© Cover Illustration © Chris McGrath
Design by Jacqueline Cooke
Coming October 2009
A devilish plot to assassinate the Queen, a Cold War enemy hell-bent on destroying the nation, incredible gadgets, a race against time around the world to stop the ultimate doomsday device…and Elizabethan England’s greatest spy!
Meet Will Swyfte – adventurer, swordsman, rake, swashbuckler, wit, scholar and the greatest of Walsingham’s new band of spies. His exploits against the forces of Philip of Spain have made him a national hero, lauded from Carlisle to Kent. Yet his associates can barely disguise their incredulity – what is the point of a spy whose face and name is known across Europe?
But Swyfte’s public image is a carefully-crafted façade to give the people of England something to believe in, and to allow them to sleep peacefully at night. It deflects attention from his real work – and the true reason why Walsingham’s spy network was established.
A Cold War seethes, and England remains under a state of threat. The forces of Faerie have been preying on humanity for millennia. Responsible for our myths and legends, of gods and fairies, dragons, griffins, devils, imps and every other supernatural menace that has haunted our dreams, this power in the darkness has seen humans as playthings to be tormented, hunted or eradicated.
But now England is fighting back!
Design by Jacqueline Cooke
Coming October 2009
A devilish plot to assassinate the Queen, a Cold War enemy hell-bent on destroying the nation, incredible gadgets, a race against time around the world to stop the ultimate doomsday device…and Elizabethan England’s greatest spy!Meet Will Swyfte – adventurer, swordsman, rake, swashbuckler, wit, scholar and the greatest of Walsingham’s new band of spies. His exploits against the forces of Philip of Spain have made him a national hero, lauded from Carlisle to Kent. Yet his associates can barely disguise their incredulity – what is the point of a spy whose face and name is known across Europe?
But Swyfte’s public image is a carefully-crafted façade to give the people of England something to believe in, and to allow them to sleep peacefully at night. It deflects attention from his real work – and the true reason why Walsingham’s spy network was established.
A Cold War seethes, and England remains under a state of threat. The forces of Faerie have been preying on humanity for millennia. Responsible for our myths and legends, of gods and fairies, dragons, griffins, devils, imps and every other supernatural menace that has haunted our dreams, this power in the darkness has seen humans as playthings to be tormented, hunted or eradicated.
But now England is fighting back!
Very nice work. Sounds like a fun read to.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Mark is about to hand in the manuscript, and I CANNOT WAIT to dive in. The character first appeared in a short story in The Solaris Book of New Fantasy. I was in Hong Kong and couldn't get it out of my head, couldn't wait till I was home, so emailed Mark to ask if he'd consider expanding it to a novel. He replied that he'd just completed a treatment for the first three books and was going out with it the very next day. I was on the phone to my boss in NY the next day. Talk about timing!
ReplyDeleteSo this novel is new and is part of the other half of the contract Chadbourn signed with Pyr?
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cover! I love the limited palette. The corpse in the bottom corner is a nice touch, too.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome book.
This novel is new, and Mark is signed for three books in this SWORDS OF ALBION series (not a trilogy as there may be more beyond these). He's also signed for The Dark Age trilogy, which follows the Age of Misrule trilogy coming out now. So, nine books under contract so far.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know If I said it already but …I’m so glad I found this site…Keep up the good work I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say great blog. Thanks!
ReplyDelete