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Heirs of Alexandria #5
All the Plagues of Hell
NEW FANTASY BY NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR ERIC FLINT.
Orkise is loose. The snake-god of plague has been awakened by Lucia del Maino, the bastard daughter of the recently overthrown duke of Milan, Phillipo Visconti. With the venomous magic of Orkise at her command, Lucia plots to marry and then murder the usurper who now rules Milan, the condottiere Carlo Sforza—known to friend and foe alike as the Wolf the North.
Other trouble is brewing as well. Sforza has his own bastard, Benito Valdosta, who is returning to Venice after having conquered the Byzantine empire. Benito has a score to settle with his father, and he will have the help of his half-brother Marco, who is the embodiment of ancient Etruria’s mighty Winged Lion of St. Mark.
Adding further to Sforza’s predicament, yet another power has entered the fray. The terrifying sorcerer Count Mindaug has decided to settle in Milan. Will he ally with Sforza, or oppose him? Either will bring trouble, for if Mindaug aids the usurper he will arouse the fury of the Holy Roman Empire and the Knights of the Holy Trinity. Both of those great forces have sworn to destroy Mindaug and anyone who shelters him.
On his side, Sforza has only the skill and cunning of his physician, Francisco Turner—who is on good terms with the Valdosta brothers and may be able to neutralize Venetian hostility. But even if he can, will that be enough to save the Wolf of the North? For out there in the countryside of northern Italy, Orkise is uncoiling all the plagues of hell.
About All the Plagues of
“. . . a compelling tale of political, military, and magical conflict . . .” —Booklist
About Eric
“Another engaging alternate history from a master of the genre.”— Booklist
“. . . an old-style police-procedural mystery, set in 17th century Germany. . . . the threads . . . spin together . . . to weave an addictively entertaining story. . . . a strong addition to a fun series.”— Daily News of Galveston County
“This alternate history series is … a landmark…”— Booklist
“[Eric] Flint's 1632 universe seems to be inspiring a whole new crop of gifted alternate historians.”— Booklist
“…reads like a technothriller set in the age of the Medicis…”— Publishers Weekly
About Dave
“Dave Freer always delivers compelling, fast-moving and addictive fantasy adventures.”–Garth Nix, New York Times best-selling author of The Keys to the Kingdom series
"Dave Freer's stories are always well-plotted, fast-paced and—most of all—a lot of fun to read."—Eric Flint, New York Times best-selling creator of the Ring of Fire series
About A Mankind Witch , by Dave
“Good characterization, ripsnorting action and an ingenious plot make this a feast. . .”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Orkise is loose. The snake-god of plague has been awakened by Lucia del Maino, the bastard daughter of the recently overthrown duke of Milan, Phillipo Visconti. With the venomous magic of Orkise at her command, Lucia plots to marry and then murder the usurper who now rules Milan, the condottiere Carlo Sforza—known to friend and foe alike as the Wolf the North.
Other trouble is brewing as well. Sforza has his own bastard, Benito Valdosta, who is returning to Venice after having conquered the Byzantine empire. Benito has a score to settle with his father, and he will have the help of his half-brother Marco, who is the embodiment of ancient Etruria’s mighty Winged Lion of St. Mark.
Adding further to Sforza’s predicament, yet another power has entered the fray. The terrifying sorcerer Count Mindaug has decided to settle in Milan. Will he ally with Sforza, or oppose him? Either will bring trouble, for if Mindaug aids the usurper he will arouse the fury of the Holy Roman Empire and the Knights of the Holy Trinity. Both of those great forces have sworn to destroy Mindaug and anyone who shelters him.
On his side, Sforza has only the skill and cunning of his physician, Francisco Turner—who is on good terms with the Valdosta brothers and may be able to neutralize Venetian hostility. But even if he can, will that be enough to save the Wolf of the North? For out there in the countryside of northern Italy, Orkise is uncoiling all the plagues of hell.
About All the Plagues of
“. . . a compelling tale of political, military, and magical conflict . . .” —Booklist
About Eric
“Another engaging alternate history from a master of the genre.”— Booklist
“. . . an old-style police-procedural mystery, set in 17th century Germany. . . . the threads . . . spin together . . . to weave an addictively entertaining story. . . . a strong addition to a fun series.”— Daily News of Galveston County
“This alternate history series is … a landmark…”— Booklist
“[Eric] Flint's 1632 universe seems to be inspiring a whole new crop of gifted alternate historians.”— Booklist
“…reads like a technothriller set in the age of the Medicis…”— Publishers Weekly
About Dave
“Dave Freer always delivers compelling, fast-moving and addictive fantasy adventures.”–Garth Nix, New York Times best-selling author of The Keys to the Kingdom series
"Dave Freer's stories are always well-plotted, fast-paced and—most of all—a lot of fun to read."—Eric Flint, New York Times best-selling creator of the Ring of Fire series
About A Mankind Witch , by Dave
“Good characterization, ripsnorting action and an ingenious plot make this a feast. . .”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
432 pages, Hardcover
Published December 4, 2018
37 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Eric Flint
250 books874 followersEric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 26, 2019
This book is part of a shared universe series and can be read as a standalone. Some interesting characters and decent action with an odd tacked on romance at the end.
October 4, 2020
I'm a fan of Flint's 1632 series, so was excited to tackle the first book I've come across in the Heirs of Alexandria series and it did not disappoint.
Although the book is the fifth in the series, it did a good job of introducing the characters from previous books in a way that worked for the first-timer and would not have jarred someone reading the books in order (although I'm going to have to read the other books to be certain whether one of the key characters has appeared before or not, I really couldn't tell!)
All the Plagues of Hell is set in the Renaissance Italy of the Medicis, but one where magic is real and the events of the previous books have caused a slight drift from history - nothing major, mainly just a few historical figures that met their demise a little early due to events in earlier books. So if you are a fan of 15th Century history, you'll either enjoy the characterisations and they way the period is brought to life, or hate the way they've played with history. Me, I love counterfactual history and the exploration of 'What If'.
As a military historian, I really enjoyed Flint and Greer's portrayal of the warfare of the time. It rang true, and at the same time made me think more deeply about some of the issues that they barely touched upon, but which make considerable sense and sent me off on my own voyage of discovery.
As a fantasy reader, their magic was both understated and at the same time majestic and powerful. It fit well with the setting and felt believable, without twisting the world out of shape as little of it is ever seen by the average person.
All-in-all, a fun book with interesting characters and a new twist on a period of history with which I was not greatly familiar before.
Although the book is the fifth in the series, it did a good job of introducing the characters from previous books in a way that worked for the first-timer and would not have jarred someone reading the books in order (although I'm going to have to read the other books to be certain whether one of the key characters has appeared before or not, I really couldn't tell!)
All the Plagues of Hell is set in the Renaissance Italy of the Medicis, but one where magic is real and the events of the previous books have caused a slight drift from history - nothing major, mainly just a few historical figures that met their demise a little early due to events in earlier books. So if you are a fan of 15th Century history, you'll either enjoy the characterisations and they way the period is brought to life, or hate the way they've played with history. Me, I love counterfactual history and the exploration of 'What If'.
As a military historian, I really enjoyed Flint and Greer's portrayal of the warfare of the time. It rang true, and at the same time made me think more deeply about some of the issues that they barely touched upon, but which make considerable sense and sent me off on my own voyage of discovery.
As a fantasy reader, their magic was both understated and at the same time majestic and powerful. It fit well with the setting and felt believable, without twisting the world out of shape as little of it is ever seen by the average person.
All-in-all, a fun book with interesting characters and a new twist on a period of history with which I was not greatly familiar before.
January 14, 2019
Should probably be a 3.5 really. I can't say its a 4 star "really liked" book, as with Burdens of the Dead, all my favorite characters are shuffled off to the sidelines or written out entirely. It's not that I have anything against Benito and Marco but I really miss Manfred and Erik and Francessca and even Enko Lopez.
I can take some consolation in that Count Mindaug is actually quite interesting in this one, and a couple of newer characters take up some of the slack, especially Francisco.
If you're familiar with the series, this is more of the same, delivered in a nice package, which is pretty much what you want from a series. If you aren't, go read Shadow of the Lion, you'll find it much more interesting, this is a series that started strong.
I can take some consolation in that Count Mindaug is actually quite interesting in this one, and a couple of newer characters take up some of the slack, especially Francisco.
If you're familiar with the series, this is more of the same, delivered in a nice package, which is pretty much what you want from a series. If you aren't, go read Shadow of the Lion, you'll find it much more interesting, this is a series that started strong.
December 7, 2018
Italian setting
When Italy was many separate and quarreling countries, had they had magic and magical beings, this would be quite
possible.
However a subplot in which an wily old sorcerer of great power and evil reputation becomes fond of two peasant overprotective runaways is the real charm of this book.
When Italy was many separate and quarreling countries, had they had magic and magical beings, this would be quite
possible.
However a subplot in which an wily old sorcerer of great power and evil reputation becomes fond of two peasant overprotective runaways is the real charm of this book.
April 13, 2022
A Worthy Addition to the Series.
Literally fantastic. The blend of history and fantasy works brilliantly. Unfortunately in most works of this genre the characters tend to be two dimensional. This is not the case here. The premise, the story line and the protagonists mesh to form a really excellent entertainment.
Literally fantastic. The blend of history and fantasy works brilliantly. Unfortunately in most works of this genre the characters tend to be two dimensional. This is not the case here. The premise, the story line and the protagonists mesh to form a really excellent entertainment.
November 12, 2018
There's no such thing as a bad Eric Flint book and this one met all my expectations.
A very good fantasy, exciting and thrilling.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC
A very good fantasy, exciting and thrilling.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC
February 24, 2019
Once it got rolling, an excellent tale of redemption, renewal & young love. As thoroughly convoluted as any tale in medieval Italy, it draws on a large & varied cast, human & magical to move the story along and resolve the Justinian plague, while stabilizing northern Italy.
August 20, 2021
Great reading
Great reading and I do mean great reading. Now I if there is going to be another book . I would very much like to read that they got rid of the black brain and that will take another book.
Great reading and I do mean great reading. Now I if there is going to be another book . I would very much like to read that they got rid of the black brain and that will take another book.
October 24, 2021
Good but is it ongoing?
Huge fan of this series but I generally enjoy the Manfred and Eric portions more than the Italian parts. But this was surprisingly good and I really like the Milanese doctor.
Huge fan of this series but I generally enjoy the Manfred and Eric portions more than the Italian parts. But this was surprisingly good and I really like the Milanese doctor.
February 5, 2019
Always a fun read when Flint and Freer get together.
February 15, 2024
So this is Eric Flint!
I like it, very much. About time Marco and Benito shut up grandpa. And I will endeavor to ‘scrute’ more often.
I like it, very much. About time Marco and Benito shut up grandpa. And I will endeavor to ‘scrute’ more often.
February 17, 2021
I was surprised to see another entry in this series-- I thought the authors had forgotten about it. After this book, I feel like it's time to wrap it up. I absolutely loved the first two books because the dynamic between Marco and Benito, along with the Venetian setting, was so much fun. The later books with Erik and Manfred were fun too. But now, all the main characters have basically gotten their happy ending so we are rehabilitating antagonists Carlo Sforza and Count Mindaug. I would rather have gotten a spin off with Erik and his new wife, or Manfred's adventures after taking the throne. At this point, the series seems to be just spinning its wheels.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews