The Byzantine Dark Ages explores current debates about the sudden transformation of the Byzantine Empire in the wake of environmental, social and political changes. Those studying the Byzantine Empire, the successor to the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, have long recognized that the mid-7th century CE ushered in sweeping variations in the way of life of many inhabitants of the Mediterranean world, with evidence of the decline of the size and economic prosperity of citi...

This is the first in-depth historical study of Byzantine Cappadocia. The authors draw on extensive textual and archaeological materials to examine the nature and place of Cappadocia in the Byzantine Empire from the fourth through eleventh centuries.

Bill is out of options. Unemployed, alone and returning to the raucous seas of Northern California, the only home he knows, he takes a loan out at the bank and pours his last cent into his final chance for redemption: a tired old boat without a name. Although "pitted with rust" with "the cancer of salt corrosion gnawing at the copper engine parts" Bill purchases the WWII craft, warts and all, hoping he can eventually turn her into a solid charter. After encountering his old friend Ike, an ...

A collection of three science fiction novels by Scott Michael Decker, now in one volume!Edifice Abandoned: Studying ancient sites on a backwater planet, Archaeologist Nosuma Okande finds more of them than The Institute has on record. On her first day, she digs up an odd statuette. After receiving death threats, the Institute sends Nosuma to another excavation site. Later the same night, she stumbles upon a strange ceremony in the village square. Undeterred, Nosuma ...

Tired of lying in wait, the exiled Noble Bandit seizes his chance at revenge. Meanwhile, as the birth of the Royal Twins nears, Peasant General Guarding Bear is repatriated by the Emperor.Fearing for the safety of his heirs, the emperor orders the general to lay siege to his enemy’s fortress. In preparation, the general recruits the aid of a powerful wizard and a skilled young healer – but none of them suspects a traitor in their midst.As loyalties are tested and new allian...

Studying ancient sites on a backwater planet, Archaeologist Nosuma Okande finds more of them than The Institute has on record.On her first day, she digs up an odd statuette. After receiving death threats, the Institute sends Nosuma to another excavation site. Later the same night, she stumbles upon a strange ceremony in the village square.Undeterred, Nosuma decides to unearth the mysteries the planet holds. But can she untangle the enigmatic past of an Edifice Aband...

Under Guardian William's rule, the people of Alsace huddle in castles, dreading the next attack of the Gemstone Wyverns.After one of the wyverns steals a valueable diamond, Josh Wyrmherd is accused of helping the drake and exiled. With his friend Alyson, they search for the diamond and make their way to a mountaintop eyrie, where thousands of wyverns nest.There, they discover a secret that will change their lives and shape the future of the whole kingdom.

Following a civil war, an empire grapples with the devastating fallout.His conscience heavy, Peasant General Guarding Bear wants to usurp the tyrannical emperor's throne. But the general's rivals continue to play games, seeking to avenge their name and reclaim the Northern Imperial Sword.With his reign threatened and no progeny to his name, the Emperor plots to conceive an heir by stealth. Soon, Guarding Bear enters a world of deception, smoke and mirrors, and must decide w...

Engineer Janet Thompson steps through a Doorport to San Diego, but lands in San Francisco instead.Trying to fix the portal system, she realizes that years of use have begun to have an effect on our world. As the space-time permutations become increasingly numerous and pervasive, Janet must save our dimension from complete collapse.The worldwide Doorport network had operated without a glitch for decades. What could possibly be going wrong?

After salvager Jack Carson lands on Canis Dogma Five - capital of the long-dead Circian Empire - he finds a ghost cube that tells him he's been chosen to become the next Emperor.Even though he finds this ludicrous, Jack heads to the capital of the Torgassan Empire with an orphan girl, who claims to be the Princess of Circia.Troubled by three divorces, four bankruptcies and his constant search for smoke-induced oblivion, Jack tries to reach his destination while avoiding deb...

The Federation is on the verge of collapse. After three people disappear into the mysterious portals that hold the empire together, Culann Penrose is called in to investigate.After he discovers that the ancient gate system is crumbling, he orders them to be shut down. The druids oppose Penrose's plans, and soon, Culann discovers that something is out to destroy him, and plunge the Empire into an age of darkness.Can Culann's Science save Magic before it destroys him, or will...

Born in war. Yearning for revenge. Trained to kill.After a near-term princess is betrayed in the battle to conquer the galactic core, her unborn daughter Serena is taken from her body, raised in a foreign empire, and trained to be a lethal weapon.Twenty years later, attempts are made on Serena's life, but she will defy anyone who would use her toward their own ends.Chased across the galaxy, she begins a deadly mission against her oppressors. But can she discover who...