Bastard. Book 3. The Flood

«The Flood» is the third book of the «Bastard» series by Andrey Shoppet and Aleksandr Alekseev—a large-scale military-historical novel in the genre of alternative history.

1614. Russia, freed from the Time of Troubles, is no longer the country that people of later times knew. On the throne sits Tsar Victor the First—a man from the future who managed to break the usual course of history, destroy old dynasties, and begin painful but necessary transformations. However, the cost of change is high. Boyar conspiracies, an assassination attempt on the royal couple, internal purges, and a ruthless struggle for power tear the country apart from within.

Outside, however, a real «flood» is approaching: Europe gathers a crusade against the strengthening Russia. The armies of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish-Lithuanian forces, mercenaries from across the continent, and steppe allies converge at one point to crush the new Russian tsar. The decisive clash becomes inevitable.

On the pages of the novel, the fates of rulers and ordinary soldiers, generals and recruits, diplomats and peasants intertwine. Great battles stand alongside backroom intrigues; reforms coexist with brutal decisions; and technological progress runs on blood and betrayal. The victory at Vyazma, the defense of Smolensk, the war on distant frontiers, and the first sprouts of a new military doctrine show what price is paid—and what is required to hold together—a realm.

«The Flood» is a story about power and responsibility, about choosing between humanism and the necessary cruelty, about how easy it is to change the course of history and how hard it is to keep it from falling into new chaos.