 The books center around cousins Menedemos and Sostratos who work as seaborne traders in the years following the death of Alexander the Great.The series is notable for a high degree of historical accuracy.After Tor allowed the series go out of print, PhoenixPick has acquired the rights to the series and all four books will be reprinted under Turtledove's name and will be reissued over the course of 2013 to 2015.