<p>It is 1812 in Sapoda, a small crossroads town nestled in the neutral zone between the New Roman&nbsp; and Mongol Empires.&nbsp; Mikail de Reuter, a young political officer bored by his job and worried about his prospects, is only there to visit his girl. But Mongol cavalry looking to clear a path for an invasion come to kill him. He knows he has been betrayed and runs for his life. <br />In New Rome Emperor Charles Martel IV has had to contend with many enemies just to keep Charlemagne&rsquo;s crown on his head&mdash;and that head on his shoulders. So far he has managed to hold things together. In Mikail&rsquo;s story he glimpses an enormous treasonable conspiracy years in building. As the Emperor begins a&nbsp; frantic hunt for them, the conspirators realize that unless they strike first they will soon be dead. <br /><em>True Successor</em> is a fast-moving good read and a trip to a fascinating New Rome for Alternate History buffs.&nbsp; Like Mikail we live briefly in that city and meet and hear not&nbsp; only the great men of the realm, but young lovers, clerks, soldiers and ordinary men and women shopping, drinking in its taverns and walking its streets.</p>