Relive the iconic adventures of Tempus, the Riddler, and his Sacred Band through the eyes of Nikodemos, his right-side companion, as Niko seeks his spirit's balance on Bandara's misty isles.Five pivotal Sacred Band stories from the earliest adventures of the Stepsons in a world of thieves. Ride with Tempus and his Band once again, for the first time.PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Parts of this work have been published in substantially similar form in several volumes of the Shared Universe Series, Thieves World(r).

Relive the iconic adventures of Tempus, the Riddler, and his Sacred Band through the eyes of Nikodemos, his right-side companion, as Niko seeks his spirit's balance on Bandara's misty isles. Five pivotal Sacred Band stories from the earliest adventures of the Stepsons in a world of thieves. Ride with Tempus and his Band once again, for the first time. PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Parts of this work have been published in substantially similar form in several volumes of the Shared Universe Series, Thieves World(r

Tempus, the most popular character of Thieves' World, stars in a book all his own. Morris is the creator of Heroes in Hell.

Dark magical forces are afoot in the eighth entry of the shared-world fantasy series. An ominous black storm from hell rages down on the city of Ranke. Its streets are full of lethal hail, and its walls are coated with ash. As the new Emperor and his mercenary Tempus wonder what can be done to stop it, a shade manifests before them on behalf of the gods with a decree: Travel to the city of Sanctuary and destroy the globes of the Nisibisi power . . . Meanwhile, Sanctuary is riddled with crime, blood feuds, and warring factions. An army of mercenaries is all that stands between the city and chaos. And the witch once known as Death’s Queen, Roxane, lives in a hovel by the river. She no longer holds as much power as she once did, but even she can sense that trouble is on its way . . . Brace yourself for adventure in this shared-world anthology featuring six stories by three of fantasy’s best authors: Lynn Abbey, Janet Morris, and C. J. Cherryh.

War looms over Sanctuary in the fifth Thieves’ World® anthology compiled by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Phule’s Company series. The invasion by the Beysibs, an amphibious humanoid race, brings unusual prosperity to the city of Sanctuary. But underneath the glittering façade lies a ticking time bomb, for the nefarious residents of Sanctuary don’t take kindly to an invasion—well-meaning or otherwise . . . Join Janet Morris, C. J. Cherryh, Robert Lynn Asprin, Lynn Abbey, David Drake, and Diana L. Paxson as their stories unravel the fates of Sanctuary’s favorite liars, thieves, assassins, and warriors. “Abbey . . . understands Sanctuary and its characters. She also knows how to write a short story with a strong main character, a riveting plot that contains twists and turns, and a satisfying resolution. Best story in the book . . . Lalo is the most interesting of all of the characters in Thieves’ World and his stories are always interesting. Paxson . . . spins an interesting and well written yarn that closes the book nicely.” —brianbookreviews.blogspot.com

Books Four to Six in the shared-world series “where characters created by some of the best fantasy writers of the generation crossed paths and shared adventures” (Black Gate). Invasion, war, and rebellion roil the city of Sanctuary in this three-book collection compiled by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Myth series, as well as the Phule’s Company series. The shared-world series comes alive with stories by Lynn Abbey, Robert Lynn Asprin, Robin W. Bailey, C. J. Cherryh, David Drake, Diane Duane, Chris and Janet Morris, Andrew J. Offutt, and Diana L. Paxson. “Game of Thrones has come to an end. . . .[Here’s] a fantasy series to fill the void. . . .You’ll be pulled into political intrigues, watch new gods replace old, and witness fortunes rise and fall and rise again.” — Book Riot Thieves’ World has grown into a real presence in the fantasy genre.” —Fantasy-Faction

A whirlwind of fantasy action and adventure descends on Thieves’ World®—as related by C. J. Cherryh, Diana L. Paxson, Andrew J. Offutt, and others. Welcome back to Sanctuary, “the city where anything could happen, where characters created by some of the best fantasy writers of the generation crossed paths and shared adventures” (Black Gate). The Thieves’ World® series continues with a story line created by Robert Lynn Asprin, C. J. Cherryh, Diana L. Paxson, Lynn Abbey, Janet Morris, and Andrew J. Offutt. In Storm Season, immortal warrior Tempus Thales and his nemesis, the crime lord Jubal, go head to head in fast-paced exploits that bring the simmering tension between them to a boil. “Much of Storm Season pertains to the conflict between Asprin’s gladiator/crime lord Jubal and Morris’ Tempus, and the other stories work to move this plotline along, while telling their own tales. Offutt, as usual, steals the show with a Shadowspawn story . . .” —Fantasy-Faction

The area of simulated human figures is an active research area in computer graphics, and Norman Badler's group at the University of Pennsylvania is one of the leaders in the field. This book summarizes the state of the art in simulating human figures, discusses many of the interesting application areas, and makes some assumptions and predictions about where the field is going.