But the real Eleanor remains elusive.This stunning novel introduces an Eleanor that all other writers have missed. Based on the most up-to-date research, it is the first novel to show Eleanor beginning her married life at 13. Overflowing with scandal, passion, triumph and tragedy, Eleanor's legendary story begins when her beloved father dies in the summer of 1137, and she is made to marry the young prince Louis of France. A week after the marriage she becomes a queen and her life will change beyond recognition . . .

    England lies uneasy, a land without a king. Richard the Lionheart is feared drowned on his return from Crusade, his brother John conspires to usurp the crown.On the throne, in the Lionheart's stead, sits Eleanor of Aquitaine. At seventy, Eleanor is the most powerful woman in Christendom and as mother to both Richard and John she is determined to prevent the outbreak of civil war. But amid the royal court at the Tower of London, treachery is endemic and there are few men she can trust.Justin de Quincy is one of the few. The bastard-born son of the Bishop of Chester, Justin has neither noble blood nor fortune - but he is blessed with a sharp mind and unshakeable loyalty. Gifts that will make him an agent of the Queen, taking him to the very centre of power - and into the heart of danger.THE QUEEN'S MAN, CRUEL AS THE GRAVE and DRAGON'S LAIR see Justin moving from bustling streets of Winchester to the to the alehouses and stews of Southwark, from the horrors of Newgate Gaol to the mountains of Wales. He will prove his mettle - or find an early grave - as he uncovers the dark intrigues of Eleanor's court.

    Wounded and vulnerable, Alan encounters another injured fighter, a shaven-headed Bavarian named Hanno. But will this thuggish killer prove to be Alan's friend - or his foe? The legend continues in this short story in Angus Donald's masterly series The Outlaw Chronicles, perfect for devoted fans and newcomers alike. Also includes an extract from Warlord, the latest novel in The Outlaw Chronicles.

    . . and she finds that there are terrible things under heaven that no weapon can vanquish, and that her only way to survive is to heal that which cannot be healed."

    Set in the thirteenth century, its heroine, Sofia, is a young princess of Kievan Rus. She begins her story by recounting her capture in battle and life of slavery to a young army captain in the Mongol armies that are flooding Europe. Not only is her life shattered, it is threatened by the bitter rivalries in her new master's powerful family, and shadowed by the leader of the Mongol invasion, Batu Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson. How will she learn to survive in a world of total war, much less rediscover the love she once took for granted? Always seeking to escape and menaced by outer enemies and inner turmoil, where can she find safe haven even if she can break free? Clear eyed and intelligent, Sofia could be a character from The Game of Thrones, but she refuses to believe that life is solely about the strong dominating the weak or about taking endless revenge. Her story is based on actual historical events, which haunt her destiny. Like an intelligent Forrest Gump, she reflects her times. But as she matures, she learns to reflect on them as well, and to transcend their fetters. In doing so, she recreates a lost era for us, her readers.

    Here are hundreds of beautiful poems by them in the correct form and meaning and biographies about them. The famous & infamous Mansur Hallaj (859-922) tortured and executed for saying ‘I am the Truth’ and more in his God-realized poems; Baba Tahir, one of the most revered of the early Persian Sufi poets who composed only ruba’is; Abu Sa’id (967–1049) the famous Persian Sufi/Dervish Perfect Master (Qutub) and poet who contributed extensively to the evolution of Sufi tradition and poetry; Ansari (born 1005) a famous Persian Sufi ruba’i poet who lived in Herat (then Khorasan, now Afghanistan) and Hakim Sana’i (1050-1131) known for his classic mystical poem in masnavi (rhyming couplets) form: ‘The Enclosed Garden of the Truth’. He is one of the finest poets in the Sufi (Islamic mysticism) tradition. Introduction on ‘Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Use of Poetry’ & ‘The Main Forms in Sufi & Dervish Poetry’. Pages 617COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH’S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ’S ‘DIVAN’.“It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished.” Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran.“Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith.” Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator and knower of Hafiz’s Divan off by heart.“Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz.” Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 130 books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, ‘Attar, Sana’i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu’in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Shah Latif, Bulleh Shah, Lalla Ded and others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children’s books and screenplays.