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Ten major wars and two hundred minor actions comprise the history of the United States Marine Corps, and parallel the history of America itself.U.S. Marines in Actionprovides a comprehensive and stirring account of the activities of the military corps that has become synonymous with guts and glory. Fehrenbach dramatizes the incredible heroism of the leathernecks over two centuries of peacekeeping missions in every corner of the globe.

A barbarian warrior faces the forces of the Fire God in this thrilling adventure from the acclaimed author of Children of Chaos. Wallie Smith is staring death in the face; only a miracle can save him. And then one does! The Goddess appears to preserve his soul, but she does much more than that. She promises to bestow upon him a new and powerful body, and, more important, to endow him with the fabled Sapphire Sword of Chioxin. But nothing in this world or any other comes without a price. The Goddess demands that, for her services, Wallie become her champion. It will be an honor to serve such a presence, to have the chance to be victorious over all challengers. But Wallie and his sword quickly find themselves outmatched in a world of high stakes magic. Even the Goddess's priests cannot offer any resistance to the invading sorcerers and their quest to conquer souls for the Fire God. Wallie will need to find in himself and in the world the powers that will save all mortals. He will need to find the Coming of Wisdom.

A sword-and-sorcery classic from the Aurora Awardwinning author of the King's Blades series. Wally Smith, having died on Earth, finds himself reincarnated as a swordsman in another world and entrusted by the presiding goddess with a mission that has no appeal for him at all. Can he bring together all the swordsmen to finally defeat the sorcerors and their terrible technology? Wally is not quite convinced he should, but goddesses can be very persuasive . . .This is the third and final exciting book, afterThe Reluctant SwordsmanandThe Coming of Wisdom, in the Seventh Sword Trilogy.

The ';tightly written, intelligent, and original' fantasy epic of interdimensional war comes to ';a decisive and satisfactory end' (Booklist). In a place called Nextdoorthe farthest flung outpost of British imperialismearthborn mortals possess the power of gods. Young Englishman Edward Exeter has spent five years trying to escape the magnetic and powerfully magical pull of the Great Game, which has designated him as its most important player. But war and bloodthirsty intrigue rage on both sides of magical portals and across worlds, and Exeter can resist his destiny no longer. He accepts the mantle of Liberator that has been thrust upon him, and the decision turns old friends into foes and old enemies into acolytes as he is surrounded by murderous plots and betrayals. But this is not the uninformed Edward Exeter who came naked into this hidden realm years ago. He has lived the Game and learned it welland he intends to play it boldly to its shocking, worlds shattering conclusion.

';Three stories with a common theme: the female psyche, multiplied and divided,' says Greg Bear in his introduction to Women in Deep Time. ';There's probably something Jungian in common with all three. At any rate, throughout my writing career (and for whatever reason) I've been fascinated by the feminine voice.' Featured in this special collection are ';Sisters,' Nebula Award finalist ';Scattershot,' in which the inhabitants of many universes meet in limbo, and the Nebula Awardwinning ';Hardfought,' in which engineered warriors redefine humanity.

Hailed by readers and critics alike, The Venging has been described as an ';excellent collection' and its author praised as ';one of the freshest writers to break into the science fiction field in many a year.' This is the first published collection of short stories by one of the foremost voices in science fiction today. This significant volume contains many characters and situations that later evolved into their own novels. ';Mandala' features technologically perfect cities that eject their sinful human occupants, a premise that can be found at the root of Bear's later novel, Strength of Stones. In ';Hardfought,' Bear brilliantly handles the classic science fiction dilemma of human communication with aliens. Other stories include ';The Wind From a Burning Woman' in which a woman holds the world hostage by controlling a giant asteroid; ';Scattershot,' in which the inhabitants of many universes meet in an undefined limbo space; and the Nebula Award finalist ';Petra,' a story of a world where chaos rules, stone moves, and the mind controls reality.

';Certain to become a new classic of adventure beyond time ... An unofficial sequel to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle'sThe Lost World' (Prehistoric Pulp). Fifty years after Professor Challenger's discovery of the Lost World, America's last dinosaur circus has gone bankrupt, leaving a dozen avisaurs, centrosaurs, ankylosaurs, and one large raptor abandoned. Now a daring expedition plans to do the impossible: return the Jurassic giants to the wild. Two filmmakers, a circus trainer, a journalist, and a young Peter Belzoni must find a way to take the dinosaurs across oceans, continents, rivers, jungles, up a mountain that has been isolated for seventy thousand years . . . Then, if they make it, all they will do is face the prehistoric wonders, dangers, and terrors of the Lost World.

A Japanese WWII soldier finds himself on an alien world in this novel from the bestselling ';master of the grand-scale SF novel' (Booklist). Yoshio Kawashita is a great warrior until aliens whisk him away during World War II. They put him on a desolate planet far from his home, where he is destined to remain forever, leaving him alone in his new hell. Then Anna Nestor appears. This empress does not see planets as homes for their inhabitants; she sees exploitable real estate. Anna Nestor views Kawashita as a sideshow attraction until they fall in love. But the two lovebirds cannot be free until they find out who kidnapped Kawashita and why.

A warlike alien species is bent on destroying a pacifist alien species in this intergalactic adventure novel from the New York Timesbestselling author.Viscous Circle is a story about a strange and inhuman race of beings and an experimental attempt to transfer into creatures that seem only slightly sapient. They are ultimate pacifists who take the form of magnetic disks that float through space and simply demagnetize and destroy themselves when faced with an unpleasant thought. The bloodthirsty Solarians, in their desperate hurry to find the mysterious Ancient Site, are determined to wipe out the Bands, a strange and beautiful species whose society is an anarchy of peace. Only Rondl, the whirling green Band, can save his race, for he has a singular and awesome knowledge. But suddenly Rondl makes a shocking discovery about his identitya discovery that may cost him his honor, his beautiful lover Cirl, even his very life.

In this novel from the New York Timesbestselling author, the discovery of a new Ancient Site triggers an intergalactic competition to exploration. On the world called Eccentric, a new Ancient Site has been discovered, and unlike others that are ';dead,' this one appears to be active and functioning. To determine which Sphere has the right to explore it and investigate its secrets, a competition is being held. Each competing team consists of a carefully matched host and transferee pair, chosen for their complementary skills and knowledge. The tasks test all of the competitors' abilities to their limit, and range from word puzzles to navigating past a black hole. However, both Heem of Highfalls and his transferee Jessica of Capella have deep, dark secrets that may cost them not just the competition, but their lives.

Two warring galaxies unite against a common threat in this continuation of the New York Timesbestselling author's Cluster series. Twice before, Milky Way Galaxy has been on the verge of extinction, and twice before, a heroic defender has come forward to throw back the invaders from Andromeda Galaxy. InKirlian Quest, the galaxies are united in an alliance of peace. But Hweeh of Weew, the Milky Way's leading research astronomer, observes that Amoebajust beyond the galaxies common frontieris expanding ominously in the direction of the twin galaxies. Herald the Healer is called in. Armed only with his hyper intense Kirlian aura, he wages an almost single handed battle against the greatest threat ever to face the galaxies. But first he must unravel the secrets of the Ancientsastounding secrets whose import could never have been imagined . . . For a thousand years Sphere / of Andromeda was cursed by the other spheres because a representative, Llume of /, betrayed Andromeda during the Second War of Energy.As Kirlian Questopens, a new threat has appeared on the horizon: the Space Amoeba, a fleet of alien ships one million strong, whose intentions are definitely hostile. Herald the Healer, aural (but not literal) descendant of Flint and Melody, who is a / of Andromeda, has the chance to redeem his species' honor and save the galaxy, but in order to do so he must solve the riddle of the Space Amoeba and of the Ancients themselves.

First in the sci-fi series ';packed with exotic beings, ancient secrets, and futuristic worlds' from the New York Timesbestselling author (The Portalist). AsClusteropens, the alien envoy Pnotl of Sphere Knyfh seeks help from Sphere Sol in a shared galactic level crisis: Galaxy Andromeda has discovered the secret of energy transfer and intends to use it to steal the basic energy of the Milky Way Galaxy. Knyfh offers the secret of aura transfer on the understanding that Sphere Sol will spread the technology to help create a galactic coalition to find and defeat agents of Andromeda. Sols highest Kirlian individual is Flint, a green skinned native of Outworld, who has a Kirlian aura of two hundred, an eidetic memory (useful for memorizing the complex equations of Kirlian transfer that he will need to communicate to other spheres). He has extraordinary intelligence and is highly adaptable. His mission is complicated, however, by the fact that he is pursued everywhere by a very high Kirlian female Andromedan agent and, somehow, the Andromedans are able to detect and trace Kirlian transfers. Flint embarks upon several missions to bring transfer technology to neighboring spheres, inhabiting various alien forms. His efforts are successful despite attacks and sabotage by the Andromedan agent. Through the conflict, however, the mutual attraction of their two vastly superior auras begins to undermine their individual loyalty to their own Spheres. Flint and a group of other entities recover the information that will allow them to detect and trace transfers, and a member of the group is revealed as the Andromedan agent. One result is the catastrophic destruction of the local habitat. Flint and his nemesis are transferred into alien Mintakan bodies to survive. Choosing to leave things with parity between their two galaxies, Flint and the Andromedan mate and remain together until their auras fade (which happens rapidly, since their physical bodies have been destroyed).

An alien being is out to save the galaxy in book two of the New York Timesbestselling author's Cluster series.Chaining the Ladyis the secondClusterbook. Melody, a product of Flint and the Andromedan's mating inCluster, must save the Milky Way Galaxy and create a place where creatures can transfer without limitations. Melody must survive in worlds unknown and alien to her and she does that where others fail when her aura augments her skills and abilities. The book opens with the discovery that Andromeda, the enemy galaxy of the first novel, has discovered the secret of involuntary hosting: a Kirlian aura that is sufficiently stronger than that of an individual can take possession of that individual. Andromeda has secretly infiltrated the highest levels of government in Sphere Sol and its allies and resurrect its plot to steal the energy of the Milky Way. Melody of Mintaka, a direct descendant of Flint of Outworld and his Andromedan nemesis, has a Kirlian aura of well over two hundred. She is pressed into service to ';possess' and interrogate a captured Andromedan transferee. Melody, hosted in the young and beautiful body of Yael of Dragon, must, like her progenitor Flint, find a way to defeat the Andromedan threat and save the galaxy. The mysterious Ancients are present again in the form of their artifacts and sites. The themes of Tarot and of various myths of Sphere Sol (in this case that of Perseus and Andromeda) play a big part this novel. The InterSphere fleet of starships has forms analogous to the Tarot suits of Disks, Cups, Wands, and Swords.

Classic fantasy stories from the Hugo and Nebula Awardwinning author, ';one of our very best, and most innovate, speculative writers' (New York Daily News). Collecting six stories in old paradigms, Sleepside features Greg Bear's outstanding fantasy writing: ';Webster,' ';The White Horse Child,' ';Sleepside Story,' ';Dead Run,' ';Through Road No Whither,' and the Nebula Award finalist ';Petra.' This edition also includes the special introduction by the author: ';On Losing the Taint of Being a Cannibal.

Professional bodyguard John Locke is in no mood to babysit Greg Amadeo, a drug dealer turncoat who wants to visit his wife in Mexico, collect some cash, and settle debts before testifying in the States, but how can Locke pass up the warm climate, lovely ladies, and a quick buck? Amadeo has a trick up his sleeve that may cause Locke to come back in a body bag if he does not use all the skills he learned in the British army's SAS elite corps.With an appreciation for the more civilized aspects of life, Locke finds the fishing village, Zihuatanejo, right up his alley with two of his favorite things, fine women and tasty food, but there are just too many bullets flying around for Locke's peace of mind.

The ';provocative and entertaining follow-up' to The Forge of God: Exiled from their planet, humans unite with one alien race in the fight against another (Publishers Weekly). The Ship of the Law travels the infinite enormity of space, carrying eighty-two young people: fighters, strategists, scientistsand children. After one alien culture destroyed their home, another offered the opportunity for revenge in the form of a starship built from fragments of the Earth's corpse, a ship they now use to scour the universe in search of their enemy. Working with sophisticated nonhuman technologies that need new thinking to comprehend them, they're cut off forever from the people they left behind. Denied information, they live within a complex system that is both obedient and beyond their control. They're frightened. And they're waging war against entities whose technologies are unimaginably advanced and vast, and whose psychology is ultimately, unknowably alien. In Anvil of Stars, the multimillion-selling, Nebula Awardwinning author of Eon and other science fiction masterpieces ';fashions an action-packed and often thrilling plot; by using each of the well-depicted alien races to mirror human behavior, he defines what it means to be Homo sapiens. ... A gripping story' (Publishers Weekly).

';A minor classic. A small book but with big characters ... and great ideas' from the Hugo and Nebula Awardwinning author of Dinosaur Summer (SF Reviews). The planet Hegira is the universe's melting pot. Hundreds of tribes in dozens of cities intermingle in the vast uncharted territory. The only thing holding the people together are the massive Obelisks, the chronicles of all the truths and falsehoods each tribe has brought to Hegira. Young Bar Woten is in search of knowledge and he knows the key to the truth about his homeland is contained in the writings of the Obelisks. With his fellow companions, Bar Woten must travel through Hegira's exotic cities to discover the lies within the words of thousands.

The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem has been blown to bits by extremists, and, in retaliation, thousands have died in another major attack on the United States. Now the FBI has been dispatched to deal with a new menace. A plague targeted to ethnic groups--Jews or Muslims or both--has the potential to wipe out entire populations. But the FBI itself is under political assault. Theres a good chance agents William Griffin, Fouad Al-Husam, and Jane Rowland will be part of the last class at Quantico. As the young agents hunt a brilliant homegrown terrorist, they join forces with veteran bio-terror expert Rebecca Rose. But the plot they uncover--and the man they chase--prove to be far more complex than anyone expects.

The epic fantasy adventure of Queen Inos continues as she is pursued by powerful warlocks, all the while convinced her beloved servant, Rap, is dead. Still stuck in the desert land of Zarkand mourning RapQueen Inos has conflicted feelings about Sultan Azak's proposal. Her heart lies with her beloved kingdom of Krasnegar and her duty to its people. But when she and Azak make a desperate escape, Inos is shocked by an image of Rap and knows that he must be alivesomewhere... On the island of Durthing, Rap's gift of farsight has made him too valuable to be truly freeuntil the evil Nordland raider Kalkor captures him after a bloody slaughter. Testing his magical wits against Kalkor, Rap searches for a chance to escape and restore Inos to her rightful throne. ';If it's traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you're after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy. ' SFReviews.net ';Duncan takes all the trusted fantasy ingredients, meticulously prepares them and brings them together with skill and relish.... The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy.' Fantasy Book Review ';Duncan's unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure. Recommended.' Library Journal

The author of Magic Casement returns to the fantastical world of Pandemia: ';The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy' (Fantasy Book Review). When Queen Inos was abducted through the magic casement and her friend, the stableboy Rap, tried to follow her, they arrived in places very strangeand very far apart... Inos finds herself in the country of Zark, captured by a powerful sorceress who rules over the desert land with a brutal magic. Meanwhile, Rap and his companions wind up in Faerie. Desperate to find Inos, he'll try anything, even though witches and warlocks aboundand trustworthy allies are hard to find. One, though, a sea captain, hires Rap as part of his crew, and they embark on a journey that could take him farther away from Inosand deeper into a dangerous adventure... ';If it's traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you're after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy. 'SFReviews.net ';Duncan takes all the trusted fantasy ingredients, meticulously prepares them and brings them together with skill and relish.... The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy.' Fantasy Book Review ';Duncan's unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure. Recommended.' Library Journal

The saga of Inos and Rap comes to its thrilling conclusion in the final Man of His Word novel from ';one of the leading masters of epic fantasy' (Publishers Weekly). While Queen Inos and her new husband, the cursed Sultan Azak, head to the capital city to beg the emperor's aid, Rap is imprisoned and tortured in the sultan's dungeons. But a third magic word gives him power beyond his wildest dreams, allowing him to escape. Struggling with his newfound abilitiesand his feelings for Inoshe follows after her. With his faithful companions, Rap will find himself battling old enemies, fulfilling prophecies, and navigating the empire's politics, forging his own destiny as one of the most feared men in the kingdom. ';If it's traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you're after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy. 'SFReviews.net ';Duncan takes all the trusted fantasy ingredients, meticulously prepares them and brings them together with skill and relish.... The series bears resemblance to Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy.' Fantasy Book Review ';Duncan's unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure. Recommended.' Library Journal

';Exceptional ... Duncan can swashbuckle with the best, but his characters feel more deeply and think more clearly than most' (Publishers Weekly). Raider and Wasp have spent five years at Ironhall studying to become Blades, expert swordsmen whose talents stand unmatched. Magic both enhances the Blades' fighting skills and binds them to lifelong duty. But when Raider and Wasp are selected to protect the king of Chivial himself, they refuse, an act unprecedented in the living history of the Blades. Now on the run for their ';treasonous' act, the two gifted swordsmen must escape to the Fire Lands, where pirates, monsters, and mixed allegiances wait around every corner. As old hatreds and still fresh tragedies come to light, these young swashbucklers must confront both harsh truths from the past and a present swarming with their would be brothers at arms seeking vengeance and intending punishment. Dave Duncan'sLord of the Fire Landsserves as a splendid sequel and companion to his earlier bookThe Gilded Chain, and his later Tale of the King's BladesSky of Swords. Engaging and complex, it may be enjoyed as a standalone novel or in combination with the rest of the trilogy. Either way, readers are in for a smart, thrilling adventure that cuts like a knife.

The city of Mera is a fortress hidden from the rest of humanity, a sanctuary for the diverse group of people rescued from death by the Oracle that rules the city. The Oracle has brought together the citizens of Mera from every land and every time period, protecting them from the ravages of time, death, and the evil demon forces that howl outside the city at night. All that the Oracle asks in return is a willingness to aid the rest of humanity, calling the citizens to go forth on various missions of rescue to mortals in need of aid. The Oracle sends Jerry out into the wilderness, accompanied by his ancient Greek friend Killer, a world famous lecher and juvenile delinquent with deadly combat skills. There they must rescue a woman named Ariadne, on the run with her children and seeking shelter. But children are not allowed in Mera, and Ariadne will not leave them while Mera's evil demon enemies move closer and closer to Jerry and Killer's temporary place of respite.

';A complex and gripping story' of plague, prophecy, and a woman's quest for freedom from the author of Portal of a Thousand Worlds (Booklist). The world was desperate. Since the empire had fallen a hundred years ago, Gwin and her people had nearly given up hope that the Renewer would come. Gwin had lost everything. Her husband was killed in one of the wars. Her children died of Star Sickness. Even her work at the hostel was in jeopardy because the politicians had it out for her. The cursed Gwin, therefore, had nothing to lose. When she took in the girl, a survivor of the Star Sickness, it was a dreadful crime. Gwin was at the end of her rope, and possibly the end of her life if she was found out. But the Sickness had left the girl with certain magic, certain powers, which could prove very useful to them both. Was it possible that this young survivor could save their lives and theempire? Was a new life for Gwin and her world finally at hand?

A king resists a sorcerer's rule over the Impire in this fantasy series from the Aurora Awardwinning author of the Man of His Word novels. Paranoid but almighty, the sorcerer Xinixo had seized control of the Impire. But ruling the imps and most of the world was not enough. He would never feel safe until he was universally loved, so he would smash everything and then rebuild the whole world in his own insane image. Who could resist him? King Rap of Krasnegar and Shandie, the rightful imperor, were still at large and determined to resist the evil, however slender their chances. Their one, faint hope was to enlist the help of the remaining free sorcerers of the world, those not already spellbound by Xinixo. Their quest soon ran into disaster. Their messengers were betrayed or ensnared. A rampaging goblin army had captured Shandie and was about to torture him to death. Rap was mired in a tropical jungle, hoping his wife and children were safe back home in Krasnegar. They were not in Krasnegar and certainly not safe.As the flames of war raged across Pandemia, news of the disasters penetrated even into Thume, the Accursed Land. Outsiders believed that the pixies had been extinct for a thousand years, but they still lived there, hoarding their magic. Their ruler, the Keeper, adamantly refused to meddle in events outside her borders, but one young pixie girl was prepared to rebel against the ancient order . . .

A young imperor flees his own kingdom to escape an army of sorcerers in this ';lively adventure' of a fantasy novel from the author of The Cutting Edge (Publishers Weekly). The old imperor was dead at last. His popular soldier grandson, known as Shandie, had succeeded him . . . Had he not? No, he had not. The man who sat on the opal throne was not Shandie, but an illusion created by the mad dwarf Xinixo. Year after year, he had stealthily been ensorcelling sorcerers, turning them into loyal minions. Now, wielding their combined power, he was irresistible. He ruled the Impire, so he ruled the world. He would continue to rule it for centuries. Anyone who knew the truth or opposed him in any way, he would destroy or enslave. That especially included his old enemy, King Rap of Krasnegar, Shandie, the rightful imperor, and all their supporters, their friends, their families. All of them! First he had to catch them. With his infinite magic, that ought to be easy. Rap and Shandie had other ideas, but even they could see that their cause looked hopeless.

The Aurora Awardwinning author of the Man of His Word novels returns to the magical realm of Pandemia with the first in his Handful of Men series. For fifteen years, Queen Inos and King Rapthe former stable boy and secret sorcererhave ruled Krasnegar wisely and happily, raising a family and prospering in their remote little kingdom. But a darkness is encroaching, foreshadowed by prophecies of unimagined cataclysms across Pandemia. Prince Emshandar, better known as Shandie to Krasnegar's royal family, is engaged in several conflicts along the Impire's borderlands, as armies of djinns, gnomes, and other races declare and wage war. His grandfather, the aged imperor himself, continues to behave more erratically and tyrannically with each passing hour. Rap dismisses the warnings as superstitious nonsense and the borderland battles as far from home and none of his kingdom's affair. But on the night of the birth of his fourth child, Rap is visited by a god who regales him with a cryptic tale of Pandemia's impending doom. Once upon a time, a young sorcerer made an error, an error that now threatens to nullify the Protocol, the treaty that has controlled the use of magic for a millennium. Without the Protocol, the realm will fall into chaos and certain destructionunless Rap embarks on a dangerous quest to right his long ago wrong ... The beginning of a new series by the author of the Seventh Sword novels and many other acclaimed works of fantasy, The Cutting Edge is ';deftly woven and set forth with a refreshingly unpretentious clarity and directness: imagine David Eddings rewritten by Kate Wilhelm. Grab this one' (Kirkus Reviews).

In medieval Scotland, a Highlander picks up his sword against his oppressors. ';Duncan excels at old-fashioned swashbuckling fantasy' (RT Book Reviews). All of Europe is under the control of the Khan, whose conquering armies swept across the West in 1244. Scotland, in addition, lies under the heel of England. Young Toby Strangerson, a half English bastard, reared by a witchwife, wants only to shed his hated ';Sassenach' blood and free his beloved highlands. Toby wields a sword as the outlaw Longdirk. The sword can cut down men like so many stalks of corn. But stranger winds are swirling and howling across the lochs, eldritch winds that are ridden by ';hobs' and ';wisps' and demons. The enemy Sassenach king is also a sorcerer. His demon soul needs a body and his Black Arts can free Europe from the Khans Golden Horde. This book was originally published under the pseudonym Ken Hood.

In medieval Scotland, an outlaw seeks his freedomfrom both the merciless khan who conquered Europe, and the demon spirit that possesses him. All of Europe is ruled by the Khan, whose Golden Horde swept its conquering way across Europe in 1244. The Scottish outlaw Toby Strangerson, known as Longdirk, is ruled by an even harsher master. He is possessed by a ';hob,' a demon spirit murderous as a child, although inherently neither good nor evil. Toby wants his freedomand the spirit of the tyrant demon Nevil, ensorcelled in amethyst, can be traded for the exorcism of the hob. In order to make the exchange, though, Toby and his friend and ally Hamish must face the hexer Oreste on his own ground, in the dank and fetid dungeons of Barcelona, where souls are racked and tortured and destroyed on the relentless wheel of the Inquisition. This book was originally published under the pseudonym Ken Hood.

Longdirk, the hero of medieval Europe, faces his greatest threat. ';Duncan excels at old-fashioned swashbuckling fantasy' (RT Book Reviews). The Scottish outlaw Toby Strangerson, known as Longdirk, has used gramarye, dark magic, to defeat the Fiend and save Europe from abject slaverybut he has also made himself the most feared and envied man in all of Italy. The hordes are reorganizing and plan to sweep over the Alps once more and retake their lost prize of power and conquest. Toby and his friend Hamish struggle to unite the quarreling city states into a single, powerful force to resist the invasion in a world where no ally can be trusted and traitors lurk in every shadow. But there is more at stake than freedom and the destiny of a continent. A woman's love is also hanging in the balance. This book was originally published under the name Ken Hood.