A WWII soldier embarks on affairs with two very different men in a landmark novel that “transcends categorizations” (The Telegraph). After being wounded at Dunkirk in World War II, Laurie Odell is sent back home to a rural British hospital. Standing out among the orderlies is Andrew, a bright conscientious objector raised as a Quaker. The unspoken romance between the two men is tested when Ralph, a friend of Laurie’s from school, re-enters his life, introducing him into a milieu of jaded, experienced gay men. Will Laurie reconcile himself to Ralph’s embrace, or can he offer Andrew the idealized, Platonic intimacy he yearns for? This novel has been called one of the foundation stones of gay literary fiction, ranking alongside James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room and Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar. Celebrated for its literary brilliance and sincere depiction of complex human emotions, The Charioteer is a stirring and beautifully rendered portrayal of love. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary Renault including rare images of the author.

September AD 80. Flavia and her friends go to Rome to celebrate the Festival of Jupiter at Senator Cornix's town house. When a famous racehorse goes missing, Nubia sets out to recover it. The four friends find themselves caught up in a plot against one of the rival factions, the Greens. Who is trying to sabotage the charioteers? Could it be an inside job, or someone with a grudge from long ago? And how many men and horses will die before the killer is caught?

A New York Times–bestselling novel of the ancient king of Macedon and his lover by the author Hilary Mantel calls “a shining light.” The Persian Boy centers on the most tempestuous years of Alexander the Great’s life, as seen through the eyes of his lover and most faithful attendant, Bagoas. When Bagoas is very young, his father is murdered and he is sold as a slave to King Darius of Persia. Then, when Alexander conquers the land, he is given Bagoas as a gift, and the boy is besotted. This passion comes at a time when much is at stake—Alexander has two wives, conflicts are ablaze, and plots on the Macedon king’s life abound. The result is a riveting account of a great conqueror’s years of triumph and, ultimately, heartbreak. The Persian Boy is the second volume of the Novels of Alexander the Great trilogy, which also includes Fire from Heaven and Funeral Games. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary Renault including rare images of the author. “Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us.” —Hilary Mantel

"Sarathi" which literally means charioteer, was written by my great grandfather Satyanath Borah B.L. It is an immortal literary work. All 34 essays in chaste Assamese transcend the boundaries of language, time and space. It stands as an eternal doctrine of morals and ethics required in life. The content in each of the essays is timeless and priceless for people universally. Yet the readership of "Sarathi" has remained confined only to the Assamese people for over a century. Though it deserved a worldwide readership, efforts to place the book on a global platform remained somehow elusive. "Sarathi" was first published in 1911. For decades together its essays have continued to be anthologized in the text books of educational institutions. But its immortal content has permeated beyond the classrooms to adorn the personal libraries of innumerable households and its copies are amply stacked in book stores even today. Thus with an aim to present the priceless content of this Assamese literary gem for a wider appreciation, "The Charioteer" has been created as a derivative work in English. It has been called a derivative work because it is not merely a literal translation of the Assamese text into English. "Sarathi" in its lucid elaboration of the ways to progress in the arduous journey of life without transgressing the ethics and morals, has made many references to ancient scriptures and epics of India as well as to the native customs and practices of Assam in particular. It was imperative to retain these references for preserving the essence of the book in this English adaptation. Explanations of the native customs and practices have been judiciously incorporated either in the main text or as footnotes.

'The Charioteer remains compelling both as a snapshot of a particular - and particularly fascinating - cultural moment, and as a deeply romantic story of love fulfilled against the odds. It has all those qualities that make Mary Renault so memorable as a novelist: craft, subtlety, intelligence, and a terrific natural sympathy with the intricacies of honour and desire' SARAH WATERS 'An explosive and courageous book' SIMON RUSSELL BEALE First published in 1953, The Charioteer is a tender, intelligent coming-of-age novel and a bold, unapologetic portrayal of homosexuality that stands with Gore Vidal's The City and the Pillar and James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room as a landmark work in gay literature. Injured at Dunkirk, Laurie Odell, a young corporal, is recovering at a rural veterans' hospital. There he meets Andrew, a conscientious objector serving as an orderly, and the men find solace in their covert friendship. Then Ralph Lanyon appears, a mentor from Laurie's schooldays. Through him, Laurie is drawn into a tight-knit circle of gay men for whom liaisons are fleeting and he is forced to choose between the ideals of a perfect friendship and the pleasures of experience. 'Emotionally intelligent, beautifully written and deeply moving, it transcends categorisations' Telegraph