Books published by Open Road Media

In thirteenth-century France, a female poet endures the chaos of the Albigensian Crusade in this novel by the author of Eleanor of Aquitaine. A holy war is sweeping France, razing cities and destroying the peaceful lives of those considered heretics. Sybille d'Astarac, born to pampered luxury, is a gifted female troubadour. But her poems grow dark as the Catholic crusade seeks to eradicate her sect. In the face of massacre, can Sybille survive the Inquisition? Will her love songs? A work of stunning historical fiction,Sybilledisplays Marion Meades pitch perfect understanding of strong women facing the harsh realities of life in medieval times. As Robin Morgan, author ofThe Anatomy of Freedom, writes, this book is ';an inspiration for women and an illumination for all readers.'

On Earth, time is the ruler of all thingsbut time is not on Oliver's side It's the beginning of the end. With the Anointment complete and Emalie gone, it seems that nothing can prevent Oliver from being summoned to the Nexia Gate to fulfill his terrible destiny. Illisius is coming. Oliver and his parents are being carefully watched by the Half-Light Consortium. There will be no mistakes this time. One sliver of hope remains: If Oliver and Dean can solve the baffling mystery of the Triad of Finity, there might still be a chance to change the future. But without Emalie, is it even possible? Time is running out, the battle is beginning, and Oliver, teenage vampire, is about to find out what it really means to be human.

Can a prophecy of the world's end be undoneby a teenage vampire?The Anointment is approaching, and soon Oliver will receive the power necessary to journey to Nexia and fulfill his terrible destiny. But that isn't what he wantsand he may have finally found a way to change his fate. Yet the toughest part for Oliver hits closest to home: Whom will he choosehis friends or his family? No less than the fate of the world hangs in the balance.As powerful forces converge and sinister plots are hatched on all sides, Oliver, Emalie, and Dean race to pull off their dangerous plan. Nothing is certainexcept that everything is about to change.

It's scary to know the fate of the world lies in your handsbut even scarier to learn that it might be in your brother's It's the last night of summer and Oliver is hoping to have some fun with his two best friends. Once school starts, he'll be one step closer to receiving his demon . . . and fulfilling the prophecy to open the Nexia Gate. Meanwhile, a series of gruesome animal attacks on humans has threatened to expose the vampire world. The evidence points to Oliver's brother, Bane, who has recently acquired Occupying powerthe ability to inhabit animals. Yet Oliver, Emalie, and Dean suspect something else is going ona sinister plot that involves Oliver's destiny, and possibly the mystery surrounding his human parents. Bane may hold the key to Oliver uncovering his past and changing his futureif the Half-Light Consortium doesn't get to him first.

Blood is thickerand more temptingthan water Finally, school's out for summer. To avoid the lethal sun, the Nocturne family is taking a trip to Isla Necrata, the exclusive resort owned by the Half-Light Consortium, whose destinations are always located near a natural disaster, which makes for plenty of vampire fun. But for Oliver, it's hard to look forward to a big dose of time with his family when everything he does seems to disappoint them. Luckily, they stop to visit some Old World relatives in Morosia on the way. Though Oliver's grandparents may be bloodthirsty and gothic, at least they still seem to like him. And the timing is convenient: Emalie is in nearby Rome searching for the oracle who may be the key to Oliver's prophecy. But what the three friends discover in the ruins of Rome and the dark passages of Morosia will forever change their understanding of Oliver's destiny and the dangerous lengths to which Half-Light would go to see the prophecy fulfilled.

When a vampire's best friends are a human and a zombie, he's bound to feel like a freakTwo months after Dean's death, Oliver is a hero in the vampire world. But even though he wasn't responsible, he's having trouble sleeping and has never felt more alone. Surprisingly, Dean returnsas a zombie, no lessand though Oliver is glad to have his friend back, they need to hurry; someone has been slaying vampire children, and all the evidence points to Emalie. Can Oliver and Dean find her before the vampires do? Their search takes them deep into the underground black market and high into the Seattle night. As they discover the powerful forces behind the sunlight slayings, Oliver finds that it's all intricately tied to a future he doesn't want.

Oliver's life is no different from those of most middle school kidsexcept he sleeps in a coffin and drinks blood for breakfastOliver Nocturne lives a pretty normal lifehe deals with bullies, has an obnoxious older brother, and generally feels misunderstood. But being a vampire presents another host of problems, especially when he feelshe knowshe's not quite like everyone else.When Emalie, a human girl with a troubled past, takes a picture of him, Oliver ignores the rules that forbid him from interacting with humans and agrees to show her the darkest secrets of the Seattle underworld. But their quest will uncover more than vampire mythologythey will learn the terrible truth about Oliver's past and his purpose. And for Emalie, this knowledge could come at a fatal price.

';Fascinating profiles' of remarkable nuns, from an eighty-three-year-old Ironman champion to a crusader against human trafficking (Daily News [New York]). ';In an age of villainy, war and inequality, it makes sense that we need superheroes,' writes Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times. ';And after trying Superman, Batman and Spider-Man, we may have found the best superheroes yet: Nuns.' In If Nuns Ruled the World, veteran reporter Jo Piazza overthrows the popular perception of nuns as killjoy schoolmarms, instead revealing them as the most vigorous catalysts of change in an otherwise repressive society. Meet Sister Simone Campbell, who traversed the United States challenging a Congressional budget that threatened to severely undermine the well-being of poor Americans; Sister Megan Rice, who is willing to spend the rest of her life in prison if it helps eliminate nuclear weapons; and the inimitable Sister Jeannine Gramick, who is fighting for acceptance of gays and lesbians in the Catholic Church. During a time when American nuns are often under attack from the very institution to which they devote their livesand the values of the institution itself are hotly debatedthese sisters offer thought-provoking and inspiring stories. As the Daily Beast put it, ';Anybody looking to argue there is a place for Catholicism in the modern world should just stand on a street corner handing out Piazza's book.'

Tarl 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.

Swords, 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 decisive blow to what was once the unchallenged splendor and power of Gor's finest infantry. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Vagabonds of Gor is the 24th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Ar, defeated, shamed, and systematically looted, is occupied by Cosian forces. Perhaps Marlenus of Ar alone, the great ubar, could remind the men of their Home Stone and its meaning. But it is thought that he perished in the Voltai. Young women from Earth brought to Gor are commonly taken to the markets to be branded, collared, and sold as the delicious, lovely livestock they are. Such is the case of a young woman whom we shall call Janice, for that was her Gorean slave name. In the prison pits of piratical Treve there exists a chained prisoner who believes himself to be of the Gorean peasantry. The nature and even the existence of this prisoner, strangely enough, is a closely guarded secret. In order to better keep this secret, it is decided that his servant and warder had best not be a native Gorean. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Witness of Gor is the 26th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Savages of Gor is the 17th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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.

Battles rage as the epic science fantasy adventure saga continues. The maritime ubarate of Cos and her allies are mounting an attack on Ar on two frontsfrom the South with a major invasion force and in the North with an expeditionary force besieging Ar's Station, Ar's base of power in the vast arable basin of Gor's mightiest river, the Vosk. Dietrich of Tarnburg, a mercenary, has seized Torcodino, with its stores of military supplies, to temporarily halt the march of Cos on Ar in order to buy Ar time to organize for her defense. Cabot has delivered letters from Dietrich to the regent of Ar, apprising him of the situation at Torcodino. Tarl escapes his imprisonment and ponders whether he should then flee Ar's Station, making his way to freedom through its miseries and desolations, its ruins and flames, or shall he remain, to defend her weakened, betrayed, starving defenders, those who had been his very captors? Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Renegades of Gor is the 23rd book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Players of Gor is the 20th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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 companiessome larger, some smallerwhose 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 ubaratesthings that made the existence of the independent companies possiblewill 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 treason. To whom shall the letters be delivered, and whom can he trust? Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Mercenaries of Gor is the 21st book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

';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 of Gor is the 9th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Chaos 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 conspiratorsa beautiful woman now enthroned as ubara, whose name is Talena. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Magicians of Gor is the 25th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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 womanthe 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 than a lovely, defenseless barbarian on the beautiful, perilous world of Gor. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Kajira of Gor is the 19th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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. Hunters of Gor is the 8th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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.

In Ghost Dance, it is through Chance's keen eyes and weary heart that readers embark on a journey of discovery and sorrow.On the run across the plains, Chance stumbles upon Running Horse, a Sioux warrior enacting the sacred and violent ritual of the Sun Dance. Quickly, Chance is pulled into the world of the Sioux people. As their civilization teeters on the brink of destruction, the Sioux perform the mournful and frightening Ghost Dance. Clashes with the white man are frequent; the Wounded Knee Massacre approaches, still in the unknown distance; and violence and anger threaten the traditions of a proud and once great people. Nearby, in her quaint sod house, Miss Lucia Turner awaits the full impact of those clashes. Dust on the horizon signals great change coming to her once simple life. Lucia will soon become a different kind of woman.With Ghost Dance, author John Norman brings the same vigor and passion of storytelling and imagination that enriches his classic Gor novels to a vivid story of historical upheaval and personal exploration.

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.

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.

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 bid upon. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Dancer of Gor is the 22nd book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

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 ownhis 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 lifeand war. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Blood Brothers of Gor is the 18th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A monstrous alien race attempts to conquer the Earth-like planet of Gor, where men are warriors and women are sex slaves. Thefight 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. Rediscover this brilliantly imagined world where men are masters and women live to serve their every desire. Beasts of Gor is the 12th book in the Gorean Saga, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

At the height of the Cold War, a cashiered SEAL officer living in Japan is retained by a world-famous Russian dissident to rescue a friend from the Siberian Gulag. The SEAL officer recruits and trains a group to undertake the cold weather operation and even finagles an off-the-books diesel submarine . . . for a price. The rescue is grueling and the withdrawal harrowing. Red Ice takes place in Japan's Honshu and Hokkaido Islands, South Korea, Russia's Kuril Islands, the Sea of Okhotsk, and Siberia. It is a relentless tale of cross-cultural naval intrique as it is practiced in rubber boats and kayaks, in pup tents and snow caves, on skis, and aboard submarines. Red Ice is savagely authentic in its description of this brand of unconventional warfare and of the individual tensions that haunt the men who practice it.

Since his teens, Chris Markham's hitchhiking thumb has carried him into adventures across America. His first book, Mississippi Odyssey, is a journal of his experiences hitchhiking boat rides down the Mississippi River.

A well-to-do, upper-class young woman, intelligent, fashionable, educated, strikingly beautiful, exploitative, selfish, and haughty, a despiser of men as she knows them, taking them all as manipulable weaklings, meets a mysterious, unsettlingly attractive male at a cocktail party, one who is not only distant and seemingly immune to her brandished charms, but who seems to hold her, to her disgruntlement and indignation, in a subtle contempt. Later her life undergoes an unexpected, dramatic, and radical change. Seized and shipped with others as cargo, as human cattle, to the beautiful, green, fresh, perilous world of Gor, she finds she is now only an object and beast, a slave. She is collared and branded. Her clothing, if any, and her food, as it might be, are now at the whim of others. She learns to kneel, to address the free as "Master" or "Mistress," to strive to be pleasing, to obey immediately, beautifully, and without demur, in all things and in any respect, and to kiss a whip and hope that it will not be used on her. Later she meets again, on Gor, the mysterious man she met long ago at the cocktail party, only now she is before him, collared and branded, in a rag, on her knees, a lowly slave.