Search Worlds Without End

What's a father to do with a son like Jamie? Good-hearted, hot-blooded, quick to make both friends and enemies, he is too much of a firebrand to stay at home. The King's heart almost broke when he banished his favorite son, but Jamie the Red's adventures were only beginning!

The dagger's blade was double-edged with magic...and danger. And Samlor hil Samt was its new owner. Caravan master, warrior extraordinaire, Samlor had come to the foul city of Sanctuary to protect his niece's claim in a secret inheritance. Yet something dark and savage lurked in the shadowed streets--something evil--born of the mystical blade Samlor dared to wield...

Now, in the fourth full-length novel inspired by Thieves World, Andrew J. Offutt--author of the "Cormac Mac Art" series and the "Spaceways" series--takes his beloved character, Shadowspawn, beyond the walls of Sanctuary, into new realms of sorcery and high adventure.

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Hakiem in the bazaar, "Kittycat," and a Hell Hound.

They all play the part of hero, they are all-powerful on a stage that is ruled by the one that you talk to -- or the one you believe...

Thieves' World is what resulted when the world's top science-fiction and fantasy writers got together to create the amazing new world of Sanctuary, where you mix and mingle with Lythal the Star-browed: his magic is questionable, his sword-play is not. Jubal: ex-gladiator and slave, now a respected citizen (he made his money selling slaves). One Thumb: the crooked bartender at the Vulgar Unicorn... and even more fantastic characters!

Lynn Abbey, Poul Anderson, Robert Asprin, John Brunner, Joe Haldeman and Andrew J Offutt have dreamed up a world of wonders -- a fabulous reading adventure!

Contents:

• Introduction by Robert Asprin
• Sentences of Death by John Brunner
• The Face of Chaos by Lynn Abbey
• The Gate of Flying Knives by Poul Anderson
• Shadowspawn by Andrew Offutt
• The Price of Doing Business by Robert Asprin
• Blood Brothers by Joe Haldeman
• Myrtis by Christine DeWees
• The Secret of the Blue Star by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• The Making of Thieves' World by Robert Asprin

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Tempus battles a hawk-mask.

The world's top fantasy writers spin stories and loop the loop with each other's characters in Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn, the second collection in this unique anthology series set in the amazing city of Sanctuary, where you can enjoy the quiet elegance of Ambrosia House; sample bizarre pleasures at the House of Whips; sip ale in the Vulgar Unicorn, and listen to some of the most strange, dangerous, magical and deadly tales ever told...

Philip José Farmer, A.E. Van Vogt, Robert Asprin, Lynn Abbey, Janet Morris, David Drake and Andrew J. Offutt have dreamed up a world of wonders -- a fabulous reading adventure!

Contents:

• Introduction by Robert Asprin
• Spiders of the Purple Mage by Philip José Farmer
• Goddess by David Drake
• The Fruir of Enlibar by Lynn Abbey
• The Dream of the Sorceress by A.E. van Vogt
• Vashanka's Minion by Janet Morris
• Shadow's Pawn by Andrew J. Offutt
• To Guard the Guardians by Robert Asprin
• Essay: The Lighter Side of Sanctuary by Robert Asprin

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Jubal defends himself against Tempus.

Shadows of Sanctuary
The Thieves' World Adventure continues.
Edited by Robert Asprin

NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED STORIES FROM THE TOP NAMES IN FANTASY

In the beginning there was Thieves' World, a book so popular that it earned a panel all its own at the World Science Fiction Convention. Then came Tales form the Vulgar Unicorn...

And now "Shadows of Sanctuary", Sanctuary, the meanest, seediest town in all of fantasy, has captured the imaginations of some of the most popular writers in all of fantasy -- ROBERT ASPRIN, LYNN ABBEY, ANDREW J. OFFUTT, VONDA N. MCINTYRE, JANET MORRIS, C. J. CHERRYH.

Join them, and the characters you came to love in previous books, in this third volume of the most unique series in science fiction.

Contents:

• Introduction by Robert Asprin
• Looking for Satan by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Ischade by C.J. Cherryh
• A Gift in Parting by Robert Asprin
• The Vivisectionist by Andrew J. Offutt
• The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn by Diana L. Paxson
• Then Azyuna Danced by Lynn Abbey
• A Man and His God by Janet Morris
• Essay: Thing the Editor Never Told Me by Lynn Abbey

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Hanse Shadowspawn at Eaglenest.

Thieves' World... The plot thickens

Thieves' World... took the fantasy world by surprise.

Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn... continued the tradition, and was a Locus best-seller for three months.

Shadows of Sanctuary... focussed on the meanest, seediest town in all of fantasy, and was even more popular than the first two volumes!

And now, Storm Season. In which the clouds of war gather on the horizon, and the motley assortment of thieves and swordsmen and small-time sorcerers who make up the town of Sanctuary must decide once and for all which side they are on.

Contents:

• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• Exercise in Pain by Robert Lynn Asprin
• Downwind by C.J. Cherryh
• A Fugitive Art by Diana L. Paxson
• Steel by Lynn Abbey
• Wizard Weather by Janet Morris
• Godson by Andrew J. Offutt
• Epilog by Robert Lynn Asprin

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: A Beysib execution.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and advernturers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• David Drake
• C.J. Cherryh
• Janet Morris
• Diana L. Paxson
• Lynn Abbey
• Robert Lynn Asprin

In this fierce and fascinating fifth volume, Thieves' World is invaded by the not-quite-human Beysib, golden-skinned conquerors whose taste for evil is equaled only by their thirst for blood.

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• High Moon by Janet Morris
• Necromant by C.J. Cherryh
• The Art of Alliance by Robert Lynn Asprin
• The Corners of Memory by Lynn Abbey
• Votary by David Drake
• Mirror Image by Diana L. Paxson

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Roxane with her snake servant.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and advernturers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Robert W. Bailey
• C. J. Cherryh
• Diane Duane
• Chris & Janet Morris
• Andrew Offutt
• Diana L. Paxson
• Lynn Abbey
• Robert Lynn Asprin

In this strange and provocative sixth volume, the Wizardwall War brings undreamed-of horrors as the invaders invoke their powers to raise the very dead...

Contents:

• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• What Women Do Best by Chris and Janet Morris
• Daughter of the Sun by Robin W. Bailey
• A Breath of Power by Diana L. Paxson
• The Hand That Feeds You by Diane Duane
• Witching Hour by C.J. Cherryh
• Rebel's Aren't Born in Palaces by Andrew J. Offutt
• Gyskouras by Lynn Abbey
• A Special Note from the Editors by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Armies of the dead enticed across the White Foal River by a trail of blood.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and advernturers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Robert W. Bailey
• C. J. Cherryh
• Diane Duane
• Janet Morris
• Andrew Offutt
• Diana L. Paxson
• Lynn Abbey
• Robert Lynn Asprin

In this awesome seventh volume, a fearful cold grips Sanctuary, and the risen dead begin to outnumber the living, a new alliance that may save the war-torn Borderlands is born...

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• Hell to Pay by Janet Morris
• The Veiled Lady, or A Look at the Normal Folk by Andrew Offutt
• The God-Chosen by Lynn Abbey
• Keeping Promises by Robin W. Bailey
• Armies of the Night by C.J. Cherryh
• Down by the Riverside by Diane Duane
• When the Spirit Moves You by Robert Lynn Asprin
• The Color of Magic by Diana L. Paxson
• Afterword by Andrew Offutt

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: The witch Ischade bursts from her window and flies on the wind across Sanctuary.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and advernturers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Lynn Abbey
• C.J. Cherryh
• Janet Morris

In this dramatic eighth volume, Tempus returns to Sanctuary, a city ravaged by war and upheaval, seething with crime and chaos -- a dark bedlam of magic forces thrown out of balance, and disasters, both natural and unnatural...

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Power Play by Janet Morris
• Dagger in the Mind by C.J. Cherryh
• Children of All Ages by Lynn Abbey
• Death in the Meadow by C.J. Cherryh
• The Small Powers that Endure by Lynn Abbey
• Pillar of Fire by Janet Morris

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Jubal accuses Chenaya of treachery.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and advernturers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Robin W. Bailey
• C.J. Cherryh
• Diane Duane
• Chris & Janet Morris
• Andrew & Jodie Offutt
• Diana L. Paxson
• Lynn Abbey
• Robert Lynn Asprin

In this gripping ninth volume, the ravaged city of Sanctuary faces the awesome task of reconstruction. Deserted by gods and bereft of magic, the shattered city and its citizens struggle fiercely for survival...

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• Lady of Fire by Diana L. Paxson
• Sanctuary is for Lovers by Janet and Chris Morris
• Lovers Who Slay Together by Robin Wayne Bailey
• In the Still of the Night by C.J. Cherryh
• No Glad in Gladiator by Robert Lynn Asprin
• The Tie That Binds by Diane Duane
• Sanctuary Nocturne by Lynn Abbey
• Spellmaster by Andrew and Jodie Offutt
• Afterword by C.J. Cherryh

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: The door to Enas Yorl's house is guarded by the dreadmagic of basilisks.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and adventurers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Lynn Abbey
• Robert Lynn Asprin
• John Brunner
• David Drake
• Janet Morris
• Andrew Offutt
• Mark C. Perry

In this explosive tenth volume, Tempus and the Stepsons abandon the war-torn city of Sanctuary -- as vicious rivalries emerge from the rubble. The fate of the city hangs in the balance. The struggle for power begins...

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• Cade by Mark C. Perry
• Wake of the Riddler by Janet Morris
• Inheritor by David Drake
• Mercy Worse Than None by John Brunner
• Seeing is Believing (But Love is Blind) by Lynn Abbey
• Homecoming by Andrew Offutt

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Lalo creates a sign of power.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and advernturers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Robert Lynn Asprin
• Robin W. Bailey
• C.J. Cherryh
• John DeCles
• Chris Morris
• Diana L. Paxson

In this brilliant eleventh volume, the citizens of Sanctuary face the awesome task of puttine their lives back together after the war. As some try to salvage order from the chaos, others see their opportunity to settle old debts at the point of a sword.

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Introduction by Lynn Abbey
• Slave Trade by Robert Lynn Asprin
• The Best of Friends by C.J. Cherryh
• The Power of Kings by Jon DeCles
• Red Light, Love Light by Chris Morris
• A Sticky Business by C.S. Williams
• The Promise of Heaven by Robin Wayne Bailey
• The Vision of Lalo by Diana L. Paxson

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: Ischade bids a soldier farewell.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and advernturers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Lynn Abbey
• Robert Lynn Asprin
• C.J. Cherryh
• Andrew J. Offutt

In this dramatic final adventure, clouds of war gather over Sanctuary once again. And as warriors prepare for battle, thieves eagerly await a great dust storm to envelop the city. For then they can silently strike, slipping in and out of the raging currents of the storm...

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• Night Work by Andrew Offutt
• The Incompetent Audience by John DeCles
• Our Vintage Years by Duane McGowen
• Quicksilver Dreams by Diana L. Paxson
• Winds of Fortune by C.J. Cherryh
• The Fire in a God's Eye by Robin Wayne Bailey
• Web Weavers by Lynn Abbey
• To Begin Again by Robert Lynn Asprin

Empires rise and fall, but Sanctuary lives on!

Sanctuary, a lawless city governed by evil forces, powerful magic, and political intrigue.

The Age of the Rankin reign of Kadakithis, the occupation of the Beysib, and indeed the erstwhile Renaissance are all in the past. It is years later and the legendary figures of Jubal, Tempus, Shadowspawn, and the Stormchildren are now just memories, myth, and rumor.

But the city and its people live on. A new pantheon of personalities have moved in and are making their mark on this dark and dangerous city.

Meet these denizens of the city where just surviving is a full-time occupation.

Meet Halott the Necromancer, Latilla--daughter of the legendary artist Lalo the Limmer, Dysan the short and scrappy thief, Jake the rat, and a host of others.

Return to Sanctuary and let the games begin!

Contents:

• 13 - Introduction (Thieves' World: Turning Points) - essay by Lynn Abbey
• 23 - Home Is Where the Hate Is - novelette by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• 53 - Role Model - novella by Andrew J. Offutt [as by Andrew Offutt]
• 107 - The Prisoner in the Jewel - novelette by Diana L. Paxson
• 131 - Ritual Evolution - short story by Selina Rosen
• 151 - Duel - novelette by Dennis L. McKiernan
• 181 - Ring of Sea and Fire - novelette by Robin Wayne Bailey
• 217 - Doing the Gods' Work - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• 241 - The Red Lucky - novelette by Lynn Abbey
• 281 - Apocalypse Noun - short story by Jeff Grubb
• 301 - One to Go - short story by Raymond E. Feist
• 315 - Afterword (Thieves' World: Turning Points) - essay by Lynn Abbey

Empires rise and fall, but Sanctuary lives on.

Sanctuary, a lawless city governed by evil forces, powerful magic, and political intrigue where survival is an unexpected bonus.

A recent storm has left a ship filled with exotic cargo and arcane secrets wrecked off the shore of Sanctuary in this second of a new series of shared world anthologies. Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune continues the story with tales of necromancers and assassins, urchins and knaves, and of course, thieves. This unexpected booty leads to boons and curses for the world-weary residents... as well as the usual power struggle among factions wishing to take deadly advantage at any new turn of events.

Contents:

• 13 - Introduction (Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune) - essay by Lynn Abbey
• 21 - Widowmaker - short story by C. J. Cherryh and Jane S. Fancher [as by C. J. Cherryh and Jane Fancher]
• 41 - Deadly Ritual - novelette by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• 65 - Pricks and Afflictions - novelette by Dennis L. McKiernan
• 89 - Consequences - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• 115 - Good Neighbors - novelette by Lynn Abbey
• 157 - Gathering Strength - novelette by Selina Rosen
• 183 - Dark of the Moon - novelette by Andrew J. Offutt [as by Andrew Offutt]
• 225 - Protection - novelette by Robin Wayne Bailey
• 253 - Legacies - novelette by Jane S. Fancher and C. J. Cherryh [as by Jane Fancher and C. J. Cherryh]
• 283 - Malediction - novelette by Jeff Grubb
• 305 - The Ghost in the Phoenix - novelette by Diana L. Paxson and Ian Grey
• 331 - The Ballad of Shemhaza - novelette by Steven Brust

Table of Contents:

• fep - Sanctuary (map 1) - interior artwork by James Odbert [as by James R. Odbert]
• 1 - Thieves' World - [Thieves' World - 1] - (1979) - anthology by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 5 - Introduction (Thieves' World) - (1979) - short story by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 7 - Editor's Note (Sanctuary) - essay by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 15 - Sentences of Death - (1979) - novelette by John Brunner
• 39 - The Face of Chaos - [Thieves' World] - (1979) - novelette by Lynn Abbey
• 60 - The Gate of the Flying Knives - [Thieves' World] - (1979) - novella by Poul Anderson
• 94 - Shadowspawn - (1979) - novelette by Andrew J. Offutt [as by Andrew Offutt]
• 116 - The Price of Doing Business - (1979) - novelette by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 131 - Blood Brothers - [Thieves' World] - (1979) - novelette by Joe Haldeman
• 148 - Myrtis - (1979) - novelette by Christine DeWees
• 166 - The Secret of the Blue Star - [Lythande] - (1979) - novelette by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• 183 - The Making of Thieves' World - (1979) - essay by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 191 - Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn - [Thieves' World - 2] - (1980) - anthology by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 195 - Introduction (Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn) - (1980) - short story by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 197 - Spiders of the Purple Mage - [Thieves' World] - (1980) - novella by Philip José Farmer
• 251 - Goddess - [Thieves' World] - (1980) - novelette by David Drake
• 273 - The Fruit of Enlibar - [Thieves' World] - (1980) - novelette by Lynn Abbey
• 290 - The Dream of the Sorceress - [Thieves' World] - (1980) - novelette by A. E. van Vogt
• 317 - Vashanka's Minion - [The Sacred Band of Stepsons] - (1980) - novelette by Janet Morris
• 338 - Shadow's Pawn - [Thieves' World] - (1980) - novelette by Andrew J. Offutt [as by Andrew Offutt]
• 362 - To Guard the Guardians - [Thieves' World] - (1980) - novelette by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 383 - The Lighter Side of Sanctuary - (1980) - essay by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 387 - Shadows of Sanctuary - [Thieves' World - 3] - (1981) - anthology by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 391 - Introduction (Shadows of Sanctuary) - (1981) - short story by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 395 - Looking for Satan - [Lythande] - (1981) - novella by Vonda N. McIntyre
• 439 - Ischade - (1981) - novella by C. J. Cherryh
• 473 - A Gift in Parting - (1981) - novelette by Robert Asprin [as by Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 491 - The Vivisectionist - (1981) - novelette by Andrew J. Offutt [as by Andrew Offutt]
• 520 - The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn - (1981) - novelette by Diana L. Paxson
• 542 - Then Azyuna Danced - [Thieves' World] - (1981) - novelette by Lynn Abbey
• 563 - A Man and His God - [Sacred Band Tales] - (1981) - novella by Janet Morris
• 597 - Things the Editor Never Told Me - (1981) - essay by Lynn Abbey
• bep - Sanctuary (map 2) - interior artwork by James Odbert [as by James R. Odbert]

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Storm Season - [Thieves' World - 4] - (1982) - anthology by Robert Asprin
• 213 - The Face of Chaos - [Thieves' World - 5] - (1983) - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin
• 401 - Wings of Omen - [Thieves' World - 6] - (1984) - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin

Table of Contents:

• 5 - The Dead of Winter - [Thieves' World - 7] - (1985) - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin [as by Lynn Abbey and Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 259 - Soul of the City - [Thieves' World - 8] - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin [as by Lynn Abbey and C. J. Cherryh and Janet Morris]
• 497 - Blood Ties - [Thieves' World - 9] - (1986) - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin [as by Lynn Abbey and Robert Lynn Asprin]

Table of Contents:

• 5 - Aftermath - [Thieves' World - 10] - (1987) - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin [as by Lynn Abbey and Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 211 - Uneasy Alliances - [Thieves' World - 11] - (1988) - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin [as by Lynn Abbey and Robert Lynn Asprin]
• 389 - Stealers' Sky - [Thieves' World - 12] - (1989) - anthology by Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin [as by Lynn Abbey and Robert Lynn Asprin]

If you like stories of bold brave knights employed in meritorious duty, or tales of ladies delicate and fair, be warned. Beyond Sanctuary, set at the foot of notorious Wizardwall, may be too much for your sensibilities. There wizards, bards, and maidens mingle with murderers and thieves, and the fight breaking out at the next table may be the one that ends your life.

The hero is Tempus, leader of mercenaries and warrior-servant of Vashanka, god of storm and war. With Niko, Cime, and the Froth Daughter Jihan, Tempus faces the archmage Datan and his unholy followers - in a battle for the Rankan Empire's survival and that of his very soul.

When a Rankan messenger is killed in Tyse, Randal, the Stepsons' pet wizard, must read the dead man's mind. What Randal learns brings Niko back from the Misty Isles of Bandara and forces Tempus and his Stepsons into an alliance unholy even by Tysian standards--with Cime the mage killer; Aškelon, lord of dreams; and the Rankan Third Commando, a fighting unit so cruel it gives even the Stepsons pause. Together with Tempus' long-lost daughter, and his elemental lover, Jihan, they must venture beyond accursed Wizardwall itself to battle the Mygdonian Alliance and Roxane's Nisibisi witchcraft.

The intrepid Band (whose central core is Tempus' beloved Stepsons) must figure out who among the Tysian locals, Rankan soldiers, and Mygdonian defectors they can trust--before it's too late. But in a world where a witch can turn a warrior into a flea, where gemstone frogs can rain from the sky, where no one is ever what he seems, where loyalties and ensured by curses, wizardry, and the favor of warring gods... only the immortal Tempus can guarantee an army's success. And not even Tempus can tell the good guys from the bad in Tyse, where everyone plays both ends against the middle--or if the price of victory against Mygdonia will be his Stepsons' souls in their battle

Beyond Wizardwall the northern adventures of Tempus and his Stepsons come to their apocalyptic conclusion at the Festival of Man, where the games are not the scheduled ones of prowess at swordplay or chariot-racing, but games of assassination and treachery, with the Rankan emperor's life and the honor of the Sacred Band at stake.

When Niko quits the Stepsons, he finds that his troubles are just beginning: not only has Death's Queen marshaled new forces to entrap him, but Rankan interests desirous of a change in emperors have singled him out as the perfect assassin. Randal, the Stepsons' pet mage and Niko's former partner, must unite Tempus, the Stepsons, and hellish aid from magical quarters in a desperate attempt to save the defenseless Niko from Death's Queen--and himself.

In imperial Ranke, Tempus finds himself torn between conflicting oaths and pitted against powers not even his immortal strength can vanquish--powers both mortal and immortal, magical and heavenly, so that, in the end, the god-ridden and accursed soldier must make pacts with his most hated enemies--not only Aškelon, the Lord of Dreams, but Death's Queen herself--in order to save the souls of those he loves and the empire he's served so long.

And this time, Tempus' own soul hangs in the balance, as primal forces and even Enlil, the most fearsome storm god of them all, haggle over his fate.

Tempus: Avatar of the war-god Vashanka, he carves his anti-magical philosophy in the bodies of the detestable mages and demons of a world he never made but is cursed to inhabit.

Niko: No godling he, just a warrior who has found the secret of his soul in the mysterious Western Isles--and so wields a pure and faithful power that makes him all too attractive to the gods and elementals of a world infested mainly with murderers and thieves.

Together: Needing time to recover from the spells of a witch who nearly ate his soul, Niko will recover his self-mastery by reliving in utterly vivid detail all the most violent and transforming moments of his past--and that of his rightside leader, Tempus.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Parts of this work have been published in substantially similar form in several volumes of the shared universe series, THIEVES' WORLD.

The Sacred Band of Stepsons is a fictional ancient cavalry unit created by Janet Morris and based on the historical Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite strike force of paired lovers and friends that flourished during the fourth century BCE in ancient Greece, where sexuality was a behavior, not an identity.

The Sacred Band of Stepsons series of fantasy novels and stories take place in a myth-like milieu that mixes historical places such as Nisibis, Mygdonia and Chaeronea; warriors such as Theagenes (commander of the Theban Sacred Band at Chaeronea); gods such as Enlil, Maat and Harmonia; philosophers such as Heraclitus and Thales; cavalry tactics and customs such as homosexuality in the militaries of ancient Greece with those that exist only in fantasy. The exploits of the Stepsons are chronicled in eleven short stories and eight novels (as of 2010). In a fantasy context, this series explores the difficulties facing war-fighters in personal relationships and the enduring questions surrounding the military's historical mixing of homosexuals and heterosexuals in combat.

Is this the Lemuria of antiquity, or of times to come? Once you've ridden the storm clouds of heaven from the edge of time, anything is possible.

Demonic hordes threaten to destroy the very fabric of time itself. The fate of all humanity rests on the shoulders of Tempus the Black, Favorite of the Storm God. But even this hero of legend will encounter a challenge he has never faced before... present-day New York City.

Tempus, immortal hero, avatar of the Storm God, ruler of the City at the Edge of Time, joins with his partner Nikko to reunite the Secret Band for a mission of vengeance that will takes them to the farthest reaches of time and space - and back home again.