Agent of Byzantium
Agent of Byzantium is a collection of short stories by Harry Turtledove, centered on the exploits of Basil Argyros, a Byzantine secret agent. The stories are set in an alternate 14th century, where Islam never existed and the great ancient empires of Byzantium (the Eastern Roman Empire) and Sassanid Persia survive. Setting. In this universe, the point of divergence occurs when the Prophet Muhammad (Mouamet), instead of developing Islam, converted to Christianity and became a celebrated prelate and saint. Without the Muslim conquests, the Eastern Roman Empire remained the pre-eminent power in the Mediterranean world. The  Emperor Constans II subdued the Lombards in Italy, and the Iberian peninsula (Ispania) and the southern coast of Gaul were also recovered. Most of Gaul, Britain and Germania are in "barbarian" hands, and have broken away from Byzantine orthodoxy, following the doctrine of "filioque" and a separate line of Popes. In the East, the Byzantines are still—as it was in our history up to the advent of Islam—involved in a never-ending cold war (occasionally flaring up into actual fighting) with its arch-enemy, the Sassanid Empire, represented in the series by the female spy Mirrane. Argyros works  as an army scout, and later as a magistrianos for the Master of Offices, under the (fictional) Emperor Nikephoros III, and as such is sent across the Empire to solve problems—sometimes as a spy, sometimes as a negotiator, and sometimes as a soldier. The cover of the 1994 re-issue compares Argyros to James Bond and Dominic Flandry. Stories and publication history. Stories in the "Agent of Byzantium" universe (in order written) are: The first six stories comprise the first edition of "Agent of Byzantium", published in 1987 by Congdon & Weed. "Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire" and "Departures  were first published in the Departures" collection in 1993. "Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire" was included in the second edition of "Agent of Byzantium", published in 1994 by Baen Books. "The Eyes of Argos" was also published in the "There Will Be War IV: Guns of Darkness" collection in 1987. Reception. Orson Scott Card praised Turtledove as "a very talented science fiction writer, with a gift for finding a way to present a fascinating idea through strong, believable characters." Differences. Turtledove, who has a PhD in Byzantine history, created a setting for the series in which the world of  Late Antiquity is projected seven centuries into the future. In each story, several familiar inventions and social institutions crop up far ahead of schedule, and under very different circumstances than they did in our world. Among these are: