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Customer Reviews (2)

Tempus takes Manhattan
"Tempus Unbound" takes the Sacred Band's commander to New York and Kansas at the end of the 20th Century, and beyond to mystic Lemuria in search of his sister-in-arms.If you've never read any Tempus stories or novels, be warned:he is an immortalized warrior-philosopher, a combat commander and veteran of too many bloody wars with a god that lives in his head and very hard-edged sense of heroism and honor.Tempus books are not for the squeamish.

Alone, he has everything to lose in this battle with his ancient enemies.This is the sixth in the Sacred Band of Stepsons series but stands on its own amazingly well.Tempus travels into contemporary realms of the recent past and even into the future.Seeing our world through his eyes is a treat.Adventure unlike any other.

Science fiction and fantasy, myth and history mix in this novel as Tempus fights to save his beloved and wins a prize greater than he could have dreamed.Moving through history with Tempus in his own novel allows the reader deeper into the mind of this fascinating character than ever before.

Highly recommended.

A keeper
A very good book.The charater Tempus has been one of my favorites since the first Thieve's World book I ever read, and he has evolved much since then.I like the way this story evolved and beleive the ending will pleaseany fan of Tempus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Homer in Hell -- The Best of the Heroes in Hell books
'The Little Helliad' is a reference to 'The Little Iliad,' a collection of lesser-known Iliad vignettes and tales about Iliad-related characters.This book takes its inspiration and some of its structure from this ancient, wonderful source.

The Little Helliad is the best of the Heroes in Hell books, to my mind.Homer, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, takes a trip through Hell -- his very own Odyssey.A wonderful book full of memorable characters and the unique perspective of the Morris's Homer. It takes courage and scholarship, a sure talent and authoritative voice to write from Homer's perspective. The Morrises succeed with ease and grace, producing a book of memorable scope with beautifully crafted prose and a plot worthy of Homer himself, while retaining the episodic flavor of 'The Little Iliad.'

There's nothing 'little' about the storyline of The Little Helliad.It's engrossing, complex, thoroughly enjoyable and completely unique, with a wry sense of humor and a deep familiarity with every historical character encoutered.A tour de force, written by the creators of the best-selling 'Heroes in Hell' series, masters of historical fantasy. Under Janet Morris's guidance, the Heroes in Hell series produced a Hugo award winner and several Nebula award nominations.Find out why when you read The Little Helliad. ... Read more

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An adventure like no other.Two Sacred Bands, united for the first time.The Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love in war in ancient times.In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the legendary Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty-three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired lovers and friends, to fight on other days.These forty-six Thebans, whose bones will never lie in the mass grave that holds their two hundred and fifty-four brothers, join with the immortalized Tempus and his Sacred Band of Stepsons, consummate ancient cavalry fighters, to make new lives in a faraway land and fight the battle of their dreams where gods walk the earth, ghosts take the field, and the angry Fates demand their due. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Ancient war in myth and legend
The Sacred Band is an epic novel that mixes the legendary Sacred Band of Thebes and the mythical Sacred Band of Stepsons in a heart-stopping adventure of ancient warfare. The authors bring their heroes to life, along with gods and sorcerers and seers and priests and ghosts and destiny. Stepson cavalry, commanded by the immortalized hero called Tempus, rescues forty-six of the Theban Sacred Band infantry from the battlefield at Chaeronea in 338 BC where Alexander the Great's army is obliterating their brothers.And that's just the beginning. So real you can taste, smell, feel, every moment. Men and boys risk everything for one another. Brilliant characters and extraordinary scholarship blend flawlessly. Romance, tragedy, and unrelenting danger are all around as angry gods and the Greek Fates chase the Sacred Band of Thebes to Sanctuary. It's about time someone wrote a book about the doomed but heroic Sacred Band of Thebes that does them justice. The Morrises' earlier books about the Sacred Band of Stepsons are now on my reading list, but I can't imagine a better story than this one.

Linda Hall
This book was incredible !! I would recommend it for anyone and especially for anyone who loves horses.this is a must read for anyone with a love of history,horses and life in general!!!!
I can't wait for more!!

The Sacred Band:An adventure like no other
"The Sacred Band" truly is an adventure like no other.It begins on the battlefield of Chaeronea in Greece in 338, BCE and the action never stops.Drama, warfare, romance, sorcery, gods and lovers in ancient times: history and mythology combine in a heady brew.The Sacred Band of Thebes and the Sacred Band of Stepsons unite.The doomed Sacred Banders of Thebes have always been among my heroes, and I've loved the mythical Sacred Band of Stepsons ever since I first encountered them in the stories and books about Tempus, their immortalized commander. When the Stepsons save the Thebans from their fate, the miraculous happens.

Action-packed, this mythic tale is liberally laced with romance and treachery and danger and heroism.Courage beyond measure is required as Tempus and the Stepsons rescue the remnants of the Theban Band from the killing field of the Battle of Chaeronea and bring them first to Lemuria, then to Sanctuary.If you're a fan of the Sacred Bands, this is the story you've been waiting for.If you're not familiar with the Bands and their legend, start here.Sacred Banders swear to fight shoulder to shoulder, to the death, with honor. And they do.Men and boys and women and girls, youngsters and seasoned professionals, humans and the occasional god or demigod fight side by side against preternatural adversaries.Lovers and friends risk everything for one another.Marvelous characters abound:three young boys, in search of their manhood; a goddess who falls in love with the a warrior-monk; the best pair of Stepsons, torn apart by one man's obsession with a necromant; a wizard and a wind-charmer; a god's son and a priest, joining together in a battle not only of militaries, but of wits and hearts and souls.

I was mesmerized. This book made me proud of my history and my humanity.

The Battle of Your Dreams
When Tempus, the Stepsons' commander, is hiring reinforcements and mercenaries ask him what the mission is, he tells them it's the battle of their dreams.And he's right.If you like an epic story with everything at stake, battles between good and evil that aren't simplistic, you've found it.Two Sacred Bands join forces, paired lovers and brothers and friends, to defeat an age-old menace.Gods and goddesses take sides; sorcerers and witches help their favorites, and the game gets rough.Meanwhile, the panorama this book evokes in your mind's eye is stunningly beautiful.

The Sacred Band of Stepsons, cavalry fighters, have deep bonds to their horses, to their commander, to their Sacred Band. The displaced Sacred Band of Thebes, reeling from losing nearly everything on the battlefield at Chaeronea, are primarily infantry fighters.As the Thebans learn cavalry tactics, so do we.The horsemanship, and the love of the fighters for each other and for their horses, are among my favorite parts of the book.If you've read the other Sacred Band of Stepsons books, a decade ago, don't worry about whether you remember:this book is a new beginning, big and rich and eerily realistic for historical fantasy.

Expertly plotted, brilliantly written, with characters you'll never forget.

The Sacred Band Rides Again
Two Sacred Bands, united for the first time, go to war to restore the balance between good and evil. The Sacred Band is a glorious novel, beautifully written, a grand epic that transcends genre.The story is full of action and romance among paired fighters of all description:men and men, men and women, demigods and wind-charmers, men and necromants, boys and girls, cavalrymen and their horses....

If I had written this book, I would have called it "Operation Restore Balance."The legendary Sacred Band of Stepsons rescues the Sacred Band of Thebes from the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE.This brash act upsets the "balance": the forty-six rescued war-fighters were supposed to die at the hands of Alexander the Great on the Chaeronean battlefield.The patron goddess of the Theban Sacred Band and the angry Fates follow the Thebans to Sanctuary and all hell breaks loose....literally.

To restore the universal balance, Tempus and his united Band face nearly insurmountable odds and villains human and inhuman, including angry gods and supernatural powers.More than anything else, this book is about pairbond, about honor and glory and loyalty and what it takes to sustain complex relationships under stress. At times, I found it inspiring.

A big, satisfying book full of rich characters and nonstop action.Warriors and lovers abound.New characters sparkle, especially the three young Stepson trainees and the Theban goddess, Harmony. Veteran characters such as Tempus and Niko shine bright. Ride with the Sacred Band of Stepsons, if you dare.... ... Read more

Product Description
Originally broadcast on Radio 4 in January 1994, this is a collection of five ten-minute interviews with Peter Cook's comic creation, Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling, who reminisces about his life and career as statesman, scholar and tycoon. They formed Cook's final radio series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Transcendent wit and comedy
Two of my favourite comedic minds team up here for one of Cook's last performances. Morris, of On The Hour/The Day Today/Brass Eye fame is quick-witted and has a brilliantly honed interviewing style. Cook's Sir Arthur has moments of genuine pathos talking about his fictional past amidst the brilliant rejoinders and story-telling. Truly Cook at his best. This recording of 5 radio 4 interviews is sadly underrated. ... Read more

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American soldiers explain in detail how they feel about their experiences in battle, what motivates them, what they think of themselves and their society, how they imagine wars will be fought in the future. ... Read more

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Written for ages seven to ten, The Shakespeare Collection is an irresistible retelling of Shakespeare's most popular plays in storybook form. Written by experienced children's authors, the stories have been reviewed by Kathy Elgin of the Royal Shakespeare Company and contain extracts from the original texts. Illustrated with full-color and black-and-white drawings throughout, these lively books make Shakespeare accessible to a young audience, sparking a lifelong interest in the Bard and his world. ... Read more

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Sargeant "Det" Cox has just spent three years under psych observation on Earth; now that he's out-system, he isn't about to tell anyone he's seeing aliens again. Paige Barnett has lost everything, even her name, because she knows too much about the rebellion spreading throughout the Earth-Space mining colonies. Together Cox and Barnett stumble upon the mystery at the revolution's heart and learn why the rebels are willing to die for it. Is their discovery mankind's worst threat or greatest gift? The authorities are willing to destroy whole planets to keep the revolution's secret from reaching Earth ... What's to stop them from destroying two people? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Revolution, Redemption, Resurrection
War and mystery beyond the stars.Sgt "Det" Cox has just spent three years under psych observation on Earth; now that he's out-system, he isn't about to tell anyone he's seeing aliens again. Paige Barnett has lost everything, even her name, because she knows too much about the rebellion spreading through-out the Earth-Space mining colonies.

Together Cox and Barnett stumble upon the mystery at the revolution's heart and learn why the rebels are willing to die for it.

Is their discovery mankind's worst threat or greatest gift? The authorities are willing to destroy whole planets to keep the revolution's secret from reaching Earth....What's to stop them from destroying two people?

This is a novel you can't put down!!! ... Read more

Product Description
The story of Rugby League great Chris Hesketh is a heart-warming one, his sporting life being one of triumph over adversity, reaching its pinnacle as the first Wigan-born captain of a British Lions Rugby League touring team when leading the party that flew to Australia and New Zealand in 1974. That honour, and many more, was achieved after overcoming polio as a child and the shattering experience of being discarded by his first professional club, Wigan, who he had followed since being a youngster. His transfer to Salford sparked a new beginning as an integral part of a team that reached the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley and twice won the Rugby League Championship in the 1970s. A classy centre and dominating presence on the rugby field, he was destined to become skipper of a Red Devils outfit littered with star names such as Paul Charlton, Colin Dixon, Keith Fielding and David Watkins. A tourist twice, he also took part in two World Cup tournaments, including the 1972 triumph in France. His renaissance received official recognition through the awarding of the MBE in 1976 for his services to Rugby League.In this book, Chris, and co-author Graham Morris provide the reader with a fascinating account of his trials and tribulations as a professional sportsman as he rose to the top in the toughest of all team sports, including many inside stories and humorous anecdotes. Its pages reveal the life and times of a player who proved himself as a true Captain Courageous, offering an essential read for all lovers of sport and Rugby League in particular. ... Read more

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This is the definitive source book for anyone interested in living with Arts and Crafts style. In it, Pamela Todd celebrates William Morris's genius, presenting a thorough overview of his life and career, and showing how he envisaged and implemented schemes for interiors in his own homes and those of others. A series of 'Case Studies' explores six contemporary houses - from a modern London townhouse to a traditional Arts and Crafts home in Massachusetts - that have followed and adapted Morris's dicta, brilliantly demonstrating how the style can be applied to our environment today. The book concludes with a comprehensive style-sourcing section, as well as a gazetteer of places to visit for inspiration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent!
What a find!Great history, very informative and the photography is outstanding. Such a wonderful book on the Arts & Craft movement. I would imagine it's a must-read for interior design students.

Lovely details
If you appreciate anything to do with the Arts & Crafts movement, you'll really like this book -- even if you look only at the pictures. It's separated into sections on exteriors and gardens; interiors (architecture); decorative patterns (wallpapers and woven fabric); furniture; softer elements (curtains, rugs, carpets, etc.); finishing touches (ornament, tiles).

Each has plenty of detail: you see the overall effect (the entire wall of wallpaper) and the specific design (a zoom in on the wallpaper's design). Even if you care about only one element (you're into fabric for instance) you'll get plenty out of this book.

For Lovers of Arts and Crafts Homes
William Morris changed people's attitudes towards architecture and interior decoration when Victorian excess was at it's height.I love the use of wood in an Arts and Crafts house.For others who feel this way, this book is a treat.At the back are two useful sections: Where to See Arts and Crafts Homes and a listing of Specialist Supplies for anyone renovating an Arts and Crafts Home.
You might also want to read The William Morris Stained Glass Pattern Book and The Life and Works of William Morris.Take a look also at Craftsman Homes: Architecture and Furnishings of the American Arts and Crafts Movement.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Sacred Bander Nikodemos shines in his own novel
I have followed the Sacred Band of Stepsons since their insertion into Thieves World, and Nikodemos has always been one of my favorite characters.

This is not a Thieves' World novel:it doesn't take place in Sanctuary and it isn't dark.It is a Sacred Band of Stepsons novel, but it focuses on Nikodemos, not the whole Band.This novel is the lightest of the Sacred Band of Stepsons novels.Nikodemos, the secular adept from Bandara, is separated from the Sacred Band until the end of the story.

But what a story:the Stepson faces temptations undreamed in a mystical realm where every dream can come true, but at what price?Niko falls from the sky into the City at the Edge of Time, an immortal place that time has passed by.There are gods and sorcery, of course, and treachery and love and death:it's a Janet Morris and Chris Morris novel, after all.

IF you love Niko and can't get enough, this book is for you.If you want to get a taste of what the Sacred Band of Stepsons is about, this a good place to dive in, but keep in mind that, for the Morrises, this a sweet and ethereal novel. In it, the reader delves deep into Nikodemos's soul and his mystery of mastery over mind and body.

Alone and facing an offer of eternal life and ease, the best of Tempus's Stepsons faces a test that challenges all his beliefs and all his goals....There's a princess who wants to wed him, a god who wants his allegiance, and a battle with sorcery that nearly overtakes him completely.Fail, and he dies.Succeed, and he can live forever.But there's a catch....

So far away from Thieves' World that no one has ever heard of Sanctuary, Tempus's partner makes choices that will haunt him for the rest of his days. A turning point in the series, this story has a bittersweet ending that will leave you breathless.

The best of the Sacred Band of Stepsons in his own novel
The City at the Edge of Time centers on Nikodemos,secular adept and Tempus's warrior- monk, in his own novel.Separated from the Sacred Band of Stepsons, Niko falls in a rain of fish into the City at the Edge of Time.Only by becoming an avatar of the Storm God can Niko survive the test waiting for him. And of course, there's a young girl who's hoping to keep the Stepson for her very own.And a web of sorcery to destroy.Mythic and at times Homeric, this is one of the Sacred Band of Stepsons novels that can be read on its own, without reading any of the others.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Tempus gets the Sacred Band back together
In Storm Seed, Tempus, the immortal commander of the Sacred Band of Stepsons, gathers his scattered forces and takes them into the future.Meanwhile, Jihan, the wind-charmer, daughter of Stormbringer and a demigoddess in her own right, loses control of the son she bore Tempus, which she's been keeping beneath the sea.Like Telemachus seeking out Odysseus, this changeling boy goes looking for his father.And when they find each other, the reunion is full of fire and wild adventure.

Oh, did I mention that Roxane, the witch who loves Nikodemos, follows him to the future and gets more than she bargains for?

This is the most science-fictional of the Tempus novels.In the far future, a nearly dead world needs gods to populate its heavens and give the almost-extinct humans a hand.I won't spoil the story for you, but suffice it to say that how the thirteen baby gods come to be is a great tale, full of action and passion and told with the Morrises customary inventiveness.By the end of this book, Tempus has all his far-flung forces back and takes the Band home to Lemuria, where time doesn't pass, and from where they can venture anywhere in place and time.Oh, yes:Cime the Free Agent, Tempus's sister-in-arms, is ruling in Lemuria, and sparks are flying as these two sometimes-lovers reunite.

This book was more fun that I've had in ages.For lovers of the Sacred Band of Stepsons, it's a treat.If you've never read any Thieves' World or Sanctuary stories, no worries:this book doesn't go near the Band's old stomping grounds.

The science-fantasy mix is a rarefied taste, but if you like that kind of book, you'll love this one, written by people who really know their science and technology and their story-telling as well.

Intense pleasure-reading
Alas, the very last one of the Thieves' World-novels. It makes you crave for more! The intensity with which the authors write is spell-binding in itself, and truly of all ages (future earth is here, as well as ancientAzehurean culture and the place of timelessness): treating human matters ofresponsibility, friendship, growing up and the difference/reconciliation ofthe sexes in a powerful, rounded way. Whoever has read other novels by theMorrises will know that here philosophy, religion and the occult are testedagainst the human heart. Splendid! I only wish Niko and Kama had grown up abit more. Note: it took me five years to understand exactly whatmaat-issue was at stake, and when I did I still thought the book very muchworth reading! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

3rd anthology, 4th volume in the series.
As with the other anthologies in this series, this one is written in a braided format - in fact, more so than the preceding volumes, so that there is a nearly seamless flow from story to story.

Abbey, Lynn: "Strange Bedfellows" - Further development of Marina Kamat's infatuation with Mondragon, mainly from the Kamats' point of view. Once Richard becomes aware of some of what's been going on, he steps in and meets with Mondragon. For one thing, Richard takes action to see that a promise made to Raj by Marina is kept - help getting accepted at the College as a medical student. This story also sets up Richard's working relationship with Mondragon, as Richard works to create the Samurai, a new security force for the merchants' docks and warehouses.

Asire, Nancy: "By a Woman's Hand" - This thread follows Justice Lee, his mentor Father Rhajmurti, and various figures at the College, and introduces his fellow-student Sonja Keisel. She's a wizard at math, willing to tutor Justice at Rhajmurti's suggestion - and the daughter of two families at the top of Merovingen's hierarchy.

Cherryh, C.J.: "Troubled Waters" - This thread weaves in and out of the others, mainly following Jones and Mondragon.

Fish, Leslie: "Treading the Maze" - We find out more about Black Cal, the only honest cop in Merovingen - such as why he only seems to show up when Rif's around, and why the blacklegs at the Signeury know it's time to clean out the blueblood's cell when Cal takes out rookies on his beat. The Janists, Rif among them, are busy trying to get permits for Master Milton's Magic Show - but why? :)

Lackey, Mercedes: "A Tangled Web We Weave" - Raj finally cracks under the strain of letting Marina Kamat think that his love poems actually come from Mondragon (among other things, it's potentially dangerous for Mondragon). Being a Takahashi, Raj does what he considers to be the honorable thing.

We find out a bit more about Raver and May, the swampies who were closest to Raj in his days out there...including that Raver was once Raven, a Janist agent, and that he scooped something very interesting out of the harbor after the 'sharrh overflight' in FEVER SEASON.

Morris, Chris: "Saying Yes to Drugs" - Michael Chamoun, having been introduced to deathangel powder during his catechism sessions with Cardinal Ito Boregy for past-life regression, proceeds to introduce his wife, Cassie Boregy, to the stuff - and she begins to acquire a reputation for prophecy.

Morris, Janet: "The Prisoner" - In case you're wondering why one faction or another never grabbed Jones as leverage against Mondragon, well, everyone in Merovingen knows that it's crazy to lay hands on the Trade; they stick together against landsmen. But Chance Magruder, the Nev Hettek ambassador, doesn't know the rules.

Rogow, Roberta: "Nessus' Shirt" - If the title doesn't mean anything to you, grab a book of Greek mythology and turn to the end of the section on Hercules. (Yes, I read way too much mythology when I was a kid, if there is such a thing as too much.) ... Read more

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When three alien ships appear in orbit around the Ball, which was left in too close proximity to the Threshold Terminal, the best minds among the United Nations of Earth must decide whether to protect their people or start a war. Reprint. ... Read more

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"After Washington DC is vaporized by a nuclear surface blast, Mar Beck, wonder boy of the American foreign service, prevails on Ashmead, covert action chief, to help him fly two batches of anticancer serum from Israel to the Houston White House.From the moment they establish their gritty relationship, life is filled with treachery and terror for Beck (who) must deal with one cliffhanger after another during the desperate days that follow.This novel shocks us with a sudden, satisfying ending." --- Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Echoes of 9/11...before it hapened
The 40- Minute War begins with a group of Arab terrorists taking over a jetliner...and it was written in 1984.The Baen hardcover got a rave review from Publisher's Weekly: "A sudden, satisfying ending."The Baen softcover has two different, graphic covers. Prophetic, but thank heavens, not too much so:in the story, the terrorists detonate a nuclear device over the White House.The science and intelligence tradecraft are first-rate; the science-fictional element is a desperate time-travel gambit to undo an event that triggers a 40-minute nuclear exchange between the Soviet Union and the United States.CIA and Mossad team up to un-happen an event that puts humanity's very survival in doubt through a chain-reaction of furious retaliations.A frightening book, full of wonderful characters who stand out bright against a dark and all-too-likely future.The authors come to grips with the ugly truths about post-nuclear survival, a background against which the heroism of the main characters is all humanity has to rely upon.Written by defense community professionals, this book takes you deep inside the minds of men and women who deal on a regular basis with protecting the world against threats to civilization.Not for the squeamish.

Doomsday with a twist.
The writing style is fine, the plot.... full of holes.

I would have liked to have read more about the events going on in the USA.INstead you follow a rat pack like of CIA preps around the middle east... They finally make it back to the USA, but after the "40 minute nuclear exchange" not much is left of this once great nation.This part of the book shines... and really pulls in - the aftermath.

The ending has a nice twist... but not enough to pull the book up from the long uneventful first half of the story. ... Read more