Rarely do books have such a great influence on a genre as Lest Darkness Fall has had on science fiction. Frequently quoted as one of the favorite books of many of the masters in this genre, this book by L. Sprague de Camp helped establish alternate-history as solid sub-genre of science fiction. An indication of the influence and longevity of the book is by the number of best-selling writers who have written stories in direct response to, or influenced by, Lest Darkness Fall. The original tribute volume (titled Lest Darkness Fall and Related Stories, reprinted three such stories by Frederik Pohl, David Drake and S. M. Stirling written over a period of forty-three years?a testament to the timelessness of the book. The 2021 edition (Lest Darkness Fall and Timeless Tales Told in Tribute) includes two brand new stories by Harry Turtledove and David Weber. Similar, thematically, to Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the book tells the tale of Martin Padway who, as he is walking around in modern Rome, is suddenly transported though time to 6th Century Rome. Once in ancient Rome, Padway (now Martinus Paduei Quastor) embarks on an ambitious project of single-handedly changing history. L. Sprague de Camp was a student of history (and the author of a number of popular works on the subject). In Lest Darkness Fall he combines his extensive knowledge of the workings of ancient Rome with his extraordinary imagination to create one of the best books of time travel ever written. This volume also includes an afterword by Alexei and Cory Panshin, adapted from their Hugo-winning book on science fiction, The World Beyond the Hill.

Lest Darkness Fall & Timeless Tales Written in Tribute

The Bronze God of Rhodes is written as the memoirs of Chares of Lindos. Chares of Lindos was a Greek sculptor born on the island of Rhodes. A pupil of Lysippos, Chares eventually built the Colossus of Rhodes, now considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. These memoirs present the trials and tribulations (some of them hilarious) of the sculptor as he undertakes various projects and is forced into a number of adventures, particularly in Ptolemaic Egypt. This is the second historical novel that L. Sprague de Camp wrote (in order of writing), drawing upon his extensive and detailed historical knowledge of the period.

The Bronze God of Rhodes

Bessas of Zariaspa is a young officer in the Immortals regiment, sworn to protect and obey his King at all costs. The King wishes immortality and to that end tasks Bessas to find items that make an immortality potion, including the blood of a dragon and the ear of a king. The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate is a swashbuckling historical novel with larger-than-life characters, set in a detailed historical background that only a scholar like de Camp can create.

The Dragon of the Ishtar Gate

What finer way for Alexander the Great to honor his old tutor Aristotle than to send him an actual Indian elephant. After capturing a magnificent specimen from an Indian ruler, Alexander tasks Leon of Atrax, a cavalry commander, to deliver the animal to Aristotle in Athens. Leon leads a motley crew of companions (and the elephant) from India to Greece, and in the process encounter all sorts of dangers and adventures while completing the long and arduous journey.

An Elephant for Aristotle

"Pure swashbuckling fun with a touch of bawdiness."-P. Schuyler Miller, reviewer for Astounding Science Fiction and Analog."A remarkable job."- Galaxy Science Fiction magazineCelebrated author L. Sprague de Camp recaptures our imaginations with this accounting of the relationship between of God and Man in a tale that critic Groff Conklin says is ".in the Conan tradition in every sense of the word, though better written."When the Gods of the West assemble to talk about the fate of the bronze age lands of Poseidonis, Drax, the Tritonian god of war declares that a danger to their kind hails from the kingdom of Lorsk, and more particularly, from the royal family. Entigta, sea-god to the Gorgons, appears before King Zeluud, ordering him to make war upon those who threaten them the most. In the kingdom of Lorsk King Zhabutir's twin sons, Vakar and Kuros, are at odds. Vakar, being the younger by a quarter-hour, is heir according to their old system of ultimogeniture, which Kuros finds unjust. But when the threat to their kingdom becomes known, Vakar is sent on a quest to obtain the thing that the Gods fear most-The Tritonian Ring-for he is the one man whose actions the Gods cannot divine, the one man for whom the gods do not appear in dreams. Granting its bearer the ability to repel magic or interference from the gods, The Tritonian Ring could turn the tide of any battle. But as Vakar traverses the many kingdoms for the ring made out of metal fallen from the stars, many obstacles-distractions-will stand in his way..

The Tritonian Ring

When am I? Padway asked himself after the lightning-flash knocked him down. He knew where he was--Rome. He was there to study archaeology, and even though the lightning had left him dazed, he could see the familiar Roman buildings. But the buildings looked newer and the crowds in the street were wearing tunics, not suits! And a rich barnyard smell had replaced the gasoline-and-garlic aroma of modern Rome. So, when was he? And he was suddenly cold with fear of the answer...

De Peur que les ténèbres....

Une partie de chasse, un cerf blanc impossible à approcher. Conn est hors d'haleine. Le jeune fils de Conan a chevauché de longues heures à poursuivre sa proie. Il ne supportait plus l'oisiveté. Maintenant, la nuit approche et il est perdu... Et dans cette clairère, des êtres décharnés sous leurs capuchons noirs... Le cercle de la Main Blanche, ces redoutables sorciers d'Hyperborée !  Conan fulmine : son fils a disparu, son royaume d'Aquilonie est menacé de toutes parts. Des forces diaboliques sortent de l'ombre. Que se passe-t-il ? Le sorcier Thoth-Amon veut prendre sa revanche. Et l'affrontement avec le magicien est inévitable... Un combat de titans...

Conan l'Aquilonien (Book 11)

Il ne paie pas un prophète pour être trop spécifique.

L'histoire de la civilisation est, en un sens, l'histoire de l'ingénierie - cette lutte longue et ardue pour faire fonctionner les forces de la nature pour le bien de l'homme.

Par conséquent, peu importe comment le monde se déroule dans les prochains siècles, une grande classe de lecteurs ne sera au moins pas trop surpris de rien. Ils auront déjà traversé tout cela auparavant sous forme fictive, et ne seront pas trop paralysés d'étonnement pour essayer de faire face aux contingences à mesure qu'ils surviennent.

Les sons de la parole peuvent être analysés en unités fondamentales appelées phonèmes; Ceux-ci se déplacent comme des protozoaires dans une goutte d'eau et, comme des protozoaires, se joignent et se séparent.

On ne peut pas se tromper sur le visage d'un écrivain qui vient d'entendre que son enfant du cerveau est un idiot déformé.

L'histoire de la civilisation est, en un sens, l'histoire de l'ingénierie - cette lutte longue et ardue pour que les forces de la nature fonctionnent pour le bien de l'homme.

En écrivant une série d'histoires sur les mêmes personnages, planifiez en détail toute la série en détail, pour éviter les contradictions et les incohérences.

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