Historical Fiction Books

Book Synopsis A monstrous alien race attempts to conquer the Earth-like planet of Gor, where men are warriors and women are sex slaves. The fight for survival on the primitive, Earth-like world Gor continues with a ferocity that matches the rest of the series. On Gor, there are three different kinds of beings that are labeled beasts: the Kurii, a monster alien race that is preparing to invade Gor from space; Gorean warriors, who fight with viciousness almost primitive in its bloodlust; and then there are the slave girls of Gor, lowly beasts for men to treat as they see fit, be it as objects of labor or desire. Now all three come together as the Kurii fight to take over Gor with its first beachhead on the planet’s polar ice cap. As all three kinds of beasts struggle together, an incredible adventure is told, one that begins in lands of burning heat and ends up in the bitter cold of the polar north among the savage red hunters of the polar ice pack.  

Read more less

Book Synopsis On the run from a death squad, General Half-Ear lures his pursuers into the land of the Red Savages on the planet of Gor. Half-Ear, or Zarendargar, a Kur general fallen from favor in the Steel Worlds, now sought by a death squad of his savage compeers, has determined to lure his pursuers into the Barrens, the vast prairies to the east of known Gor, populated by warring tribes known to Goreans as the Red Savages. He has arranged matters in such a way that he will be abetted in his stand against the death squad and its human allies by a human ally of his own—his former foe, Tarl Cabot. The ancestors of the Red Savages, like those of many other Goreans, were brought to Gor long ago in Voyages of Acquisition by the Priest-Kings. The Red Savages were settled in an area not unlike that of their former home, a sweeping, almost endless grassland, where they tend to continue their former ways of life—and war.   Rediscover this brilliantly ima

Read more less

Book Synopsis A contemporary couple journeys back in time to ancient Ireland in this delightful fantasy by the author of Tea with the Black Dragon. John Thornburn is an artist, mild-mannered and nonviolent. To make ends meet, he teaches some courses in Celtic design. And although his background is half Micmac Indian, he lives in Ireland for two reasons: his far more confrontational and warrior-like girlfriend, Derval O’Keane, and his fascination with the beautiful illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells.   But he’s about to take a journey to a far more distant place, one that he could not have imagined. Along with Derval, John will find himself in an ancient Celtic realm, where a Viking attack begs to be avenged and a fantastic—and sometimes terrifying—adventure awaits . . .   From a master of magical fantasy, the author of the Damiano Trilogy and a winner of the John W. Campbell Award, this

Read more less

Book Synopsis A New York Times Notable Book: “A coming-of-age fantasy in a late-medieval alternate world . . . Possibly MacAvoy’s best work since the Damiano trilogy” (Kirkus Reviews).   “In the absorbing, realistic world depicted in this first volume of a projected series, MacAvoy introduces Nazhuret who, looking back from middle age, tells of the adventures of his youth.” —Publishers Weekly   An outcast of small stature and the offspring of unknown parents, Nazhuret is forced out of the military Royal School of Sordaling. He is soon taken under the wing of Powl, a mysterious mentor, madman, and master of optics, who pushes Nazhuret to his mental and physical limits while teaching him the arts of astronomy, languages, swordsmanship, and—most importantly—mind and body control.   When Nazhuret take his leave of Powl, he embarks on a journey through war, darkness, and

Read more less

Book Synopsis A shy librarian from Earth learns her true female nature as a slave dancer on the planet Gor in this fantasy series where men dominate women. Doreen Williamson is a quiet, shy librarian on Earth. Like many other young women, she is distrustful of her attractions, frightened of men, introverted in manner and sexually inhibited. She lives within a quiet, lonely, dissatisfying, sheltered, and frustrated desperation, distant from her true self, her nature denied, her only friends books and her secret thoughts. In the realization and enactment of a profound fantasy, after acute self-conflict, she dares to study a form of dance in which she is at last free to move her body as a female, a form of dance in which she may revel in her beauty and womanhood, a form of dance historically commanded by masters of selected, suitable slaves: belly dance. She must then dance, for the first time, before men. In doing so, she discovers her own desirability and that she may be well

Read more less

Book Synopsis Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. This enchanting escapade is the most important quest of Tarl Cabot’s career. He must retrieve a potent shield ring from a strange explorer. It is imperative that the omnipotent Priest-Kings obtain this ring so that the Goreans do not challenge their enormous power. Throughout his expedition, Cabot learns of uncharted territories on Earth’s cosmic counterpart. In the dense forests he discovers, Cabot must use his skills to endure the perils that await his arrival. Cabot will encounter Gor’s barbarism in full force through enchantingly dangerous beasts, bloodthirsty men, and exotic kingdoms.   Explorers of Gor is the 13th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. 

Read more less

Book Synopsis A man from Earth battles his way out of slavery on the planet of Gor, where men are meant to be masters over women. Emotionally lost, Jason Marshall finds himself thrust into a lengthy struggle to save his beloved from slavery on an Earthlike world called Gor. Kidnapped and helpless, Jason begins a life on Gor as a slave and becomes a prominent warrior. He must battle his way to freedom, if only to liberate his love from the clutches of the alien slave emporium. Will Jason overcome the numerous obstacles he encounters? Will he ever reunite with the girl he loves? Can he survive the trials and tribulations he must endure on Gor?   Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.  Fighting Slave of Gor is the 14th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Read more less

Book Synopsis An Earth man and former slave rises through the ranks of the Gorean army. Thrust into a life full of woeful twists and turns, Jason Marshall has contended with the prehistoric customs and immeasurable power of the Goreans. His struggles on Gor, a planet resembling Earth, included escaping imprisonment, enslavement, and redeeming lost land. Jason has fought to regain control of his life. Having ascended to a position of power in the Gorean army, Jason must prevail in a battle that seems destined to destroy Gor. Jason has a lot riding on his success as a war leader: prestige, wealth, and an Earth girl of goddess-like beauty. Will Jason be able to win the war and avoid a fate worse than death?   Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.   Guardsman of Gor is the 16th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Read more less

Book Synopsis Panther girls take center stage on Counter Earth in the series that “draw[s] on a combination of philosophy, science-fiction, and erotica” (Vice). Former Earthman Tarl Cabot is now a powerful Tarnsman of the brutal and caste-bound planet of Gor, also known as Counter Earth. He embarks on an adventure in the dangerous and mysterious wilderness of Gor, pitting his warrior’s skills against those of treacherous outlaws, bandits, and fighters. Three different women are working to bring change to Tarl’s far-from-peaceful life on Gor: Talena, his onetime queen and first love; Elizabeth, his brave fighting partner; and the Amazonian Verna, chief of the fierce and wild panther women. As Tarl journeys through the wilderness, the fates of these three remarkable women will finally be decided. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.  H

Read more less

Book Synopsis “A really fun, Beowulf-style action story” in the long-running, cult classic science fiction adventure series set on a Counter Earth (Pulp Week). Former Earthman Tarl Cabot is now a powerful Tarnsman of the brutal and caste-bound planet of Gor, also known as Counter Earth. He embarks on an adventure in the dangerous and mysterious wilderness of Gor, pitting his warrior’s skills against treacherous outlaws, bandits, and fighters. Three different women are working to bring change to Tarl’s far-from-peaceful life on Gor: Talena, his onetime queen and first love; Elizabeth, his brave fighting partner; and the Amazonian Verna, chief of the fierce and wild panther women. As Tarl journeys through the wilderness, the fates of these three remarkable women will finally be decided.   Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.  Marauders o

Read more less

Book Synopsis A ruler’s body double finds that life isn’t easy for an Earth girl on Gor in the cult classic series that’s “a legend in speculative fantasy” (Boing Boing). In their contentions with Priest-Kings, Kurii, savage denizens of the Steel Worlds concealed within the asteroid belt, have frequently had recourse to human allies and subversion. In accord with such projects, Kurii have occasionally sought to place and support congenial administrations in key cities. One such city is Corcyrus. Corcyrus is ruled by a beautiful woman—the cruel, arrogant, much-hated Sheila, an agent of Kurii. It is thought to be advisable to find a double for Sheila, who, in case of military or political disaster, may serve as her proxy or substitute. For this role, an unwitting young Earth girl, Tiffany Collins is chosen and brought to Gor. Tiffany, fleeing for her life, finds herself alone, frightened, and friendless, a vulnerable Earth female, no more tha

Read more less

Book Synopsis Tarl Cabot is caught up in intrigues and rivalries on the planet of Gor in this science fantasy adventure. On Gor, there are numerous mercenary companies—some larger, some smaller—whose services may be purchased or bid upon for given periods of time. The allegiance of these companies is to their pay and their captains. The forces of Cos and Tyros, powerful maritime ubarates, and their allies have now beached upon the mainland and are utilizing the city of Torcodino as a repository for supplies, in preparation to march on a nigh-undefended and unprepared Ar. Should Ar fall, the disinterested tolerances and neutralities, and even the balance of power long sustained between Ar and the great maritime ubarates—things that made the existence of the independent companies possible—will vanish, a development threatening the very existence of the independent companies. But when Cabot arrives in Ar, it is a city rife with doubt, dissension, and trea

Read more less

Book SynopsisChaos reigns on the Counter-Earth in the long-running series that “draw[s] on a combination of philosophy, science-fiction, and erotica” (Vice).   After the disaster of the delta campaign, Ar is essentially defenseless. The forces of Cos and her allies are welcomed into the city as liberators. Ar’s Station, which held out so valiantly against superior forces in the North, is denounced as traitorous. Veterans of the delta campaign are despised and ridiculed. Patriotism and manhood are denigrated. Lawlessness and propaganda are rampant. Marlenus, the great ubar, who might have organized and led a resistance, who might have rallied the city, is presumed dead somewhere in the Voltai Mountains. Tarl is concerned with a warrior’s vengeance upon sedition and treachery, and, in particular, with meeting one who stands high among the conspirators—a beautiful woman now enthroned as ubara, whose name is Talena.  

Read more less

Book Synopsis Intrigue sets the stage for bloody combat in the series that “draw[s] on a combination of philosophy, science-fiction, and erotica” (Vice). The games of Gor are diverse, as are their players. There are the games of planetary politics, in which worlds are contested. And those of cities and ubarates, of ponderous cavalries and fleets of lateen-rigged ships. And smaller games, bloody games, played on a square of sand, in which the counters and pieces are edged weapons. And, too, there is Kaissa, common on Gor, played with pieces of wood, on a board of a hundred squares.   The major land power in the northern latitudes of known Gor has long been the imperium of mighty Ar. Against her hegemonies on the continent, plans by her major enemies, the maritime ubarates of Cos and Tyros, have been carefully drawn to involve attack from without and subversion from within. Cabot, once of Earth, is drawn into these intrigues.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTarl Cabot must prove his final loyalty to the harsh and caste-bound planet known as Counter Earth. “Surrender Gor,” reads a message sent from the Others, a mysterious people from the worlds of steel. Either the proud rulers of Gor must submit or be destroyed.   Now Tarl is leaving the decadent city of Port Kar to wander in the wilds of Gor, taking up the sword to defend his rulers and enemies, the Priest-Kings, for he knows that the fate of his home planet, Earth, is inextricably tied to the fate of Gor.   Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.  Slave Girl of Gor is the 11th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. 

Read more less

Book SynopsisSwords, slaves, and spies bring a Counter-Earth to vivid life in the cult classic series that’s “a legend in speculative fantasy” (Boing Boing).   Cabot and his friend Marcus, of Ar’s Station, who have been spying for Ar in the Cosian encampments, now seek the long-inert forces of Ar to report acquired intelligence to their commander, Saphronicus, who proves to be of the treasonous party of Ar. Cabot and Marcus are placed under arrest, as spies. Primary forces of Ar, largely inactive in recent months, are now to pursue Cosian forces withdrawing from Ar’s Station, through the vast Vosk delta to the sea. The Cosian forces, however, have avoided the delta, and the delta campaign is a ruse to decimate the armed might of Ar, to use as a weapon the marshes and swamps of the delta itself, their treacherous, trackless wildernesses and wastes, the quicksand, the insects, the serpents and reptiles, the local populations, to deliver a final de

Read more less

Book SynopsisTarl Cabot must prove his final loyalty to the harsh and caste-bound planet known as Counter Earth. “Surrender Gor,” reads a message sent from the Others, a mysterious people from the worlds of steel. Either the proud rulers of Gor must submit or be destroyed. Now Tarl is leaving the decadent city of Port Kar to wander in the wilds of Gor, taking up the sword to defend his rulers and enemies, the Priest-Kings. For he knows that the fate of his home planet, Earth, is inextricably tied to the fate of Gor.   Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.  Tribesmen of Gor is the 10th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Read more less

Book Synopsis Barbarian warriors, sexy slaves, and swordplay on a Counter-Earth in the series that’s “a legend in speculative fantasy” (Boing Boing). Long ago in their intraspecific conflicts, a violent, technologically sophisticated life form, the Kurii, destroyed their native world. They now seek another. Between Earth and Gor, or the Counter-Earth, and the power of the imperialistic, predatory Kurii, now ensconced in the “Steel Worlds,” a number of satellite colonies concealed amongst the debris of the asteroid belt, stands only the defensive might of the Priest-Kings of Gor. Tarl Cabot, once of Bristol, England, laboring on behalf of the Priest-Kings, once managed to foil a Kur attempt to set the stage for an invasion of Gor. But to pursue this mission, Cabot must enter and traverse the Barrens, the vast Eastern prairies of the primary Gorean continent, lands contested by tribes of warring savages, lands forbidden to strangers.  

Read more less

Book Synopsis Trials and tribulations of the violent and the virile await an Earthman on Gor as the long-running sword and sorcery series continues. Jason Marshall, an Earthman enslaved by the Goreans, is learning a valuable lesson in gender roles and must prove himself on the planet Gor. Determined to find the beautiful Earthwoman who was kidnapped with him, Jason is caught in the middle of a devastating war between Ar and the Salerians. Jason must prove himself a real man and survive the war in hopes of finally finding the girl of his dreams.   Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire.  Rogue of Gor is the 15th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. 

Read more less

Book SynopsisA novel set during the reign of Genghis Khan and his Mongol Empire from the acclaimed author of Ghost on the Steppe, “a master storyteller” (Houston Chronicle). Cecelia Holland’s historical fiction is well known for its immersion in exotic cultures, and Until the Sun Falls, one of her most successful books, takes the reader into the heart of the Mongol horde during the conquest of Russia and eastern Europe in the thirteenth century. Genghis Khan had told his people they were destined to rule the world, and by his death they had made an impressive start. His four sons followed him to the leadership of the enormous new empire and continued the expansion. His eldest son, Batu, launched the conquest of the West—Russia and Europe. In a few years of devastating warfare, the Mongols reached as far as Vienna, mowing down every army that dared face them, like an irresistible force of nature. Until the Sun Falls stars a Mongol general, Psin, whose battles against the enemies of the Kha Khan sometimes seem easier than his struggles with his wives and his son. Wise, brave, and bloody-minded, Psin embodies the passions and dreams of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen, at the height of their power.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAged just seventeen Hermione is passed from the hands of an inattentive mother into an engagement with a young man she barely knows. Glad to have her pretty daughter married and celebrated by their social circle, Hermione's mother gives little thought to the fitness of the match. Hermione now finds she must grow up, and grow into a life with a man who is not her natural partner. Following Hermione and her family from the late eighteen hundreds through the First World War and the changing society of the post-war era, in Marriage of Hermione Richmal Crompton explores the strains and joys of an imperfect marriage with a warm and humorous eye.Richmal Crompton's adult novels are an absolute delight and every bit as charming as her beloved Just William series. A nostalgic treat for fans of the gentler brand of interwar fiction, this is the perfect heritage read for fans of 1930s fiction at its best.Trade ReviewMiss Crompton writes, as always, with distinction and humour. Her story of Hermione's married life can be heartily recommended as an individual novel about ordinary people. * Spectator *It seems to me to have been done exceedingly well . . . You come to know and like these Derehams, and appreciate the intimacy with which they are presented -- Ralph Straus * The Sunday Times *Ironical, humorous, and brilliantly understanding * Everyman *It is continuously interesting. Miss Crompton is amazingly sympathetic, amazingly shrewd, and Hermione and her family come to life under her pen * Saturday Review *You will find each boy and girl so vivid, and the sustaining thread of Hermione's slow fulfilment so convincing, that the story will enchant you * Evening News *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHappily married for thirty years with three children that have long since grown up, Christopher Mainwaring finds himself at a total loss following the death of his beloved wife, Susan. Yet the joyful marriage he remembers may not have been all it seemed, for no one in the family knows of the troubling words his wife uttered to him from her death bed . . . Alluding to a possible affair that took place many years ago with a close family friend, the grieving widower is haunted by visions of Susan's infidelity and seeks to find out the truth. In his quest to unearth his wife's potential duplicity, Christopher finds himself looking to his children's complex lives for answers: Joy who is now married with children and concerns of her own, the professionally inept but kind-hearted Frank and his neurotic wife Rachel, and Derek, whose delusions of grandeur with his struggling business causes much distress for his long-suffering wife, Olivia.Portrait of a Family by Richmal Crompton provides universal reflections and intimate insights into the dynamics of family life with a startling clarity that will stay with the reader long after the final page has been turned.Trade ReviewI imagine that Portrait of a Family will make many friends. It is interesting, it reads like the truth . . . It is good humoured and cheery, and even has its boisterous moments. It is, indeed, a delightful little study of 'ordinary' people who, of course, are not ordinary at all. -- Ralph Straus * The Sunday Times *A fine novel. . . genuinely moving and the writing is excellent * Sunday Chronicle *The book is interesting, and written with even more than the author's usual ability * Morning Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisSummer has arrived and the Cotteril children are looking forward to the Holiday. For Thea, Susan, Peter and Jane it's always a special time of year, as they escape their lives in the suburbs and visit the delights of the countryside with their mother and father.All sorts of exciting adventures await them as they explore unfamiliar surroundings and meet a collection of fascinating new neighbours. For Peter and Jane the magic of the Holiday is as alive as ever and they delight in discovery: exploring inside gardens, visiting a new sweet shop and finding plenty of places to play hide and seek.But for Thea and Susan, the two eldest, their experience of the Holiday starts to change. As they begin to move into the dizzyingly complicated sphere of the Grown-Ups, Richmal Crompton's The Holiday becomes a journey of discovery into what it is to be an adult . . .Trade ReviewThe interplay of character and the momentary revelation of other people's lives, accompanied by the young fluting of the children and their natural and amusing adventures, makes this novel the pleasantest possible light volume for holiday reading * The Times *Her sympathies have a most exceptional sensitiveness and integrity . . . it contains much of charm and interest . . . compel the reader's admiration and affection -- Gerald Gould * Observer *

Read more less

Book SynopsisRichmal Crompton's adult novels are an absolute delight and every bit as charming as her beloved Just William series. The Old Man's Birthday is both a nostalgic treat for fans of the gentler brand of interwar fiction, and a dry satire of British village life. Matthew Rowston is turning ninety-five. A lovable rogue approaching his dotage, he has very little time for the high moral standards and rigid ideas of propriety espoused by his spinster daughter. Things get interesting when he invites his estranged son, the bright and lively Stephen, and his beautiful partner to his celebratory dinner. Over the course of the day, Matthew walks around the village, introducing the pair to his large and varied clan, from the aging Jolly-hockey sticks granddaughter who is considering a torrid affair of her own, to his elderly bookish bachelor son and the lovely great-granddaughter struggling to find her place in the world, doomed to work as a clerk in her dull and dismal father's firm. Teeming beneath the calm surface of village and family life, lies a whole world of secrets and desires, hopes and dreams. Mrs Dalloway with a dash of dry humour, Mapp and Lucia with a slightly melancholy tone, this is the perfect heritage read for fans of 1930s fiction at its best.Trade ReviewOne of her most skilful and delightful stories, plotted and carried out with astonishing precision * The Times *Miss Crompton's management of her novels excites one's admiration. Of Chedsy Place, for instance, we remarked on its excellence of construction, difficulties never being evaded, and here in The Old Man's Birthday this is even more apparent . . . It is all well and wittily, sometimes touchingly, done. * Morning Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisI don't think that people are people to her any longer. They're just mirrors. If she can see the right picture of herself in them, she likes them. If she can't, she dislikes them.Stella Markham is the apple of her aunt's eye: gentle, kind, beautiful and accomplished – the model of a perfect child. Her guardians love her and her playmates worship her. Sensitive and thoughtful, she is the very image of nineteenth century loveliness – that is, until things don't go her way. From Richmal Crompton, the bestselling author of the Just William stories, Narcissa follows Stella from childhood through courtship and motherhood, detailing the triumphs and tragedies of a woman who is willing to do anything to maintain the image of her own perfection, sacrificing those she loves to her own vanity.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHappily married for thirty years with three children that have long since grown up, Christopher Mainwaring finds himself at a total loss following the death of his beloved wife, Susan. Yet the joyful marriage he remembers may not have been all it seemed, for no one in the family knows of the troubling words his wife uttered to him from her death bed. . . Alluding to a possible affair that took place many years ago with a close family friend, the grieving widower is haunted by visions of Susan's infidelity and seeks to find out the truth. In his quest to unearth his wife's potential duplicity, Christopher finds himself looking to his children's complex lives for answers: Joy who is now married with children and concerns of her own, the professionally inept but kind-hearted Frank and his neurotic wife Rachel, and Derek, whose delusions of grandeur with his struggling business causes much distress for his long-suffering wife, Olivia.Portrait of a Family by Richmal Crompton provides universal reflections and intimate insights into the dynamics of family life with a startling clarity that will stay with the reader long after the final page has been turned.Trade ReviewI imagine that Portrait of a Family will make many friends. It is interesting, it reads like the truth . . . It is good humoured and cheery, and even has its boisterous moments. It is, indeed, a delightful little study of 'ordinary' people who, of course, are not ordinary at all. -- Ralph Straus * The Sunday Times *A fine novel. . . genuinely moving and the writing is excellent * Sunday Chronicle *The book is interesting, and written with even more than the author's usual ability * Morning Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisStella, the first Haitian novel, combines descriptions of moving scenes with factual accounts of the 13 years of the Haitian revolution (1791-1804). Stella is an epic saga and chapter headings refer to major events in Haiti's history and the major historical figures are present - Toussaint. Petion, Christophe, Sonthonax, Leclerc - among many others. The allegorical figures are mainly episodic and are meant to hold the plot together. It is also an important document of Caribbean history and fictionalised history.Written while the author was exiled to St. Thomas, due to his alleged participation in an attempt to assassinate the black emperor Faustin I (Soulouque), the work can be read as the first foundational novel of Haiti. It is a mythical retelling of the establishment of the Haitian nation. This narrative presents not only the birth, through revolution, of Haiti as an independent nation but also the strife between political factions in Bergeaud’s contemporary Haiti, including that between blacks and mulattoes in the struggle to control Haiti. Stella vividly introduces readers to the tale of revolt and revolution that eventually led to the creation of a free black nation.

Read more less