 He says that most of the departures from the historical record were done for dramatic purposes, such as the creation of Myakes as a companion and sounding board for Justinian, and changes to the religious debates of the time, which Turtledove believed would appear hopelessly obscurantist to most modern readers.The central theme of the book seems to be "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", but this is not necessarily the case.Justinian is a man who believes he can do no wrong.