A well-told chapter of Belisarius’ military victories, first against the Vandal kingdom of North Africa and then against the Goths in Italy, ending with a somewhat cryptic account of his fall from grace. Contains some good human stories – the despair of the Vandal king Gelimer, the travails of the Romans switching masters from Goths to Byzantines, the use of aqueducts to infiltrate cities, and the dubious ending of the chapter with Antonina’s love life.