M(ary) J(ane) Engh

Arslan goes to Paris. Editions DeNoel has released a new edition of Arslan, translated into French by Jacques Collin. This is the I-forget-how-manyth edition of my 1976 novel, including a couple of British ones. So far as I know, it's also the first translation of any of my works into another language--with one exception. Way back in 1983 there was a German translation of the anthology Edges (edited by Ursula Le Guin and Virginia Kidd), with my novella "The Oracle." Maybe someday I'll achieve a Latin version of one of my stories. (I can dream, can't I?)

And it still goes on. In the Name of Heaven: 3000 Years of Religious Persecution (see "My Works" page for details) was nominated for Washington State University's "Common Reader" program, but didn't make the cut. This program, like similar ones at some other universities, chooses one book every year to give to every entering freshman. It's a great idea, and I wish In the Name of Heaven had been chosen--not just because I could use the money, but because I really think it's important for as many people as possible to read it. I'm still pursuing the same question that drives almost all my work, whether fiction or non-fiction: How can we deal with the inescapable fact that people do horrible things to each other? Religion has been one of the most powerful engines of such horribleness, and--whatever our own convictions--we all need to understand that.

Support your local on-line bookstore!
New (never sold or used), signed copies of some of my out-of-print books are available from small book sellers. The following out-of-print titles are currently available:
Rainbow Man
Wheel of the Winds (British edition)
Contact Lady Jayne's Books or email Dragon Tales at dragon17@earthlink.net or rushyglen@norlight.org.

Welcome!

Science fiction fans know me as M.J. Engh, author of Arslan and other books. I'm also an independent scholar of Roman history, and in that field I write as Mary Jane Engh. This website is for talking about both those interests, and maybe a few more. Come right in!

For those of you who have asked, “But where can I find your other stories?” you'll find all my published fiction listed on the My Works page, with bibliographic information and notes about how I came to write each story.

For those interested in real history, there's In the Name of Heaven, which is, so far as I know, the only general history of religious persecution in English. Then take a look at Femina Habilis, a major non-fiction project that will eventually bring together information on thousands of women who played practical roles in Roman history.

Selected Works

Current Affairs

Too Many: How Population Growth Leads Us Inexorably into the Great Famine, World War, Going Dark, and Extinction

An e-book by Justin Ferguson and Mary Jane Engh, available through Amazon. Historical basis, present status, and possible futures of the human population explosion.

History

In the Name of Heaven: 3000 Years of Religious Persecution

The first English-language general history of religious persecution worldwide, from ancient Egypt through 1900.

Femina Habilis

A Biographical Dictionary of Active Women in the Ancient Roman World from Earliest Times to 527 CE. Co-authored with Kathryn E. Meyer.

Science Fiction

Arslan

A third-world dictator sets out to save the planet in his own way. "One of the finest works of fiction of our generation."

Rainbow Man

A woman starshipper settles on an idyllic planet and discovers the road to hell. "A chilling depiction of reason in the service of unreason."

Wheel of the Winds

An epic of planetary circumnavigation. "Excellent validation for the idea that Engh is a major writer."

Children's Fantasy

The House in the Snow

Nine boys face 20 vicious robbers, in the mysterious House where no one is ever seen going in or out.

Quick Links

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