Showing results by author "Robert Asprin" in All Categories

Welcome back to Sanctuary, "the city where anything could happen, where characters created by some of the best fantasy writers of the generation crossed paths and shared adventures" (Black Gate). The Thieves' World® series continues with a story line created by Robert Lynn Asprin, C. J. Cherryh, Diana L. Paxson, Lynn Abbey, Janet Morris, and Andrew J. Offutt. In Storm Season, immortal warrior Tempus Thales and his nemesis, the crime lord Jubal, go head to head in fast-paced exploits that bring the simmering tension between them to a boil.

Skeeve is a powerful magician, and he always means well...but he is more than a bit naive when it comes to romance. And suddenly, he’s drowning in a sea of romance! There’s Bunny, the brilliant mob moll, Cassandra, the friendly neighborhood vampire night-club queen...and of course, there’s the sexy but dangerously twisted Queen Hemlock. Only one of his nubile suitors can assure his future - and maybe even keep him alive.

War looms over Sanctuary in the fifth Thieves' World® anthology compiled by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Phule's Company series. The invasion by the Beysibs, an amphibious humanoid race, brings unusual prosperity to the city of Sanctuary. But underneath the glittering façade lies a ticking time bomb, for the nefarious residents of Sanctuary don't take kindly to an invasion—well-meaning or otherwise.

Sixth in the magical, action-packed shared-world series: Thieves' World® has grown into a real presence in the fantasy genre" (Fantasy-Faction). Under the rule of a humanoid race, the city of Sanctuary finds itself divided. Rebels and assassins stalk the shadows, bringing chaos to the streets—which is nothing new to the lawless locals. But even they will have to put aside their differences to unite against their common enemy. An accomplishment easier said than done in a city where everyone is out for themselves.

Skeeve has decided, at long last, to come out of his self-imposed retirement and get back into the problem-solving biz. He confidently expected walk in and take his rightful place as the head of M.Y.T.H., Inc. He didn’t expect to have to face off against Aahz for the job. With their friends lending help but showing no favorites, they start a not-so-friendly contest to see who will run the company by taking opposite sides of the next case to walk in the door. Will the legendary partnership survive the battle, or will this be the end of a beautiful friendship?

Multiple myth-perceptions! M.Y.T.H. Inc. is experiencing growing pains. Everyone is trying to contribute and getting used to being partners instead of employees, but any time you fool around with business or magik, things can get dangerous. The Great Skeeve, the boss of the organization, has had many adventures with his scaly green demon mentor, Aahz, but each of the partners has his or her own take on the operation.

Captain Willard Phule has whipped his troops into shape, turning Phule's Company from the laughingstock of the Legion into...a crack team of casino security guards. Now his company is deployed to help an underdeveloped planet. And what better way to utilize their major area of expertise - goofing off - than to turn the planet into the biggest intergalactic playground ever?

Times are hard, and the citizens of Sanctuary are not their greedy, immoral, grifting selves. But desperate times call for desperate measures, which means the bad guys are about to up their game. No one is safe from Sanctuary's evil charms—not the fish in the waters, not the prince's own Hell Hound guards, not even Satan himself.

What's a millionaire bachelor to do? Join the army - with his butler - of course. Desperate to kick Phule out of the Space Legion, General Blitzkrieg sends a crack team of environmental investigators - including celebrity canine Barky the Environmental Dog - to sniff out Phule and his unnatural disasters. It doesn't take long. Phule is hosting a group of big-game hunters who think they can bag a dinosaur on Zenobia. Needless to say, dinosaurs are not a native species. But cold, hard facts never stopped a Phule....

Aahz gets an unwelcome visit from two blue-skinned bruisers and a small magician wanting Skeeve to cough up the dough for an extremely large bill that he skipped out on. Knowing that Skeeve has many faults, but welshing on a debt is not one of them, he enlists the aid of Chumley and Massha to go with him to the last place any self-respecting pervert would ever visit...the mall! Once there, they discover that the mall rats have created a scheme to steal customers' credit cards.

While Skeeve and Aahz are preoccupied with the aftermath of Gleep's shooting, the M.Y.T.H. Inc. crew faces its biggest challenge yet - not one, but multiple challenges to the king and his court sorcerer! Word on the street is that the kingdom is under the control of a mighty sorcerer. It's obvious that this magician dabbles in the black arts: He consorts with demons. He has a dragon for a pet. He's connected to the criminal underground, trading political influence for their assistance in keeping the populace under control.

It was just an innocent game of dragon poker. But soon Ogres were high, unicorns wild, and the pot was half a million! Skeeve bluffs his way into a high-stakes game of dragon poker - and wins! But now he's left with Markie, a pint-sized IOU left by a player who went broke. She conjures up a house full of trouble every time she tries to cast a spell. And now the dragon poker champion has challenged Skeeve to a game - with a pot of half a million.

Skeeve is just settling into his duties as court magician of Possiltum and his training as sorcerer’s apprentice to Aahz, his scaly green demon mentor, when Aahz is suddenly called back to his home dimension on family business. Skeeve figures he can handle things on his own for a while, but then King Roderick convinces Skeeve to use his powers of illusion to take the king’s place while Roderick takes a little “vacation”. That’s when Hemlock, the ruthless, ambitious queen of a powerful neighboring nation, turns up to fulfill her part in an arranged marriage with Roderick.

Belly up to Thieves' World®'s favorite bar for tales told by such fantasy stars as Philip Jose Farmer, David Drake, Janet Morris, and others. Via contributions from Philip Jose Farmer, David Drake, Lynn Abbey, A. E. van Vogt, Janet Morris, Andrew J. Offutt, and Robert Lynn Asprin, you'll revisit the nefarious characters of Sanctuary, including One-Thumb, the proprietor of the Vulgar Unicorn; Regli, a nobleman; Illyra, the seer; Hanes, the thief; the crime lord, Jubal; and introducing Tempus Thales, the immortal mercenary.

Having defeated the mad wizard, Isstvan, Skeeve, and Aahz have taken over the remote inn that was the enemy’s hideout. They’re generally safe from visitors, and if not, Skeeve’s growing magical abilities allow him to disguise himself and his friends as such repulsive serving staff that potential guests flee, screaming. Skeeve has grown bored of studying magic at the isolated inn, however, and one visitor who does not flee offers him an invitation for employment as court magician in the kingdom of Possiltum.

Aahz discovers that the shabby-looking sword he bought at a flea market in a remote dimension is Ersatz, leader of the Golden Hoard, a fabled collection of powerful magical treasures that can turn any ordinary being into a hero. They go in search of the other members of the Hoard, only to find that they're not the only ones looking. A dancer named Calypsa, working with Aahz's old friend Tananda, is seeking to collect them to free her grandfather from the dreaded wizard Barrik.

It's a nightmare when master magician Skeeve and Aahz the Pervect fall into Dreamland.... Massha gets married with something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blew…up. Bunny turns to Skeeve for help when an interdimensional beauty contest turns ugly. Reality shows were never quite like this. Contestants hunt down Princess Gloriannamarjolie for a chance to win the greatest treasure in the kingdom.

Skeeve needs more than magic to solve a matter of Murder and Myth-tery. He’s in a real pickle this time. His green, scaly partner, Aahz, has disappeared, and it looks like foul play. Finding Aahz ought to be a snap for a talented magician like Skeeve, especially with a sassy apprentice and a dumb-but-brawny bodyguard along for the ride. The trouble is, they're sleuthing in another dimension that makes the Bazaar on Deva look tame!

A classic series for a new generation of fantasy adventure fans, Thieves' World® paved the way for the shared-world anthology tradition with epic worldbuilding, unforgettable characters, and nonstop action thanks to the legendary authors who contribute to it.

After being court-martialed by the Space Legion for ordering the strafing of a treaty-signing ceremony, multimillionaire Willard Phule receives his punishment: He must command the misfit Omega Company on Haskin's Planet, a mining settlement on the edge of settled space. At his duty station, he leverages his personal money and a knack for managing people to get the company to come together as a unit.