Cirrus@Austlit

'Babylon, 323 BC

'What if Alexander the Great had not died young?

'In this alternative history, he has survived every effort to kill him. Restless, ruthless, he wonders which world to conquer next. He has a powerful new weapon—the war elephants he brought back from India.

'As Alexander plots, a war elephant named Colossus violently lashes out against the soldiers who are tormenting him, and only one trainer has the courage to calm the massive beast. When Alexander notices the young man’s bravery, Gajendra begins a meteoric climb through the ranks of the Macedonian army, protected by the fierce but devoted Colossus.

'As captain of the elephants, Gajendra is deeply loyal to Alexander, the great soldier who plucked him from obscurity. But just when all he has dreamed of is within his grasp, he faces a terrible choice.

'Betray his beloved general – or betray his soul.

'Colossus is an epic tale of alternative history, of immense evil, pitiless gods and burning cities, of dwarves, priestesses and kings, and of a mysterious bond between a man and a wild animal.'

Source : publisher's blurb

 (Publication summary)

'From Saigon to Paris, from Bangkok to the Ganges, this thriller is the story of Michel Christian. Abandoned on the streets of Saigon when he is only a child, he grows up with a fatal attraction for women and an insatiable desire for revenge.' (Publication summary)

'France, 1206

'When Philip of Vercy returns to his lands from his crusade in the Holy Land, he discovers that his life and his country have changed utterly while he has been gone.  He has lost his beloved wife, now his only son is dying.

'He hears about a young woman, Fabricia Berenger – some call her a witch – who lives far to the south, in the Languedoc. People say she can perform miracles. He sets off to find her.

'But the south of France is home to a heretic Christian sect, the Cathars, and the Pope has ordered a crusade against them. The ‘witch’ who Philip is searching for has sought refuge amongst them, in the mist-shrouded mountains.

'If he’s going to find her, Philip and his liege men must battle their way into hell itself. As the Languedoc convulses into flame and revolt, Philip is drawn inexorably into a vortex of passion, vengeance and mystery.

'One more step, and he knows he can never, ever, go back.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'The Holy Land, 1260

'Josseran Sarrazini is chosen to escort the Pope’s emissary on a diplomatic mission to the all-conquering Mongol horde in an effort to save all Christendom from destruction. But although he serves as a Templar warrior, Josseran is not all that he appears to be – and he despises the Pope’s man on sight.

'Now they have to spend nine months in each other’s company on the most dangerous and most inhospitable journey on the earth – across the legendary deserts of Persia, through the horrific black hurricanes of the Taklimakan, along the entire spider’s web of the Silk Road to Khubilai Khan’s legendary capital at Xanadu.

'When he sets out, Josseran cannot know then that he will never see his home again. Because somewhere out there, there’s a Tatar princess who feels just as much an exile among her own kind as he does. 

'From the Storehouse of Winds to the Palace of Myriad Tranquillities, from the Pamirs and Hindu Kush to the legendary Xanadu and the dazzling court of Khubilai Khan, this is adventure on a breath-taking scale.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Seville, 1489

'The end of the Reconquista.

'Diego Sanchis is Seville’s most famous painter; his glorious art fills every church in the famous city. But for all the beauty in his soul, Diego himself is no oil painting. Nobody but his father loves him and Diego likes it that way.

'Until one day he is asked to take on a new student.

'Mercedes Goncalvez is the most beautiful young woman in the city, and her father is rich and powerful. What could such a woman possibly see in Diego?

'But there are many ways to see beauty. And beyond the dungeons of the Inquisition; beyond betrayal and torture; and even as the Christian cannons are turned towards the heavenly gardens of the Alhambra, Diego and Mercedes find true beauty among the ashes of last hopes.

'A medieval romance set in Seville and the last days of the Alhambra.

'A story of love, art and genius.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Amsterdam, 1628

'The Utrecht leaves Holland on an eight-month voyage to the other side of the world. The ship is tiny and overcrowded and navigation around the Horn to the East Indies is down to the skipper’s dead reckoning – guesswork.

'Below decks, Michiel van Texel is a sergeant on the company’s coin, on his way to Batavia to fight the Mataram. It’s a hard life but the only one he knows.

'He sees a fine lady standing on the high deck with the captain, but does not give her a second glance. At any other time, a fine lady like Cornelia Noorstrandt would be far above the likes of him.

'But not this time.

'Their destinies intertwine near the Great Southland, just as a mutiny is fomenting below decks. When the ship founders on the jagged reefs of the Houtman Rocks surviving the wreck is the least of their worries.

'As the noble gentlemen around them reveal themselves for what they really are, Michiel proves to be the only man with the honour and courage to save Cornelia from the bloody nightmare that follows.

'He makes her one promise: “Even if God forsakes you, I will find you.”

'For some men, words are just words. For Michiel, it’s an oath he intends to keep.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Hernan Cortes is sent with a handful of men to explore the new lands to the west of Cuba. His orders: go no further than the beach and report back.

'But though penniless and landless Cortes knew he was destined to be a king. All he needed was a country. He takes prisoner a young Mayan princess, Malinali. Her father was murdered by the country’s overlords, the Aztecs. What she wanted was – revenge.

'Their meeting changes the course of Mexican history.

'She becomes Cortes’ lover, devoting herself to the man she believes to be a living god. And she shows him how to achieve the impossible – but at what cost?' (Publication summary)