Informative, fascinating, exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Fighting Emperors of Byzantium" will be of special interest and value to students of Roman History in general, and the history of Byzantium in particular. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of one page bibliography of Sources and Further Reading, a one page listing of Notes & References, a two page listing of Byzantine Emperors 313-1453, and a seven page Index, "Fighting Emperors of Byzantium" is a welcome and recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Roman/Byzantine Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Fighting Emperors of Byzantium" is also available from Pen & Sword Books in a paperback edition (9781399024839, $32.95) and in a digital book format.

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Midwest Book Review

How could anyone resist a book titled like this?This is full on power politics across hundreds of years in an empire that picked up where the Roman Empire left off... The objective of the author is to show how important warfare was to the existence of a Roman society in a world that was changing around them. The very same process of meeting new demands had assisted the demise of the western empire, yet the Byzantines found the vigour to persist. John Carr stresses the importance of military action in this struggle, hence the title of the book, yet the machinations of the various characters assume more importance in the text than details of military campaigns. This is not a book about Byzantine warfare. This is a book about those people who ordered their soldiers to go to war, and in many cases, actually led them into battle. And what characters they were... illustrations are unnecessary, because such is the dramatic and enthusiastic style, the story presents its own colour. John Carr has shone a light into a dusty old cupboard and revealed a treasure chest.

UNRV