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It is the year 397 AD.

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The Emperor Arcadius is controlled by the Imperial

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Chamberlain, the eunuch Eutropius,

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who rules the Eastern Roman Empire

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in all but name. An

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ex-slave, he hungers for more

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than just power, he craves

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for the respect of the elite of the empire.

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He knows of only one way to gain that, through

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battle. So when

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the threat of invaders comes to the eastern borders,

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he shocks the Imperial court, by

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personally leading the expedition to

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expel the barbarians. Meanwhile,

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ambitious politician Anthemius is

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relentlessly hunting for the secret behind

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the sinister plot to undermine the empire's

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stability. Seeking the

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only person who knows the truth, he sends

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his men to the far reaches of the empire,

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where they confront a new and lethal

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threat.

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In the city of Constantinople, factions

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clash, deepening already

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painful divisions, and into the

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confusion step two men. One,

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a man of God, seeking

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to bring solace to the poor. The

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other, a shadowy figure from the Imperial

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court, seeking to manipulate the

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violence for his own aims. Amid

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the chaos, old friendships break

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and new, unwilling alliances are

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forged.

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Will the Chamberlain

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achieve his dream of victory in battle? Will

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Anthemius find the truth behind the treason?

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And will Constantinople survive

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the tensions that threaten to

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tear it

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apart? It

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is in these days that the Guardians

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of Byzantium are born. A secret

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organisation, sworn to protect

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the Roman Empire now and

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forever. My

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name is Justin Isaacs, and

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this is the second book in the Guardians of Byzantium

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series. It continues the

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epic saga of war, political

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intrigue and personal drama

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at the birth of what was to become the Byzantine

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Empire. I was

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inspired to write these books by Robin Pearson's

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wonderful history of Byzantium podcast and

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Robin has been a huge support to me throughout.

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In this dramatisation, I've

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done my best to weave together true events with

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plausible what ifs, including the

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aspirations of immoral men amongst

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the complex and often violent landscape

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of the ancient world. If

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you like tenacious anti-heroes, deep

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conspiracies and thrilling glimpses

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into the past, then I believe you'll enjoy

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this riveting saga.

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The Guardians of Byzantium book 2 is

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out on the 18th of August 2023 and is available for

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pre-order on e-book on amazon. For

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a limited period between the 18th of August and

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the 22nd of August, the Guardians

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of Byzantium book 1, e-book

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edition, will be available for free, so

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you can get both e-books for the price of one

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during that time. Thank

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you again to Robin and now back

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to the history of Byzantium.