Book description
The continuation of a powerful new fantasy adventure filled with dark
magic and deadly intrigue, from the worldwide bestselling author of the
SAGA OF THE PLIOCENE EXILE.
King Conrig Ironcrown now rules the entire island of High Blenholme.
But the peace he achieved after ruthlessly uniting its four quarrelling
kingdoms into a Sovereignty is about to be challenged by enemies both
mortal and supernatural.
Rumours abound that his vengeful first wife, Maudrayne, believed to
have committed suicide when she discovered his infidelity, is in fact
still alive and about to reveal a secret that could cost Conrig his throne.
A more tangible threat is posed by the ambitious sorcerer Beynor, and
his crony, Conrig's traitorous former alchymist Kilian, who have stolen
a trove of currently inactive moonstones capable of drawing tremendous
power from the mysterious supernatural Beaconfolk. After initiating a
civil war, the pair hope to utilize this power to vanquish Conrig's
fatally divided realm and rule it themselves.
The King's unlikely champion is his royal intelligencer, Deveron, a
young man secretly possessed of magical talents. But Deveron is torn
between his loyalty to the iron-willed king and his own conscience. The
resulting clash involves not only human beings, but also the ancient
races who inhabited High Blenholme before them - and who now intend to
take back their lost homeland. Praise for Julian May:
'A writer of exceptional perception and power' JEAN AUEL
'Julian May has irrevocably placed herself among the greats' ASIMOV'S MAGAZINE
'A certain crowd-pleaser' KIRKUS REVIEWS Julian May is the author of
the SAGA OF THE PLIOCENE EXILE (THE MANY-COLOURED LAND, THE GOLDEN TORC,
THE NONBORN KING), THE GALACTIC MILIEU TRILOGY, BLACK TRILLIUM, (with
Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton), BLOOD TRILLIUM and SKY
TRILLIUM, and most recently THE RAMPART WORLDS. The author lives in the
state of Washington.
