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Strategos

by Gordon Doherty 3 books in this series

The Strategos trilogy follows Apion, a boy orphaned on the Byzantine–Seljuk frontier, as he rises from slavery and rural obscurity to become a general of the Byzantine Empire. His pursuit of revenge draws him into the military and political struggle for Anatolia during the eleventh century.

Across the three novels, Apion serves amid palace intrigue, contested succession and repeated Seljuk incursions. The sequence culminates in Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes’ eastern campaign and the Battle of Manzikert, where private loyalties and imperial survival are tested together.

Reading order

Books in this series (3 books)

Born in the Borderlands cover

1. Born in the Borderlands

Gordon Doherty

4.3(939)

In 1046 CE, a Seljuk raid destroys Apion’s family and leaves the boy wounded, enslaved and consumed by thoughts of revenge. A farmer named Mansur gives him refuge on the violent frontier between the Byzantine Empire and the expanding Seljuk world. Apion attempts to build a…

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Rise of the Golden Heart cover

2. Rise of the Golden Heart

Gordon Doherty

4.4(695)

In 1068 CE, Seljuk victories weaken Byzantium and the empire searches for a soldier capable of restoring its eastern armies. Apion has become strategos of the Chaldian frontier force and is summoned to Constantinople for the accession of Romanos Diogenes. The ceremony becomes part of a…

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Island in the Storm cover

3. Island in the Storm

Gordon Doherty

4.5(732)

In 1071 CE, Romanos Diogenes leads a renewed Byzantine army toward the frontier fortresses of Manzikert and Chliat. Apion rides with the emperor, aware that Alp Arslan’s Seljuk forces are not the campaign’s only threat. Rival commanders and political opponents within the Byzantine host prepare to…

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