The Sacred Band Of Stepsons
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The Sacred Band Of Stepsons
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 BC in ancient Greece. 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 nine novels (as of 2012). 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 homosex ...
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Thieves' World
Thieves' World is a shared world fantasy series created by Robert Lynn Asprin in 1978. The original series comprised twelve anthologies, including stories by science fiction and fantasy authors Poul Anderson, John Brunner, Andrew J. Offutt, C. J. Cherryh, Janet Morris, and Chris Morris. ''Thieves' World'' is set in the city of Sanctuary at the edge of the Rankan Empire. The city is depicted as a place where many are downtrodden and where the invading Rankan gods and the Ilsigi gods they had ousted begin a struggle for dominance. As the series continues, additional invasions occur, and the city is taken over by the snake-worshipping Beysib as the Rankan empire collapses. Over time, a number of the characters in the series are revealed either to be the offspring of or otherwise blessed by various figures in the pantheons of the competing deities, and they discover or develop various powers as the series progresses. First published in 1979, the series went on hiatus in 1989 a ...
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Tros (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Tros (; Ancient Greek: Τρώς, ) was the founder of the kingdom of Troy, of which the city of Ilios, founded by his son Ilus took the same name, and the son of Erichthonius by Astyoche (daughter of the river god Simoeis)Homer, ''Iliad'' 20.230; Tzetzes on Lycophron, 29 or of Ilus I, from whom he inherited the throne. Tros was the father of three sons: Ilus, Assaracus and Ganymede and two daughters, Cleopatra and Cleomestra. He is the eponym of Troy, also named ''Ilion'' for his son Ilus. Tros's wife was said to be Callirrhoe, daughter of the river god Scamander,Scholiast ''on Homer's'' Iliad 20.231 who refers to Hellanicus as his authority; Tzetzes on Lycophron, 29 or Acallaris, daughter of Eumedes. Dionysius of Halicarnassus''Antiquitates Romanae'' 1.62.2/ref> Another Tros was a Trojan warrior. According to Homer's ''Iliad'', he is the son of the Lycian Alastor and he was slain by Achilles. Genealogy Homer's account The following excer ...
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Black Gate (magazine)
''Black Gate'' is a fantasy magazine published by New Epoch Press. It was published in glossy print until 2011, after which it shifted online. History First launched in October 2000 using the slogan "Adventures in Fantasy Literature," ''Black Gate'' primarily features original short fiction up to novella length. It also features reviews of fantasy novels, graphic novels, and role playing game products. This is supplemented by columns and articles reflecting on fantasy literature's past as well as the occasional interview. Every print issue contained the comic ''Knights of the Dinner Table: Java Joint'' by Kenzer & Company of '' Knights of the Dinner Table'' fame. Much of the fiction is by lesser known or new authors, but noted contributors have included Michael Moorcock, Mike Resnick, Charles de Lint and Cory Doctorow. As a semi-regular feature, ''Black Gate'' reprinted rare adventure stories from earlier decades or work from more recent years that the editors feel has been n ...
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Moirai
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Moirai ()often known in English as the Fateswere the personifications of fate, destiny. They were three sisters: Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (mythology), Lachesis (the allotter), and Atropos (the inevitable, a metaphor for death). Their Roman mythology, Roman equivalent is the Parcae. The role of the Moirai was to ensure that every being, mortal and divine, lived out their destiny as it was assigned to them by the laws of the universe. For mortals, this destiny spanned their entire lives and was represented as a thread spun from a spindle. Generally, they were considered to be above even the gods in their role as enforcers of fate, although in some representations, Zeus, the chief of the gods, is able to command them. The concept of a universal principle of natural order and balance has been compared to similar concepts in other cultures such as the Vedic Ṛta, the Avestan Asha (Arta), and the Ancient Egyptian ...
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Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature. ''Kirkus Reviews'', published on the first and 15th of each month, previews books before their publication. ''Kirkus'' reviews over 10,000 titles per year. History Virginia Kirkus was hired by Harper & Brothers to establish a children's book department in 1926. In 1932, the department was eliminated as an economic measure. However, within a year, Louise Raymond, the secretary Kirkus hired, had the department running again. Kirkus, however, had left and soon established her own book review service. Initially, she arranged to get galley proofs of "20 or so" books in advance of their publication; almost 80 years later, the service was receiving hundreds of books weekly and reviewing about 100. Ini ...
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Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of Book Publishing and Bookselling." With 51 issues a year, the emphasis today is on book reviews. History Nineteenth century The magazine was founded by bibliographer Frederick Leypoldt in the late 1860s and had various titles until Leypoldt settled on the name ''The Publishers' Weekly'' (with an apostrophe) in 1872. The publication was a compilation of information about newly published books, collected from publishers and from other sources by Leypoldt, for an audience of booksellers. By 1876, ''The Publishers' Weekly'' was being read by nine tenths of the booksellers in the country. In 1878, Leypoldt sold ''The Publishers' Weekly'' to his friend Richard Rogers Bowker, in order to free up time for his other bibliographic endeavors. Augu ...
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Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice. It also reviews library-related materials and equipment. Each year since 2008, the Journal has assessed public libraries and awarded stars in their Star Libraries program. Its "Library Journal Book Review" does pre-publication reviews of several hundred popular and academic books each month. With a circulation of approximately 100,000, ''Library Journal'' has the highest circulation of any librarianship journal, according to Ulrich's. ''Library Journal's'' original publisher was Frederick Leypoldt, whose company became R. R. Bowker. Reed International later merged into Reed Elsevier and purchased Bowker in 1985; they published ''Library Journal'' until 2010, when it was sold to Media Source Inc., owner of the Junior Library G ...
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Science Fiction Book Club
Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online bookseller, founded in 2000. Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to Najafi Companies, an Arizona investment firm. Najafi held its ownership in a subsidiary named Direct Brands, which also held Najafi's ownership in the Columbia House record club. In 2013, Najafi sold its interest in Direct Brands to Pride Tree Holdings, a New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...–based media and consumer technology holding company founded in 2012 and incorporated in Delaware. References External links * (unsafe domain) American companies established in 2000 Internet properties established in 2000 Retail companies establish ...
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Baen Books
Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. After his death in 2006, he was succeeded as publisher by long-time executive editor Toni Weisskopf. History Baen Books was founded in 1983 out of a negotiated agreement between Jim Baen and Simon & Schuster. Simon & Schuster was undergoing massive reorganization and wanted to hire Baen to head and revitalize the science fiction line of its Pocket Books division. Baen, with financial backing from some friends, counteroffered with a proposal to start up a new company named Baen Books and provide Simon & Schuster with a science fiction line to distribute instead. According to ''Locus''s 2004 Book Summary, Baen Books was the ninth most active publisher in the U.S. in terms of most books published in the genres indicated ...
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Andrew Offutt
Andrew Jefferson Offutt V (August 16, 1934 – April 30, 2013) was an American science fiction, fantasy, and erotic fiction author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A. J. Offutt, and Andy Offutt. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, has all his name in lower-case letters. His erotica appeared under seventeen different pseudonyms, principally John Cleve, John Denis, Jeff Morehead, and Turk Winter. '' The Sword of Skelos'' (1979), one of Offutt's contributions to the Conan The Barbarian saga, included a short, facetious biographical note: "Andrew J. Offutt is the recently 'tired and re-tired', as he puts it, president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He loves heroic fantasy though at 6' 1" he is built for speed, not combat. Kentuckian Offutt has a number of other books in and out of print, and has been a helpless fan of Robert E. Howard since birth. Now he calls himself the Steve Garvey among writers; 'Surely it's every boy's dream to grow up—but not too much—and get ...
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Lynn Abbey
Marilyn Lorraine "Lynn" Abbey (born September 18, 1948) is an American fantasy author. Background Lynn Abbey was born in Peekskill, New York. She attended the University of Rochester, where she began as an astrophysics major. She earned a A.B. (1969) and an M.A. (1971) in European history, but shifted to computer programming as a profession "when my advisor pointed out that, given the natural rise and fall of demographic curves, tenured university faculty positions were going to be as scarce as hen's teeth for the next twenty-five years and my education was turning into an expensive hobby. (He was right, too.)" She had married Ralph Dressler July 14, 1969; they were divorced October 31, 1972. During this period she also became a member of science fiction fandom. Move to Michigan; accident and aftermath In 1976, after a stint as a programmer for insurance companies, and work on the state task force involved in documenting the New York City bankruptcy crisis, she moved to Ann Arbo ...
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