The Kaldün are a fierce and barbaric northern tribe. When it is time to choose their next chieftain, they know only one way: the Battlebäng! The tribe’s hardest warriors strip naked and compete in a brutal battle royale, where the goal is to defeat the other warriors while being the first to inseminate the chieftain’s beautiful virgin daughter. This year the prize is none other than haughty tribal princess Thora! A merciless tease with a sharp tongue and a knockout figure, Thora is about to get much more than she bargained for. Little does she know that Molok, the savage chieftain of rival Clan Brimstone, will be competing. And if he wins, the Kaldün will be forced to submit to the bloodthirsty warlord! And so will Thora. The Battlebäng is a brutal battle royale-meets-gangbang that shatters civilized taboos. This book is for consenting adult readers only!

“For headling, nonstop adventure and for vivid, even florid, scenery, no one even comes close to Howard.”—Harry Turtledove In a meteoric career that covered only a dozen years, Robert E. Howard defined the sword-and-sorcery genre. In doing so, he brought to life the archetypal adventurer known to millions around the world as Conan the barbarian. Witness, then, Howard at his finest, and Conan at his most savage, in the latest volume featuring the collected works of Robert E. Howard, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Greg Manchess. Prepared directly from the earliest known versions—often Howard’s own manuscripts—are such sword-and-sorcery classics as “The Servants of Bit-Yakin” (formerly published as “Jewels of Gwahlur”), “Beyond the Black River,” “The Black Stranger,” “Man-Eaters of Zamboula” (formerly published as “Shadows in Zamboula”), and, perhaps his most famous adventure of all, “Red Nails.” The Conquering Sword of Conan includes never-before-published outlines, notes, and story drafts, plus a new introduction, personal correspondence, and the revealing essay “Hyborian Genesis”—which chronicles the history of the creation of the Conan series. Truly, this is heroic fantasy at its finest.

"I will wed only my one true love!" declared Princess Brianna despite King Henry's decree that she marry one of the sons of the man who had conquered her family's castle. So Brianna issued a seemingly impossible challenge: He who returned with a gift that made her laugh would win her hand. And thus began the bride quest of the three brothers Fitzgavin. . . . Burke and Rowan, knights both, set out at her command. Only Luc remained, refusing to indulge the whims of the glorious Irish princess. Even Brianna's legendary beauty could not tempt him--until she invaded his senses . . . and his soul. But Luc thought a princess had no place in the life of a battle-weary warrior who vowed to lay down his sword forever--until he was forced to take up arms to protect the fair maiden who had seized his heart by divine right. From the Paperback edition.

The decadent era of the Caesers as seen through the eyes of the barbarian slave, Brittanicus.

"Full of invention and ingenuity . . . Great fun." - SFX on Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City This is the history of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through. The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwright, actor, and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working. Thankfully, it turns out that people enjoy the theater just as much when there are big rocks falling out of the sky. But Notker is a man of many talents, and all the world is, apparently, a stage. It seems that the empire needs him -- or someone who looks a lot like him -- for a role that will call for the performance of a lifetime. At least it will guarantee fame, fortune, and immortality. If it doesn't kill him first. In the follow up to the acclaimed Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, K. J. Parker has created one of fantasy's greatest heroes, and he might even get away with it. For more from K. J. Parker, check out:Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City The Two of SwordsThe Two of Swords: Volume OneThe Two of Swords Volume TwoThe Two of Swords: Volume Three The Fencer TrilogyColours in the SteelThe Belly of the BowThe Proof House The Scavenger TrilogyShadowPatternMemory Engineer TrilogyDevices and DesiresEvil for EvilThe EscapementThe CompanyThe Folding KnifeThe HammerSharps

“Every time we raise our voices, we hear echoes.” Jo-Anne Elder, from the Foreword Through short stories, journal entries and poetry, the women in Voices and Echoes explore the changing landscape of their spiritual lives. Experienced writers such as Lorna Crozier, Di Brandt and Ann Copeland, as well as strong new voices, appear to speak to each other as they draw from a wealth of personal resources to find a way to face life’s questions and discover meaning in their lives. There is something familiar about these stories and poems — they echo those we’ve heard before and those we’ve half forgotten. Whether they search for a voice in a world where men monopolize or journey into painful memories to free the self from the past, they do not despair, they do not end. Individual entries become the whole story — an unending story of rebirth and reaffirmation. The book begins with an illuminating foreword that introduces readers to the cultural and philosophical background of many of the stories, and concludes with the reflections of scholars, writers and artists that are intended to provoke further discussion.

An action-packed collection of Conan the Barbarian’s wild adventures. In this unparalleled collection from a literary mastermind, swordsman Conan the Barbarian faces powerful sorcerers, deadly creatures, and ruthless armies of thieves. With his character Conan the Barbarian, author Robert E. Howard single-handedly invented the genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery. In this volume are eighteen Conan stories, including a classic of dark fantasy, “The Phoenix and the Sword,” and the classic adventure “The Devil in Iron.” These timeless stories feature Conan the raw and dangerous youth, Conan the daring thief, Conan the swashbuckling pirate, and Conan the commander of armies, and bring to mind the pulp tales that dominated the mid-twentieth century. The Conan the Barbarian Stories includes “The Phoenix on the Sword,” “The Scarlet Citadel,” “The Tower of the Elephant,” “Black Colossus,” “The Slithering Shadow,” “The Pool of the Black One,” “Rogues in the House,” “Gods of the North,” “Shadows in the Moonlight,” “Queen of the Black Coast,” “The Devil in Iron,” “The People of the Black Circle,” “A Witch Shall be Born,” “Jewels of Gwahlur,” “Beyond the Black River,” “Shadows in Zamboula,” “Red Nails,” and “The Hyborian Age.” This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, comes a tale of the legendary Barbarian in Robert Jordan's Conan the Destroyer In the fabled city of Shadizar, sultry Princess Tamaris hires Conan to recover the magical gem known as the Heart of Ahriman. Accompanied by the beautiful maiden Jehnna, Conan must vanquish scheming, murderous Bombatta, the princess' henchman, and face the sinister Guardians of the Horn, only to confrotnt the foul and ancient, many-fanged demon-god Dagoth. With Jehna's life and Conan's very soul at stake, Conan must truly be Conan the Destroyer. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A novel from the acclaimed author of The Tiger Queens, for readers looking for “strong and determined female protagonists” (Historical Novel Society) and “a sprawling historical saga” (Renee Rosen)... We are the women who loved Alexander the Great. We were lovers and murderers, innocents and soldiers. And without us, Alexander would have been only a man. Instead he was a god. 330s, B.C.E., Greece: Alexander, a handsome young warrior of Macedon, begins his quest to conquer the ancient world. But he cannot ascend to power, and keep it, without the women who help to shape his destiny. His spirited younger half-sister, Thessalonike, yearns to join her brother and see the world. Instead, it is Alexander's boyhood companion who rides with him into war while Thessalonike remains behind. Far away, crafty princess Drypetis will not stand idly by as Alexander topples her father from Persia's throne. And after Alexander conquers her tiny kingdom, Roxana, the beautiful and cunning daughter of a minor noble, wins Alexander’s heart…and will commit any crime to secure her place at his side. Within a few short years, Alexander controls an empire more vast than the civilized world has ever known. But his victories are tarnished by losses on the battlefield and treachery among his inner circle. And long after Alexander is gone, the women who are his champions, wives, and enemies will fight to claim his legacy… CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED

Shows how Europe's barbarians, strengthened by centuries of contact with Rome on many levels, turned into an enemy capable of overturning and dismantling the mighty Empire.