Head of Zeus

Ronin calls no man master. He is the finest swordsman of the Freehold, as sharp and deadly as his blade. And as he discovers the dark inner workings of the underground city, this bold warrior refuses to pledge himself to any of its rulers; the powerful Saardin.
Forced to flee the crumbling shelter, Ronin and his lover K'reen, are swept into a maelstrom of treachery, violence, and sudden death. Their only hope to save mankind lies in the lost scroll of the Ancients. A desperate search for it leads Ronin down to the very bowels of the earth where no Freeholder has ventured for centuries, and up again, beyond the barrier of the underground city, to the long-lost land above the earth's frozen crust.

Monty Danforth finds the tin buried beneath a shipment of leather-bound classics. Inside is a millennia-old vellum manuscript written in an unfamiliar but unmistakably ancient language. Danforth tries to photocopy and photograph it, but he ends up with blank images, as though the ink were made of something impervious to modern technology. As the scroll's mystery enchants him, this hapless bookseller falls into a cutthroat conspiracy that he may never escape. Soon a dead-eyed old man and his granddaughter come calling for the scroll. Danforth refuses to sell them the manuscript, but they will not be the last to demand it. Powerful forces crave the secrets locked within this ancient document, and Danforth will survive only if he can master its power.

Eleanor Darcy has come up in the world. With her second husband in prison for financial crimes against the nation, she is a media sensation. A self-professed 'feminist of the socialist variety,' Eleanor grants an exclusive interview to Hugh Vansitart and Valerie Jones, a pair of ambitious journalists. Her vision of the future includes the abolition of money and society-approved procreation, a world in which 'all men will believe in God and be capable of love.' During the course of their interviews, Hugh and Valerie succumb to some erotic impulses of their own, while Eleanor goes on to become patron saint of the Darcian Movement.
Now in her ninth decade, Fay Weldon is one of the foremost chroniclers of our time, a novelist who spoke to an entire generation of women by daring to say the things that no one else would. Her work ranges over novels, short stories, children's books, nonfiction, journalism, television, radio, and the stage. She was awarded a CBE in 2001.

Selling one's soul to the devil takes on new meaning in this fiendishly clever page-turner by Fay Weldon. Once upon a time, in the dullest town imaginable, there lived three girls: Laura, the pretty one; Annie, the one desperate to escape; and Carmen, the one who catches the devil's eye.
Now in her ninth decade, Fay Weldon is one of the foremost chroniclers of our time, a novelist who spoke to an entire generation of women by daring to say the things that no one else would. Her work ranges over novels, short stories, children's books, nonfiction, journalism, television, radio, and the stage. She was awarded a CBE in 2001.

On the anniversary of the Eve of the Battle of Waterloo, an assortment of unusual dinner guests gather at a remote country house to pay homage to Henry Shrapnel, inventor of the exploding cannonball. But all is not peaceful at the Shrapnel Academy: The downstairs servants, a group of third-world refugees led by a South African butler, are plotting to overthrow their upstairs oppressors. When a blizzard hits the countryside and traps everyone indoors, the rebellion erupts into bloody warfare throughout the Academy…
Now in her ninth decade, Fay Weldon is one of the foremost chroniclers of our time, a novelist who spoke to an entire generation of women by daring to say the things that no one else would. Her work ranges over novels, short stories, children's books, nonfiction, journalism, television, radio, and the stage. She was awarded a CBE in 2001.

'She's a queen of words' CAITLIN MORAN.
Thirty years ago, Joanna May's husband conducted a terrifying experiment. The result? Jane, Gina, Julie, and Alice; his wife Joanna, replicated four times. And all of them, Joanna included, are suffering at the hands of the men in their lives…
Now in her ninth decade, Fay Weldon is one of the foremost chroniclers of our time, a novelist who spoke to an entire generation of women by daring to say the things that no one else would. Her work ranges over novels, short stories, children's books, nonfiction, journalism, television, radio, and the stage. She was awarded a CBE in 2001.

Six terrifying tales to chill the blood from the unique imagination of Joyce Carol Oates.
A young boy plays with dolls instead of action figures. But as he grows older, his passion takes on a darker edge…
A white man shoots dead a black youth creating a media frenzy. But could it have been self-defense as he claims?
A nervous woman tries to escape her husband. He says he loves her, but she's convinced he wants to kill her…
These quietly lethal stories reveal the horrors that dwell within us all.

As World War II draws near, a dying genius fights against hate to preserve his legacy. Cancer has ravaged Sigmund Freud. It is 1938, and the great doctor has fled Vienna for London, where he races to finish his final, most dangerous work: a radical reimagining of the origins of Judaism, which posits that Moses was murdered by his followers. Though his colleagues say that such a controversial text could only give grist to those who would do the Jews harm, Freud is adamant about releasing the book – until a Nazi named Sauerwald comes to visit. He has written a manuscript in Freud's name, a hateful screed that claims to prove that all of Jewish history is based on falsehood, and asks that Freud help him have it published – lest something unpleasant happen to the doctor's family in Austria. Horrified by this foul threat, Freud responds with the only weapon he has left. He picks up pen and paper, and suggests that Sauerwald sit down on his couch.

The remarkable behind-the-scenes story of one of the most iconic clashes in sports and world history.
In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and storm troopers goose-stepping, an African-American athlete won a staggering four Olympic gold medals. Jesse Owens, the son of sharecroppers, had single-handedly crushed Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. The story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 games is that of a high-profile athlete giving a performance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man.
This is the incredible true story of one of the moment a black athlete beat Hitler at his own games.

Every writer knows what it's like to be plagued by a bad case of writer's block. But what happens when writer's block shows up in person and starts terrorizing a best-selling author? Zachary Gold, struggling to write his second novel after becoming an instant success with his first, is suddenly confronted by a mysterious man claiming that Zach plagiarized his writing. In his efforts to escape the crazed imposter, Zach flees into a nearby library and hides out amidst the children's bookshelves in the basement. Surrounded by fairy tales and fearing for his safety, the author attempts to put words on paper while grappling with the question of whether he should write a sequel to his smash hit or start anew with an original story. A DEATH SENTENCE STORY: original shorts about deadly books from the world's best crime writers.

In the fifteenth century, the Spanish Inquisition spreads terror throughout the land, with Prior Tomás de Torquemada serving as the ultimate judge of who will live and who will be consigned to the purifying flames. Never has Torquemada questioned his own faith or his sacred duty to rid the world of heretics, blasphemers, and nonbelievers. Now, however, an extraordinary volume has come into his possession — an ancient book that radiates pure evil. The prior realizes this abomination must be destroyed along with anyone who has come into contact with it, for it is surely the devil's work, corrupting and possessing all those who touch it. But whom can Torquemada trust to help him achieve his mission now that The Compendium of Srem has passed through numerous hands… including his own? A DEATH SENTENCE STORY: original shorts about deadly books from the world's best crime writers.

November, 1145. The bitter rift between King Stephen and Empress Maud at last has a chance of reconciliation. Brother Cadfael is faced with a shocking revelation: one of the hostages is his illegitimate son.

Sandra Harris – wife, astronomer (known for discovering the planet Athena), television phenomenon, and 'professional searcher after truth' – has had an epiphany. She leaves her boring attorney husband and runs off with Mad Jack Stubbs, her trumpet-playing lover, and his groupie entourage, for a tour of Southern France. Pursued by her husband, Mad Jack's wife, and the paparazzi, Sandra lives entirely for the moment – and great sex. In between, she ponders her past (institutionalized mother, Nazi war criminal father) while trying to ignore the deafening tick of her biological clock…
Now in her ninth decade, Fay Weldon is one of the foremost chroniclers of our time, a novelist who spoke to an entire generation of women by daring to say the things that no one else would. Her work ranges over novels, short stories, children's books, nonfiction, journalism, television, radio, and the stage. She was awarded a CBE in 2001.

In the hot, dry August of 1141, England is still torn by civic strife. Amidst the carnage the Abbey of Hyde Meade is totally destroyed; its resident brothers dispersed, finding refuge in the Abbey of Shrewsbury. But Brother Cadfael realizes that two of these refugees are not all that they appear to be.

TWO COUNTRIES IN THE GRIP OF WINTER.
On the coldest day of the year, Sweden’s Minister for Justice steps out of Parliament House and into a blizzard – and disappears. That same night, across the Baltic Sea, a Danish celebrity finds a stranger lurking in her snow-bound home.
TWO KILLERS STALK THE STREETS.
One is a surgeon who carefully dissects his victims. The other is a brutal predator who targets women. Police in Stockholm and Copenhagen are closing in on their suspects. But as winter darkens and more people die, their investigations begin to unravel.
SOMETIMES MURDER IS JUST THE BEGINNING…

In the Spring of 1140, a young man, pursued by a lynching mob, claims sanctuary just in time to save his life. Brother Cadfael believes the boy is innocent and sets out to prove it.

GUILT. ATONEMENT. REVENGE.
On a remote Swedish island, a little girl, Klara, grows up without a father. Now, twenty years later, she discovers a secret: a secret that powerful men will kill to keep hidden.
On the other side of the world, an old spy hides from his past. He used to be the best agent in the field. These days the only thing he lives for is swimming in the local pool.
Then, on Christmas eve, Klara is thrown into a terrifying chase across Europe. Only the Swimmer can save her. But time is running out…

THE CHRONICLE OF SWORD & SAND: Baghdad, AD 790. Caliph Harun al-Rashid presides over the greatest metropolis on Earth, ruler of an empire that stretches from China to Byzantium. His exploits will be recorded in Alf Layla or, as we know it, The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. However, The Thousand and One Nights are silent on the deeds and adventures that befell two of the Caliph's subjects: the renowned scholar Dabir ibn Kahlil, and his shield and right hand, Asim el Abbas. For their story, we must turn to the Chronicle of Sand and Sword…
THE BONES OF THE OLD ONES: Amid the worst winter in living memory, a Persian noblewoman seeks sanctuary at the home of the scholar Dabir and his friend the swordsman Asim. She flees from a cabal of magi that ensorcelled her in their quest to track down ancient artifacts of tremendous power – the Bones of the Old Ones. Caught between the magi and a vengeful spirit intent on sheathing the world in ice, Dabir and Asim will have no choice but to ally with a deadly enemy…

The turbulent Tudor age never fails to capture the imagination. But what was it actually like to be a woman during this period? This was a time when death in infancy or during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education of women was minimal at best. Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and characterful women in a way that no era had been before.
Elizabeth Norton explores the seven ages of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII's sister who died in infancy; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth's wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones.

England, late 1547. Henry VIII is dead. His 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the old king's widow Catherine Parr and her new husband Thomas Seymour. Ambitious, charming and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends in her being sent away by Catherine.
When Catherine dies in autumn 1548 and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, the scandal explodes into the open. Alone and in dreadful danger, Elizabeth is closely questioned by the king's regency council: Was she still a virgin? Was there a child? Had she promised to marry Seymour? In her replies, she shows the shrewdness and spirit she would later be famous for. She survives the scandal. Thomas Seymour is not so lucky.
The Seymour Scandal led to the creation of the Virgin Queen. On hearing of Seymour's beheading, Elizabeth observed 'This day died a man of much wit, and very little judgement'. His fate remained with her. She would never allow her heart to rule her head again.