The Sacred Band of Stepsons Expanded "Author's Cut" editions Series by Janet E. Morris, Chris Morris

Tempus: Avatar of the war-god Vashanka, he carves his anti-magical philosophy in the bodies of the detestable mages and demons of a world he never made but is cursed to inhabit.Niko: No godling he, just a warrior who has found the secret of his soul in the mysterious Western Isles--and so wields a pure and faithful power that makes him all too attractive to the gods and elementals of a world infested mainly with murderers and thieves... moreTempus: Avatar of the war-god Vashanka, he carves his anti-magical philosophy in the bodies of the detestable mages and demons of a world he never made but is cursed to inhabit.Niko: No godling he, just a warrior who has found the secret of his soul in the mysterious Western Isles--and so wields a pure and faithful power that makes him all too attractive to the gods and elementals of a world infested mainly with murderers and thieves.Together: Needing time to recover from the spells of a witch who nearly ate his soul. Niko will recover his self-mastery by reliving in utterly vivid detail all the most violent and transforming moments of his past--and that of his rightside leader, Tempus.Publisher's note: Parts of this work have been published in substantially similar form in several volumes of the Shared Universe Series, THIEVES' WORLD. less

An immortalized cavalry commander joins forces with the high-priest of the god of war.... Where myth meets legend, two men kiss and Tempus' world changes forever. Meet and mourn the Slaughter Priest in "A Man and His God." In this canonical short novel, the Sacred Band begins when Abarsis, Slaughter Priest, brings his Sacred Band to Tempus and dies in his arms.In this pivotal story, the Sacred Band is formed from love and death... moreAn immortalized cavalry commander joins forces with the high-priest of the god of war.... Where myth meets legend, two men kiss and Tempus' world changes forever. Meet and mourn the Slaughter Priest in "A Man and His God." In this canonical short novel, the Sacred Band begins when Abarsis, Slaughter Priest, brings his Sacred Band to Tempus and dies in his arms.In this pivotal story, the Sacred Band is formed from love and death...."Tempus put an arm under Abarsis' head and gathered him up, pulling the wounded priest across his lap. “Hush, now.”“Soon, soon,” said the paling lips. “I did well for you. Tell me so… that you are content. O Riddler, so well do I love you, I go to my god singing your praises. When I meet my father, I will tell him… I… fought beside you.”“Go with more than that, Stepson,” whispered Tempus, who leaned forward and kissed him gently on the mouth; and Abarsis breathed out his soul while their lips yet touched."This landmark short novel contains what may be the first male/male kiss in modern fantasy, and was widely reprinted, after appearing in somewhat different form in Thieves' World(r), in the Science Fiction Book Club, two Issac Asimov collections, and the Baen Book "Tempus" by Janet Morris. less

New characters and new mysteries change Sanctuary forever. The immortalized cavalry commander, Tempus, leaves Sanctuary in the hands of Straton, the witch-cursed Stepson; his partner Critias; Sync of the Rankan 3rd Commando, and Kama, Tempus's daughter. Each feels that being left behind is punishment, and may be correct. Sanctuary goes from bad to worse with the arrival of the ominous Shepherd and a disturbing god... moreNew characters and new mysteries change Sanctuary forever. The immortalized cavalry commander, Tempus, leaves Sanctuary in the hands of Straton, the witch-cursed Stepson; his partner Critias; Sync of the Rankan 3rd Commando, and Kama, Tempus's daughter. Each feels that being left behind is punishment, and may be correct. Sanctuary goes from bad to worse with the arrival of the ominous Shepherd and a disturbing god. Meanwhile two local girls, Shawme and Merricat, find arcane articles on the Downwind beach that few understand but which the Stepsons' mage believes will shape the fate of the Sacred Band.This classic Sacred Band of Stepsons story, from the 2012 Perseid Publishing anthology "the Fish the Fighters and the Song-girl, is newly revised and expanded by the author and first appeared in somewhat different form in Thieves' World(R), the million-copy bestselling fantasy series. less

When Askelon of Meridian, lord of dreams, and Jihan, Froth Daughter, come to Sanctuary, a killing mist precedes them and everything changes for Tempus and the Sacred Band of Stepsons and even the local storm god. In the courese of this story, Nikodemos receives from Askelon a dream-forged panoply; Tempus' sister and Askelon of Meridian join forces, and the Froth Daughter lends her inhuman aid to Tempus' Sacred Band... moreWhen Askelon of Meridian, lord of dreams, and Jihan, Froth Daughter, come to Sanctuary, a killing mist precedes them and everything changes for Tempus and the Sacred Band of Stepsons and even the local storm god. In the courese of this story, Nikodemos receives from Askelon a dream-forged panoply; Tempus' sister and Askelon of Meridian join forces, and the Froth Daughter lends her inhuman aid to Tempus' Sacred Band. Stepsons die and events are set in motion that reverberate through the entire Sacred Band series as even the gods contest in Sanctuary's heavens.Wizard Weather, a pivotal story in the Sacred Band of Stepsons series. First published as a first serial in Thieves' World in 1982, and subsequently in “Tempus,” the first Sacred Band of Stepsons anthology in 1987, Wizard Weather introduces characters and concepts which since have become iconic: Stealth called Nikodemos, charismatic Bandaran adept of maat; Jihan, Froth Daughter; Janni, Straton and Critias, members of the Sacred Band of Stepons; Stormbringer, the Unbegotten god, and a fight between good and evil that transcends time and place. less

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 BCE in ancient Greece, where sexuality was a behavior, not an identity... moreThe 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 BCE in ancient Greece, where sexuality was a behavior, not an identity. 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 eight novels (as of 2010). 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 homosexuals and heterosexuals in combat. less

Is this the Lemuria of antiquity, or of times to come? Once you've ridden the storm clouds of heaven from the edge of time, anything is possible.Demonic hordes threaten to destroy the very fabric of time itself. The fate of all humanity rests on the shoulders of Tempus the Black, Favorite of the Storm God. But even this hero of legend will encounter a challenge he has never faced before . . . present-day New York City.

Hot off the presses, the final "lost" volume of the iconic Sacred Band series in an all-new Author's Cut edition. High adventure awaits in Storm Seed by Janet & Chris Morris: - Travel with the Sacred Band of Stepsons to a future undreamed. - Meet the changeling son of Tempus and the Froth Daughter. - Learn what it takes to become a dragon. - Bring gods to a godless realm. Tempus the Black, avatar of the Storm God, and his partner Niko reunite the Sacred Band for a mission to a dying world... moreHot off the presses, the final "lost" volume of the iconic Sacred Band series in an all-new Author's Cut edition. High adventure awaits in Storm Seed by Janet & Chris Morris: - Travel with the Sacred Band of Stepsons to a future undreamed. - Meet the changeling son of Tempus and the Froth Daughter. - Learn what it takes to become a dragon. - Bring gods to a godless realm. Tempus the Black, avatar of the Storm God, and his partner Niko reunite the Sacred Band for a mission to a dying world. And from there -- should the gods allow -- to mystical Lemuria. - Praise for the Sacred Band series: "Janet Morris, Tempus (1987), and, with Chris Morris, Tempus Unbound (1989), The Sacred Band (2010). "A fantasy series about the Sacred Band of Stepsons, an elite army modeled on the fourth-century B.C.E. Sacred Band of Thebes. The stories explore the fraught personal relationships of mixed hetero- and homosexual troops, only sometimes paired, as they fight for their commander, the immortal Tempus. Morris includes archaeological and historical details, from physical items to social practices, religion, and philosophy, to create a fantasy world that is, in many ways, more historically accurate than many popular accounts of antiquity." -- Robert W. Cape, Jr, in Classical Traditions in Science Fiction, Brett M. Rogers & Benjamin Eldon Stevens, eds., Oxford University Press less

The Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love in war in ancient times. In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the legendary Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty-three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired lovers and friends, to fight on other days... moreThe Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love in war in ancient times. In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the legendary Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty-three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired lovers and friends, to fight on other days. These forty-six Thebans, whose bones will never lie in the mass grave that holds their two hundred and fifty-four brothers, join with the immortalized Tempus and his Sacred Band of Stepsons, consummate ancient cavalry fighters, to make new lives in a faraway land and fight the battle of their dreams where gods walk the earth, ghosts take the field, and the angry Fates demand their due. less

New blood and old warriors face unforeseen challenges as one war ends in triumph and another conflict looms. Stories you'll love to hear again and stories you've been hoping to hear for the first time in a brand-new Sacred Band anthology that takes the Stepsons where they've never been before.. moreNew blood and old warriors face unforeseen challenges as one war ends in triumph and another conflict looms. Stories you'll love to hear again and stories you've been hoping to hear for the first time in a brand-new Sacred Band anthology that takes the Stepsons where they've never been before...Tales of risk and glory, past, present and future, among the Sacred Band of Stepsons cavalry in The Fish the Fighter and the Song-girl, the second Sacred Band anthology:Tempus and his Sacred Band won the battle of their dreams, but now the time has come to count the cost and face the consequences in fifteen tales, old and new, of the iconic Sacred Band of Stepsons, including the last six classic Sacred Band stories from the million-copy bestselling shared universe of Thieves' World® and nine new adventures less