The Third Rome

The year is 2105. For fifty years, a European Islamic superstate, the Islamic Caliphate of Eurabia, has been at war with the Russian Federation and its allies. Neither side has, as yet, been able to break the military deadlock, but after so many years of fighting, Moscow's armies are beginning to buckle under the weight of hostile forces pitted against them. In a desperate bid to prevent further Islamic conquests, a Russian delegation prepares to travel to Washington D.C. to secure American help. However, the United States is not the superpower it once was, having fragmented and suffered during a brief but bloody civil war. Though both ruling American governments of the Northern and Southern states recognize the threat posed by the Eurabian Caliphate, they are still reluctant to enter into an alliance with the Russian Federation; Moscow makes no secret of the fact that it will do whatever is necessary to win the conflict, whether it be the launch of nuclear warheads, the operation of death camps for Eurabian citizens, military or civilian, and even human experimentation to create biologically-enhanced soldiers.

Aisha Ashraf lives in Linudinna, formerly known as London, the capital city of the Eurabian Caliphate, with her younger brother, father and mother. Her older sibling, Ali, is a conscript in the Eurabian Army and away fighting on the front-lines. Yusuf Ashraf, her father, is an amateur historian who is disgusted by the crimes committed by his government in the name of the Islamic faith; however, any anti-government sentiment is brutally suppressed by imprisonment and even execution, though Yusuf struggles to hide his true beliefs and Aisha finds herself influenced by his logic, despite the dangers.

Dmitry Golovkin is a young Russian special forces soldier, who fights for his country and his comrades but not for his government, a man who only believes in a Russian victory since defeat will result in slavery for his people. His experiences of war have left him only with a longing for peace.

Thomas Winters is a Northern United States Army lieutenant-colonel, a veteran of the Second American Civil War working in military intelligence. Like his superiors, he is uncomfortable with the actions of the Muscovite government but knows that his own homeland will be under threat if the Russians are defeated. If the Americans do decide to join the conflict, Winters resolves to be at the front once more, but pledges to himself to try and save every innocent life he can from the fate of the Siberian death camps.

The opinions of three literary

'It's well written, but I'm afraid there is no chance any publisher will touch this'

'Too controversial to publish'

'I enjoyed it, and I can imagine it would sell very well given the topical nature of the content, but I highly doubt I could get it to the publishing stage'