This is the age of the Telnarians. Their vast, corrupt empire spans galaxies, ruling by terror, slavery, and the lash. But, their corruption and brutality could spell their downfall for, on a thousand worlds of swords and science, the savage souls of true men will not be forever chained. A heroic tide is rising-and one warrior is born to lead the barbarian horde. A peasant is sent to the arena, fodder for the carnage...but before the horrified gaze of noble ladies, the warrior named Dog slaughters headsmen, hunters, and beasts to win freedom as a full-fledged gladiator. Then, deep-space rebels attack an Empire ship where Dog performs combat killings for the amusement of the passengers-and the gladiator becomes a rebel. Now, a beautiful officer of the court finds her life depends on the mercy of Dog-the man she ordered put to death!

This is the age of the Telnarians. Their vast, corrupt empire spans galaxies, ruling by terror, slavery, and the lash. But, their corruption and brutality could spell their downfall for, on a thousand worlds of swords and science, the savage souls of true men will not be forever chained. A heroic tide is rising-and one warrior is born to lead the barbarian horde. From the savage death pits of the Ortung Vandals, to the murderous intrigues of the imbecile Emperor's court, to the perfumed cages of the luscious willing slaves, the giant Otto is carving a legend across the stars. When this gladiator and chieftain of the Wolfung worlds seeks to form a frontier legion of space barbarians, the nobles dare not refuse him; they have only the courage to try to murder him. But can even an empire's might stop such a man?

This is the age of the Telnarians. Their vast, corrupt empire spans galaxies, ruling by terror, slavery, and the lash. But, their corruption and brutality could spell their downfall for, on a thousand worlds of swords and science, the savage souls of true men will not be forever chained. A heroic tide is rising-and one warrior is born to lead the barbarian horde. To recruit his legion of space barbarians, the giant gladiator Otto must win their fierce loyalty, world by world, in lethal combat against monsters, men, aliens, and the beautiful, murderous slaves-while Imperial conspirators plot Otto's assassination, and an evil warlord's brutal army prepares to unleash genocidal horror across the stars

This brand-new installment in John Norman’s epic saga describes the continuing rise to power of a backwoods warrior thrown into the maelstrom of ambition, treachery, and violence that is the galactic empire In the fourth volume of the Telnarian Histories, John Norman continues the story of a fighter from a backwater planet in a galaxy-spanning empire, who rises to power by maintaining his strength of character and his will to fight, and triumphs despite huge and threatening challenges from rebels, enemies of the empire, and even the highest powers within the emperor’s court. When Filene, a former noblewoman masquerading as a slave, attempts to assassinate the up-and-coming tribal king, Ottonius, she fails miserably and becomes fully enslaved. The story of her education in proper submission is told in counterpoint to the tale of the powerful but primitive warrior who dreams of an imperial destiny and pursues privately devious and publicly violent means to achieve his goal. The applications of power from person to person and on an interstellar scale show haunting resemblances. Similar in scope and ambition to Piers Anthony’s Bio of a Space Tyrant series, this novel follows the latest adventures of a man who has fought and killed his way out of obscurity to become a newly crowned local king and is quick to make smart connections in the imperial court. Soon he will realize his most secret and nearly unadmitted goal: unseating the reigning emperor and truly becoming . . . the Usurper