149210129 “Clash of Eagles is that rarest and best of alternative histories: the one you believe, the one that makes sense. Alan Smale has a storyteller’s flair for character, and presents an ensemble cast with a depth of detail of which George R. R. Martin would approve. Clash of Eagles is a triple threat: It works as a novel, as historical speculation, and as cultural extrapolation. But its real value is singular: It’s a ripping good yarn, and one that will keep you reading long past your bedtime.”—Myke Cole, award-winning author of the Shadow Ops series

“Just when it seems there is nothing new in [alternate] history comes this debut.”—Library Journal (starred review)
 
“An intriguingly original alternate history.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[Alan Smale] breathes life into the New World civilizations and offers up a compelling view of what might have happened had these two continents collided. . . . I found the New World of 1218 AD fascinating. I look forward to the next installment.”—Historical Novels Review

“Authoritatively researched, compellingly told, and with pleasing echoes of L. Sprague de Camp, Clash of Eagles is a modern masterpiece of what-if speculation.”—Stephen Baxter, Philip K. Dick Award–winning author of The Time Ships
 
“Alan Smale has done remarkable work with the worldbuilding in Clash of Eagles, dropping the sole Roman survivor of a massacre into the complex civilization of the Cahokian Native Americans in the thirteenth century. Yet what follows is more than a standard clash of cultures yarn, for there are other forces in play in this alternate North America, and Marcellinus knows his imperial masters will send more legions to replace his lost men. Can the determination and ingenuity of one man change the fate of a continent? I’m eager to find out.”—Harry Turtledove, New York Times bestselling author of How Few Remain

“My favorite kind of alternate history: epic, bloody, and hugely imaginative.”—John Birmingham, author of Without Warning
 
“Clash of Eagles is epic in its sweep, exciting in its narrative, and eyeball-kick sharp in its details.”—Nancy Kress, Nebula and Hugo Award–winning author of Beggars in Spain

“Clash of Eagles, the first book of Alan Smale’s trilogy, introduces the series with a lightning bolt. Bracketed between two breathtaking and meticulously strategized battles is a sensitive evocation of a lost culture, an act of literary archeology like no other I’ve read. My advice is to get in on the ground floor now!”—James Patrick Kelly, Nebula Award–winning author of Burn


From the Hardcover edition.