Battle Circle

This omnibus gathers the three novels of Piers Anthony's Battle Circle trilogy: Sos the Rope, Var the Stick, and Neq the Sword. Anthony, known mainly for his science fiction, sets the story in a harsh world where society has fallen back to primitive ways and brutal custom rules. Here, every quarrel is decided inside the battle circle, a ritual arena in the Great Circle.

In this setting, ambitious men compete for control of roaming tribes, hoping to turn their dreams of an empire into reality through the strength of simple weapons: the sword, the club, and the rope. The narrative focuses on the struggle for dominance and the fighting that decides it.