Book description
King Richard, son of James III lies gravely ill and there are rumours
that the king's enemy, the Duchess of Burgundy, is preparing an imminent
invasion. The ancient crown of Alfred must be found so King Richard can
pass it on to his successor. Is Simon, Duke of Battersea and friend of
the king, next in line to the throne or will the evil werewolf Baron
Magnus Rudh succeed in his plot to make his son, Lot, king? To add
further complications, Dido Twite, held prisoner by the Baron and the
Duchess, does not know the whereabouts of either Simon or the dying
king: can she escape in time to find and warn them of the treachery
afoot? This adventure with a truly galloping plot and breath-taking
situations will delight all fans of Joan Aiken's books Prize-winning
Joan Aiken was born in Sussex in 1924 and came from a family of writers.
Her father was the novelist and poet, Conrad Aiken and her sister, Jane
Aiken Hodge, writes historical fiction for adults. Before joining the
'family business' herself, Joan had a variety of jobs, including working
for the BBC, the United Nations Information Centre and then as features
editor for a short story magazine. Her first children's novel, The
Kingdom of the Cave was published in 1960. Since then she has written
over 100 books for young readers and adults and has been awarded the MBE
for her services to literature. Joan Aiken died in 2004.
