Scott Oden

@orcwriter.bsky.social

1901 Followers 545 Following

Author of THE GRIMNIR SAGA, and the award-winning collection of S&S/heroic historicals, OLD GODS AND OTHER TALES. History geek, armchair antiquarian. He/him. Tips appreciated: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=T76DGUDKSEWGG

"Prince Cassim" by Maxfield Parrish: a sinister Arabian Nights-looking man with a sheathed scimitar, sitting on a pile of treasure.
Did you know, her 1978 novel THE PRAISE SINGER has nary a scene of violence that takes place upon the page? When we do hear of it, we hear it second-hand.
Colorful classic paintings of the Ottomans entering the shattered gates of Constantinople in the 1500s. A horseman surrounded by his troops, arm upraised in victory, crossing the rubble-strewn threshold.
A candle in a glass jar at dusk, surrounded by grass. In the distance, points of light like fireflies. Glowing words: "Every Leaf Holds a Secret . . ."
Moody, atmospheric Maxfield Parrish artwork featuring a brooding Prince Kassim from "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", sitting in a cave surrounded by treasures, sword in hand. Shadows and light create a gorgeous contrast. The text reads: "In the Heroic Tradition of Robert E. Howard -- THE LION OF CAIRO -- by Scott Oden"
A detailed fragment of the Alexander mosaic from Pompeii, showing a wide-eyed man with suspicious sideburns about to stab someone in the face.
A classical city under assault, with people running and fighting as flames consume the buildings. In the center,a banner that reads "MEN OF BRONZE: A Novel of Ancient Egypt Scott Oden"
Cover for Autumn Herbs and Other Tales by Claude Moreau: detail from a classic Alphonse Mucha paintings, highlighting reds, oranges, ambers, and slight touches of purple and green.
In A Crown of Thorns, masterful historian and seven-time Olympic Literary Champion Thalia Aristides confronts her most dangerous challenge yet when a provocative monotheistic manuscript emerges in Athens—a world where Christianity and Islam never existed. As civil unrest erupts across the Mediterranean and philosophical schools clash, Thalia reunites with her former lover Leonidas, a hardened Spartan intelligence operative, to expose a forgery that threatens centuries of intellectual pluralism. Racing from the hallowed Great Library of Alexandria to ancient monasteries and the tense Olympic arena, Thalia battles assassins, political conspiracies, and the betrayal of her brilliant protégé while unraveling a plot designed to topple the very foundations of their society. In this richly-realized alternate 2025, the search for truth becomes a deadly game where knowledge is power and absolute belief is the ultimate weapon.
Book cover for A Clockwork's Dreaming and Other Tales, with whimsical fairy art depicting wee folk dancing under green leaves.
Cover of A Clockwork's Dreaming, with art by Richard Doyle (faeries dancing beneath the leaves of a tree). Text: "Where Magic Blooms Between Dewdrops and Dreams . . ."
Photo of a jar of blue glass beads, lit from beneath; it sits on a wooden shelf, sandwiched between whimsical mushroom sculptures.
Top picture is a seagull drawing a deep breath; bottom picture is the same gull screaming his fool head off: "BUY MY BOOK!!!!"
Whimsical mushroom teapot from Blue Sky Clayworks
A mouse sleeping at his desk in a cozy fire-lit library. Art by Chris Dunn
Jaime Martinez, artist. A savage barbarian, bearded, echoes of the Mongol or Tatar about him. Shadowy against a red background.