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Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade #5
Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade: Part Five
Fifteenth Century Europe. Tom Swan is not a professional soldier. He's really a merchant and a scholar looking for remnants of Ancient Greece and Rome - temples, graves, pottery, fabulous animals, unicorn horns. But he also has a real talent for ending up in the midst of violence when he didn't mean to. Having used his wits to escape execution, he begins a series of adventures that take him to street duels in Italy, meetings with remarkable men - from Leonardo Da Vinci to Vlad Dracula - and from the intrigues of the War of the Roses to the fall of Constantinople.
96 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2015
29 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Christian Cameron
80 books1,119 followersAka Miles Cameron. Also publishes as Gordon Kent with his father Kenneth M. Cameron.
Christian Cameron was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1962. He grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts, Iowa City, Iowa,Christian Cameron and Rochester, New York, where he attended McQuaid Jesuit High School and later graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in history.
After the longest undergraduate degree on record (1980-87), he joined the United States Navy, where he served as an intelligence officer and as a backseater in S-3 Vikings in the First Gulf War, in Somalia, and elsewhere. After a dozen years of service, he became a full time writer in 2000. He lives in Toronto (that’s Ontario, in Canada) with his wife Sarah and their daughter Beatrice, currently age four. And a half.
Christian Cameron was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1962. He grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts, Iowa City, Iowa,Christian Cameron and Rochester, New York, where he attended McQuaid Jesuit High School and later graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in history.
After the longest undergraduate degree on record (1980-87), he joined the United States Navy, where he served as an intelligence officer and as a backseater in S-3 Vikings in the First Gulf War, in Somalia, and elsewhere. After a dozen years of service, he became a full time writer in 2000. He lives in Toronto (that’s Ontario, in Canada) with his wife Sarah and their daughter Beatrice, currently age four. And a half.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 21, 2021
This included one of the best battles I've read. Tom Swan has been affected with personal loss and the struggles of leadership. I love how he rises to the challenges of 15th century Europe.
May 8, 2015
the best episode in the Belgrade cycle and on par with the best in the series has Tom Swan finally arriving at Hunyady's camp after a long trip where he must show his leadership skills and manage his growing small army; fascinating description of Hunyady and especially of Vlad Tepes (Dracula, action, intrigue and more as usual; a young Matthias scorning Tom and Vlad warning him about Omar Reis vow of revenge - which is even worse as the Turkish general is now in favor with the Sultan are highlights too, one foreshadowing the future, another linking with the past...
A few mistakes (eg it's Brasov and Bran not Braso and Ban - could be typos also; also I think the authors means Mircea not Mercia as a Wallachian name - he gets Radu correctly) but they are unimportant and I am waiting for the next installment (#12!!) as eagerly as in the beginning
highly recommended and another superb job from the author
A few mistakes (eg it's Brasov and Bran not Braso and Ban - could be typos also; also I think the authors means Mircea not Mercia as a Wallachian name - he gets Radu correctly) but they are unimportant and I am waiting for the next installment (#12!!) as eagerly as in the beginning
highly recommended and another superb job from the author
October 30, 2019
Actual rating: 4.00
June 22, 2024
Fantastic character development happening as Tom experiences personal loss and the burden of leadership.
Awesome battle scene to finish off the section too!
Awesome battle scene to finish off the section too!
February 9, 2025
This installment had the most (and best) character development for Swan, but it took me longer to read because it’s darker and grittier in spots. Excellent battle scenes.
February 22, 2021
Belgrade
Forced to pull back from the city as the Turkish army move into position bringing ten times the men and guns, blockading the river and giving the crusaders no hope of saving the city
Forced to pull back from the city as the Turkish army move into position bringing ten times the men and guns, blockading the river and giving the crusaders no hope of saving the city
November 2, 2022
This is one of the best Tom Swan parts, so far. Tom is dealing with grief, we meet Hunyady and Vlad the impaler, Bohemian prostitutes play a role, canons, horses and at the end a battle. It is a great story and I love it.
May 15, 2015
On to Belgrade!
So the Tom Swan short stories series continue.
After Vienna (siege of Belgrade part 4) Tom Swan has become a warlord in his own right now. His coffers are bulging with gold, and his private crusade army is growing by the day. How to manage an army is quite a big bone to chew on for the man who likes womanizing, spying, collecting antiquities and duelling much better.
A lot of new interesting and exotic characters enter the stage.
We're in the balkans now. Culture and folks are subtly different there. I think that Christian Cameron is most observant and pictures that nicely.
And there are the Turks!
Of course Tom fought the Turks quite extensively at sea and on foot in the Mediterranean in the first series Tom Swan and the head of Saint George.
Now he has to fight them in their element: on horseback.
Need I say that there are also some Turks that have some scores to settle with Tom? After all he did quite some wicked things in constantinople, rhodes and chios....Tom will most certainly have to watch his steps in the next siege of Belgrade. Cannot wait how that one plays out.
Again a masterful new installment to the Tom Swan series. Tom Swan! My hero!
So the Tom Swan short stories series continue.
After Vienna (siege of Belgrade part 4) Tom Swan has become a warlord in his own right now. His coffers are bulging with gold, and his private crusade army is growing by the day. How to manage an army is quite a big bone to chew on for the man who likes womanizing, spying, collecting antiquities and duelling much better.
A lot of new interesting and exotic characters enter the stage.
We're in the balkans now. Culture and folks are subtly different there. I think that Christian Cameron is most observant and pictures that nicely.
And there are the Turks!
Of course Tom fought the Turks quite extensively at sea and on foot in the Mediterranean in the first series Tom Swan and the head of Saint George.
Now he has to fight them in their element: on horseback.
Need I say that there are also some Turks that have some scores to settle with Tom? After all he did quite some wicked things in constantinople, rhodes and chios....Tom will most certainly have to watch his steps in the next siege of Belgrade. Cannot wait how that one plays out.
Again a masterful new installment to the Tom Swan series. Tom Swan! My hero!
October 2, 2016
La peor entrega de esta serie, y con gran diferencia. No pasa nada (excepto que Tom Swan se hace mayor al tener más responsabilidades) y llega hasta contactar con el jefe de las futuras hostilidades contra los otomanos. Olvidable y con un par de párrafos en el anterior o en el siguiente hubiese bastado. D
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews