Books published by Open Road Media

A collection of supernatural horror stories from the SFWA Grand Master and Hugo and Nebula Awardwinning author of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser novels. Assembled here is a selection of Mr. Leibers best horrific tales, many of which have been virtually unobtainable for decades. From the riveting ';Spider Mansion' and ';The Phantom Slayer' from Weird Tales to the more recent ';Lie Still, Snow White' and ';Black Has Its Charms' from rare, small press magazines, this collection provides an overview of Leiber's fifty plus years as an acknowledged master of the weird tale. This edition was edited by John Pelan and Steve Savile.

A trainer shares true stories of famous lion, orangutan, and other animal actors that ';will hold readers enthralled' (School Library Journal). They are major stars who do not speak a word onscreen, yet are world famous for their compelling performances. Who are they? The animal stars of the big screen, of course! In The Beauty of the Beasts, Ralph Helfer shares with the reader his love of animals and his work with some of Hollywood's biggest stars: Clarence the Cross Eyed Lion, Gentle Ben, the Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull, Clint Eastwood's orangutan sidekick Clyde, and many more. Helfer shares his philosophy on training these beautiful beasts to do amazing feats and maximize their acting potential without coercion. Join Ralph Helfer in his exploration of animal acting and read of his masterful use of TLC towork with these phenomenal, non human actors.

On the slopes of Colorado, an actress is caught in a passionate love triangle in this electrifying novel by a New York Timesbestselling author. Six weeks ago, Kit Masters was a nobodya farm girl from Aspen, Colorado, who came to Hollywood hoping to make it as a movie star. Incredibly, her dream came true, and she was cast opposite John Travis, the biggest name on the silver screen. Now, she's flying back to her home state on a private jet to begin shooting the film that will make her famous. She should be overjoyed, but when the trip home means a reunion with her old flame, rugged rancher Tom Bannon, Kit finds herself caught between Hollywood glamour and the passion of her Rocky Mountain heart. America's first lady of romance, Janet Dailey shows that love burns hottest when the air is cold, demonstrating the storytelling talent that made her a multimillion-selling phenomenon.

Two old friends who have not seen each other for decades spend a week hiking through the stunning scenery of California's High SierraTwenty-five years ago, a group of five high schoolers trekked through the High Sierra. Now, two of themlesbian Kath and straight Adelecome back to repeat their journey and renew their friendship. In chapters that alternate between the women's voices, they reveal their pasts, their thoughts, and their reactions both to the scenery and to each other. For Kath, the sublime topography of the Sierra is inspiring and invigorating. Adele is more trepidatious. Over the course of their journey up to High Country, old stories, tensions, dreams, and disappointments come to the surface.A unique study of the complexity of the bonds between women, this transporting book, written with elegance and restraint, is among Miner's finest work.

As World War II rages abroad, a group of women forge the bonds of sisterhood in AmericaIn 1938, while tensions in Europe are reaching a boiling point, four young women with big ambitions enter secretarial school in San Francisco. Motivated to attain the financial stability that eluded their parents, they go to battle for their futures. Moira, of Scottish descent, dreams of being an actress. Ann yearns for the education her Jewish immigrant parents provided for her brother, but not for her. Japanese American Wanda experiences firsthand the racial injustices running rampant in the United States. And Teddy, who left the Dust Bowl for sunny California, comes to startling realizations about herself as the war progresses. These women will be both buoyed and challenged by their dreams, experiencing love, loss, and everything in between. Against the backdrop of a nation gripped by fear and paranoia, Miner eloquently captures the spirit of wartime on the home front.

A stirring story of love and passion on the Trail of Tears from New York Timesbestselling author Janet Dailey, America's first lady of romance.Temple Gordon's family is one of the oldest, and proudest, to call Cherokee country home. Although their house may look like a southern plantation, the blood in their veins and the land beneath their feet is Cherokee. Nothing will change thator so they believe. When President Andrew Jackson begins agitating to push the Indian tribe west, Temple's family prepares to fight to keep their homes. But when her heart is tempted by the fiery Cherokee known as ';The Blade,' who believes removal is inevitable, Temple feels passion stirring on the eve of one of the greatest tragedies in American history. Previously published as The Proud and the Free, American Dreams is a stirring historical novel from one of the greatest names in romance.

Danger reigns supreme as Nazi Germany braces for a final showdown in this WWII thriller from the author of the Billy Boyle mysteries. On Desperate Ground is the story of men and women caught up in the death throes of Nazi Germany, struggling to maintain those things precious to themlife, an end to killing, and even sanity itself. Colonel Johann Faust has lost everyone he ever loved and feels he is going inexorably insane. He hears the haunting voice of his dead fiancee and the demons that roar through his mind as he perfects a plan to save Nazi Germany from defeat and insure a greater and deadlier new world war. Captain Dieter Neukirk, once a protege of Faust's, is more concerned with saving the lives of his remaining men than sacrificing them in a fanatical last stand. Meanwhile, Elsa Klein, Dieter's lover and the chief social worker at a Berlin hospital, is engaged in her own dangerous work, providing medical care and identity papers to hidden Jews in the city. American Captain Mack Mackenzie, pulled from a military hospital before his wounds are healed, is assigned to investigate reports of a secret Nazi operation. Wanting only to make it home alive, Mack finds himself in a life and death struggle with unlikely allies and a ferociously determined opponent. Americans and Germans alike are drawn to a hilltop in the remote German countryside, where they find themselves between powerful armies and forced into a terrible decision that could end one war or begin a new one.

An American soldier's life, from the Depression to WWII and the turbulent 1960s, is told through memoryand a dangerous secret. Secrets trail an American soldier from his Depression upbringing to the cold winter battles in the Ardennes Forest in the last months of World War II, and through the postwar decades, as he struggles to keep his family from being torn apart while keeping the truth buried close to his heart. Clay Brock, proprietor of Jake's Tavern, has endured terrible losses throughout his life. In 1964, he is working to build a life for his wife and son, only to see everything he has worked for threatened by forces beyond his control. To keep his family from breaking apart, he must confront the very secret he has kept buried. For Clay, the war has never been over, and his foxhole buddy Jake Burnett never far from his thoughts. At two crucial points in his life, as a young father and later as an old man at the dawn of a new and unfamiliar century, his memories draw him back until he must confront them and speak the truth. But at what cost?

The most famous baseball player in history, and the most enduring legend, Babe Ruth is remembered for his dramatic heroism not only on the baseball diamond but also in his life. Kal Wagenheim illustrates this larger than life athlete in his book Babe Ruth: His Life and Legends, and describes him as both a product of his childhood in Baltimore and of his formative years as a New York Yankee. Ruth struggled desperately with the dramatic contrast between the poverty of his youth and the glamour and stardom that his famed career brought him, and although his name became synonymous with wooing women and abusing alcohol, nothing could prevent him from becoming one of history's greatest athletes.

Dr. Brenda Hamiltona PhD mathematician from Caltechis beautiful, though she does not know her true beauty. She is a woman, though she does not know her true womanhood. Deep within herself she is sensual, though her senses have been dulled by this modern world.Hamilton has come to Africa to work under the brilliant Danish scientist Herjellsen, a man who speaks of reaching the stars. But what does the ancient stone axe laying on his lab table have to do with space travel? Soon it becomes clear that Herjellsen's experiment is much larger than Hamilton or Herjellsen or even space travel itself. It is about correcting a mistake made tens of thousands of years ago in human evolution.Thrown back in time, Hamilton must be shown her place in a tribe known simply as ';the Men,' Stone Age hunters who take what they desire and know their true manhood. Will Hamilton survive in this savage land? Will her lover, Tree, teach her what it truly means to be a woman? Can the spark between them put mankind back on its proper path toward the stars?In Time Slave, author John Norman brings the same keen philosophical acuity and passion for storytelling that enrich his classic Gor novels. Fans of his work will love the fresh take on his theories and the bold adventure that brings them to life.

The French police call on the Skeleton Detective when a dog digs up some human bones: ';Terrific' Publishers Weekly Les Eyzies de Tayac is known for three things: pte de fois gras, truffles, and prehistoric remains. The little village, in fact, is the headquarters of the prestigious Institute de Prehistoire, which studies the abundant local fossils. But when a pet dog emerges from a nearby cave carrying parts of a human skeletonby no means a fossilized oneChief Inspector Lucien Anatole Joly puts in a call to his old friend, Gideon Oliver, the famed ';Skeleton Detective.' Once Gideon arrives, murder piles on murder, puzzle on puzzle, and twist follows twist in a series of unexpected events that threaten to tear the once sober, dignified Institut apart. It takes a bizarre and startling forensic breakthrough by Gideon to bring to an end a trail of deception thirty five thousand years in the making. Skeleton Dance is the 10th book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

The Skeleton Detective puzzles over the theft of an ancient bit of boneand a student's murderin this novel by the Edgar Awardwinning author of Switcheroo. Anthropology professor Gideon Oliver would prefer to keep his mind on his beautiful new bride Julie during their English honeymoon, but one intrusive question will not stop nagging at him: Who would want to steal a thirty thousand year old parieto occipital calvarial fragment? Yet someone has lifted this chunk of prehistoric human skull from a musty museum in Dorchester. Then, thirty miles away, an archaeology student is murdered, increasing tension and suspicion at a dig that had already seethed with suspicion, rivalry, and mistrust. Could there be a connection between a hot bone and a cold blooded murder? Gideon is called on by the police to apply the unique skills for which the media have named him ';the Skeleton Detective,' and he reluctantly agrees. Before he is done, his sleuthing will lead him to another murder and willin the most literal and terrifying manner imaginablesic the dogs on him, putting Gideon himself, and Julie as well, in mortal danger . . .Murder in the Queen's Armes is a suspenseful, fun-filled whodunit by the author of the Alix London and Chris Norgren seriesa celebrated master who ';thoroughly understands the art of the murder mystery' (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Murder in the Queen's Armes is the 3rd book in the Gideon Oliver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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.

';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