A two-part climax to The Last Vigil, An Agony of Flame and The Fury and the Mire, concludes the story of the fall of Constantinople. Here is an intense evocation, both of the gruelling eight-week siege itself and of the chaotic as well as terrifying aftermath. In part three, Niccolo and Demetrius serve on the great Roman land walls, enduring bombardment and nocturnal hand-to-hand combat. Nestor-Iskander reappears, a deserter now from the Turkish camp. Niccolo is badly wounded, recovering in Theodora's house in the suburb of Studion. Then comes the night of the final Ottoman assault when, after a valiant defence, treachery leads to massacre (including the death of Demetrius) and Niccolo finds himself among a scatter of survivors.  Part four centres on Niccolo's frantic attempts to find a way through a city, now being systematically sacked. Moreover, he must think of others. Demetrius might be dead but Nestor-Iskander has survived and demands refuge. Then there is Theodora locked...

Product DescriptionA gritty, often violent, look at a world where super powers are real, told from the point of view of a man who simply wanted to be left alone. Soon enough he finds himself surrounded by the very "heroes" he had disdained and cleaning up a mess he was partly responsible for.Power corrupts, and if you stare into the abyss long enough it starts staring back. Even the most revered of heroes isn't immune.