Empires of Sand A Novel

An epic novel of adventure in the grandest tradition of historical fiction,Empires of Sandtakes us on a thrilling, unforgettable journey. As civilizations collide around two men, a battle begins: for survival, for love, and for a destiny written in a desert's shifting sands. The year is 1870. Paris is under siege, and two boys, best friends and cousins, are swept from their life of privilege. A brutal killing forces Michel deVries called Moussa to flee to his mother's homeland in North Africa. A family disgrace forces Paul deVries to seek redemption in the French military. Ten years will pass before they come face-to-face again. Now Moussa has become a desert warrior and a beautiful woman's forbidden lover, while Paul leads an ill-fated French force into the Sahara. Against a breathtaking landscape of blazing sands and ancient mysteries, these two men face a struggle that will shatter lives across two continents and force them to choose between separate dreams and shared blood....

David Ball lives in the Rockies with his wife, Melinda, and children, Ben and Li. He is currently at work on a new novel, <b>Ironfire</b>.