This is the long awaited final volume in Flint and Drake’s rollicking and bloodthirsty Belisarius series, and it is perfectly satisfactory. All of the plot threads are neatly tied off, all of the seeds have borne fruit, all of the running gags cross the finish line, and if there are few surprises it remains a fun read. The only thing I really disliked about reading it is that I borrowed the books from my brother the first time I read them, and then I had to give them back, and I’ve been unable to find my own copies of the books in the middle.

For those who came in late, the premise is perfectly ridiculous. In the far future, two different groups are fighting over which form of transhumanism will ultimately be the destiny of the human race. One of them determines that their future can be guaranteed if they send a machine intelligence back in time to possess the rulers of an obscure Indian dynasty. The Malwa dynasty will then (directed by the machine’s knowledge of history and technology, and by its detailed commands) conquer the rest of the world, ensuring that the sponsoring group’s kind of human will eventually win the day.

The other group sends back a different kind of intelligence, an intelligent but living crystal, in such a way that it will seek out Justinian’s greatest general, Belisarius. Rather than coercion and commands, the crystal, whose name is Aide, will bring Belisarius knowledge of the future, and in particular of what will happen if the Malwa are not stopped. It will be up to Justininian, Belisarius, and a host of others to win the day.

Absurd, yes, but fun. The first book in the series is called An Oblique Approach; be sure to grab it if you see it.