Many believe darkness engulfs England due to the capricious, ironhanded leadership of the monarch. The Barons hate King John, who they blame for the Church Interdict that robs them of the grace of God. Neither John nor the Barons realize that an older force exists. JohnÆs half brother Radburn Blakely has the blood of Trylith, Demon of Chaos, running through his veins. Blakely plans to wrest control of England from his sibling and the Barons.

Other powers exist that run counter to BlakelyÆs plan. Resmiranda Griffin descends from Arthur and Merlin, which gives her the power of the former and the magic of the latter. She is the Pendragon and the only living wielder of Excalibur. Blakely knows he must obtain her cooperation or exterminate his only viable opponent. Though he pulls the strings on his puppet John, she has allies such as her lover Robin Locksley. The fate of a nation and perhaps a world depend on the upcoming duel between Blakely and Resmiranda.

Gifted storyteller Irene Radford can hold her own with the giantesses of fantasy writing such as Norton, McCaffrey, and Kurtz. Using King JohnÆs Medieval England as a backdrop, Ms. Radford writes a delightful tale that freshens up Robin Hood and King Arthur in one brush. The novel works as the mundane blends with the magical into a novel that deserves an award even as it will provide a large cross-genre audience for Ms. Radford.

Harriet Klausner