only for its riches, but also for the courage and wisdom of its leaders, the former barbarian Eskkar and his enchanting wife, Trella. Together they drove off the barbarian horde, and now they face an even more daunting challenge—to preserve their victory.

But it's only by defeating Eskkar, Trella, and the people of Akkad that Korthac and Ariamus can claim Akkad's wealth and enslave its people . . .

Korthac devises a plan to slip his men into Akkad and conquer the city from within. And while Eskkar is roaming the land, winning the trust of other towns and bringing them into his growing empire, Korthac and Ariamus strike, wreaking havoc on the young city.

Told with rich historical detail and set in a time of promise and peril, Sam Barone's thrilling, beautifully rendered tale places him in the ranks of the best historical fiction writers working today. Empire Rising is another marvelous trip into the past with an unforgettable cast of characters.

⇒ Via: BN.com

Continuation of Eskkar and Trella's story from the earlier novel, the village of Orak now Akkad grows prosperous. attracting a devious usurper from Egypt who infiltrates the village and takes it over. Eskkar who is visiting another village rides back and fights back to take his village back. Though historical, it does not stick to the period.

Crusade by Robyn Young

Crusade by Robyn Young

⇒ Via: BN.com

Second book in the Brethren trilogy by the author. This book follows up on the first book where the templars are entrenched in Acre in 1274, but the local businessmen are unhappy with the situation and plot to create a new Crusade to restart their flagging businesses. The main characters from the earlier book are built upon by the author. A very colorful and interesting depiction of life and wars from that period. Recommended.

Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone

Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone

From the Publisher
The leader of a band of marauding barbarians, Thutmose-sin is a warrior gifted by the gods with extraordinary perception and cunning. To survive, he and his people plunder and pillage, killing and enslaving the dirt-eaters who dwell in villages across the plains. But Thutmose-sin also secretly fears these enemies, for they possess a weapon far deadlier than any bow or lance: the food they coax from the ground that allows them to multiply. Someday, he worries, there might be so many of them that even his warriors will not be able to kill them all. And in a prosperous settlement near the headwaters of the Tigris, his suspicions are about to come true . . .

Determined to preserve their way of life, the peaceful people of Orak refuse to flee the oncoming barbarians. Instead, they devise a bold, untested plan of defense: build a wall around the village high and strong enough to repel the invaders. Under the guidance of an outcast barbarian named Eskkar and his true love, an enchanting and wise slave girl named Trella, the villagers begin the wall's construction and await the epic battle that will pit them against the unstoppable barbarians - a battle whose outcome will change the world forever.

An enthralling historical novel of war, passionate love, courage, and savagery, Dawn of Empire tells in sweeping prose and with heroic, unforgettable characters the story of an ancient people's triumph - an amazing feat that marked the building of the first walled city and the beginning of an era that gave rise to some of history's greatest civilizations.