The War Nerd takes on Homer in a new translation; a classic gory, funny, tragic story in today's language.

    Will she become the captive or the captor?Briseis struggles to protect her city, an ally of Troy, from marauding Greeks and her husband's arrogant violence. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god until he appears before her in flesh and blood. When Briseis raises a sword against the mighty Achilles, she ignites a passion that threatens to betray everyone she holds dear.Hand of Fire, set against the backdrop of the Trojan War, blends history and myth in Briseis's untold story of adventure, hope and resilience. Immerse yourself in this richly depicted Bronze Age world where Greek gods walk the earth, epic heroes fight with sword and heart, and a woman dares to determine her own destiny.

    A Double Sorrow, Lavinia Greenlaw's new work, takes its title from the opening line of that poem in a fresh telling of this most tortured of love affairs. Set against the Siege of Troy, A Double Sorrow is the story of Trojan hero Troilus and his beloved Criseyde, whose traitorous father has defected to the Greeks and has persuaded them to ask for his daughter in an exchange of prisoners. In an attempt to save her, Troilus suggests that Criseyde flees the besieged city with him, but she knows that she will be universally condemned and looks instead to a temporary measure: pretending to submit to the exchange, while promising Troilus that she will return to him within ten days. But once in the company of the Greeks she soon realises the impossibility of her promise to Troilus, and in despair succumbs to another. Lavinia Greenlaw's pinpoint retelling of this heart-wrenching tale is neither a translation nor strictly a 'version' of Chaucer's work, but instead creates something new: a sequence of glimpses from the medieval poem that refine the psychological drama of the classical story through a process of detonation or amplification of image and phrase into original poems. In a series of skillfully crafted seven-line vignettes, the author creates a zoetrope that serves to illuminate the intensity with which these characters argue each other and themselves into and out of love. The result is a breathtaking and shattering read -contemporary and timeless - that builds into an unforgettable telling of this most heartbreaking of love stories.

    Taken into slavery, the proud, beautiful seer became the prize of Prince Achilles, the conquering Greeks' mightiest hero. But passion forged chains stronger than any iron, binding the hearts of captive and captor with a love that knew no equal, and when Troy fell, great Achilles promised his beloved Briseis would reign at his side as queen of Thessaly. Yet the jealousy of a ruthless king and the whims of the capricious deities would deny the lovers their happiness. As the flames of war rose higher around them, the prophetess vowed to save the beloved warrior for whom her dark gift foretold doom -- even if it meant defying the gods themselves.

    

    Crafted around the stories of Achilles and Hector, in language that is by turns poetic and conversational, "An Iliad" brilliantly refreshes this world classic. What emerges is a powerful piece of theatrical storytelling that vividly drives home the timelessness of mankind's compulsion toward violence.

    Hers was the "face that launched a thousand ships", started a ten-year war and brought about Troy's destruction. But Helen had a sister.In a world where women were submissive, she ruled.In a world where women were loyal, she was unfaithful.In a world where honour and blood feuds abound, she exacted the ultimate revenge.Born into the Royal House of Sparta, her courageous spirit, passionate love and lust for life make her a unique heroine. Her character and her choices have fascinated people for centuries. Her story is one of betrayal, murder, adultery and revenge, set in ancient Greece at the time of the Trojan war.She is Clytemnestra, High Queen of Mycenae.

    Either he marries within a month or his security and finances are stripped. Rockwell sets his sights on Lady Vanessa Rutherford, his childhood sweetheart, even as he obtains her help to find the perfect bride. Discovering he is also a father to a son brings up better forgotten memories.

    Discovering that the queen is missing, the scribe ties the queen’s disappearance to a mysterious Medjay warrior, Suti travels the length of the Two Lands in search of the missing queen and her escort, Lord Imhotep. After braving the treacherous cataract at the far reaches of the river Iteru, Suti falls prey to the corrupt governor of Ta-Seti and a murderous giant. Beaten and tortured, the young scribe escapes to continue his search for the queen. When at last he discovers the truth, Suti realizes that he possesses a secret that could end the reign of the world’s most powerful leader.

    The inspiration for Ray Bradbury's story.From Sara Teasdale's "Flame and Shadow" collection.

    Pollard:"There is much repetition in the Morte d'Arthur as Malory left it. How often Sir Breuse sans Pitie played his ugly tricks, or Tristram rescued Palomides, or minor knights met at adventure and emulated their betters, it is not easy to count. I have tried to clear away some of the underwoods that the great trees may be better seen, and though I know that I have cleared away some small timber that is fine stuff in itself, if the great trees stand out the better, the experiment may be forgiven. In attempting it I have introduced, I think, not more than a hundred words of my own, but in certain places I have taken over the readings devised half a century ago for the well-known Globe edition by Sir Edward Strachey, which has justified itself by passing through some twenty editions, and has probably brought Malory more readers than all other texts put together."

     Two Czechoslovakian patriots who are ready to risk their own lives to stop him. The most daring assassination of WW2. “You are tasked with a mission of the utmost importance. As you know, Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich is one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany as of now. He’s efficient in his methods, ruthless, extremely intelligent, and can’t be underestimated. A man like him will give you only one chance to kill him; if you don’t use it, he’ll kill you and it won’t be a fast and merciful death.” The Gestapo chief and the man, whom Hitler himself calls The Man with the Iron Heart, arrives in Prague and soon earns himself the name of The Hangman among its population. When the order comes from London calling the Czech resistance to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, they have to decide fast, what is stronger - self-preservation or heroic death in the name of freedom. “We can’t die tonight. Fate wouldn’t allow us to die before we complete our mission. Heydrich’s appointment as the Protector has perverted the very sense of the word. He’s not the Protector; we are. We are coming to restore the correct order of things, how they should be. When the strong protect the weak, not when the strong bully everyone who goes against them into blind submission, or hangs them regardless of age, sex, class or origin. No, we can’t die. Otherwise, this whole world won’t make sense to me anymore.” Based on true events, “Killing the Hangman” follows Josef Gabčík’s and Jan Kubiš’s training in Britain, their parachute drop into Czechoslovakia, and the eventual planning and carrying out of the assassination itself. It also provides an intimate glimpse into the life of Heydrich himself, his recent appointment, the infamous Wannsee Conference, and his eventual death. (Formerly a part of a USA-Today bestselling anthology “The Darkest Hour”)

    She gets her wish – sort of – when she is sacrificed as a bride to a god.Her inhuman husband seems kind, but he visits only in the dark of night and will not allow her to look upon him. By day Euthalia becomes known as a storyteller, spinning ancient Greek tales to entertain Asgard’s gods and monsters.When one of her stories precipitates a god’s murder and horrific retribution, Euthalia discovers there is a monster in her bed as well. Alone in a hostile Asgard, Euthalia must ally with a spiteful goddess to sway Odin himself before bloody tragedy opens Ragnarok, the prophesied end of the world.

    Fleeing their Suffolk home in the wake of disaster, Kitty Daniels and her brother Matt arrive in the stews of 19th-century Whitechapel with nothing but the clothes in which they stand and, to each, a talent.Kitty’s voice may hold the key to escape from the savage squalor of the slums; but Matt’s talent for thieving, whilst more immediately useful, plunges them both into deadly danger.From the backstreets of London through fame and fortune to a Paris besieged by the Prussian armies runs Kitty’s story, of undaunted courage, determined success, love – and betrayal. This atmospheric and unforgettable historical romance is perfect for fans of Lily Graham, Natalie Meg Evans and Fiona McIntosh.

     The sacred city of Tir'an'fal has stood for centuries amid the arid desert plains. When invading soldiers breach its walls, its peaceful citizens are put to the sword. Vekal, as one of the city's few remaining warrior priests, is both feared and reviled for his otherworldly skills, even by those he helped. Only now, he may be their only hope. Contains all three books in the series: Crimson Spear Desert Forged Gate of Heaven