Jack of Ravens by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Jack 'Church' Churchill, hero of the Age of Misrule series, has been thrown
back in time by the enemy of Existence, to Celtic Britain. He has a sword of the gods in his hand, but no knowledge of how he got
there, and only sketchy memories of his past battles. The one thing that is crystal clear, is his enduring love for Ruth
Gallagher, who is now 2,000 years into the future from where he stands. Abducted into the Far Lands, Church plans to wait out
time there, until the age where Ruth can be found rolls around. Unfortunately for him, but happily for readers, Existence and
its enemies have other plans.
The Hounds of Avalon by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Sandy Auden
This is the third and last in The Dark Age series, which has focused on a second set of Brothers and
Sisters of Dragons as they come into their powers. We've already met three of the team in Devil in Green and
Queen of Sinister, and now we're introduced to the final two that make the mystical Five required to save the
world. And the world is in dire need of saving.
The Hounds of Avalon by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
As the story begins, the anti-life known as the Void has begun to make its move, sending enormous numbers of Lament Brood rampaging
across the British countryside.
This new invasion is the last thing the remaining population needs, coming as it does in the aftermath of the
Fall, as depicted in The Devil In Green and the plague which was the subject of The Queen of Sinister. This
time the enemy is all but unstoppable.
The Age Of Misrule by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
British author Mark Chadbourn might be described as the anti-Tolkien. Not because he displays any special antipathy toward
the great man, but rather due to the way his Age of Misrule trilogy grabs standard fantasy fodder by its danglers, and
squeezes hard. This is not a story which involves noble elves doing good deeds, cute little blokes with furry feet, or
scruffy sods claiming to be the returned king. The ingenious premise questions what might happen to our reality if the gods
of Celtic mythology returned, slap bang into the middle of the modern world? Does it signal the end of the age of
science? These questions dive head first off the standard fantasy diving board, into relatively uncharted territory, resulting
in an edge of the seat, highly credible, page turner.
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The Queen of Sinister by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
A mysterious plague is killing all that it infects. Caitlin Shepherd, a local GP, is doing what she can but knows it's not enough. The
plague seems incurable and unstoppable. Then things get even worse. Caitlin's husband, Grant, and their young son, Liam, also become
fatally infected, and a supernatural menace invades the town.
The newcomers ride beasts like horses only larger, and are wreathed in a sickly purple mist, which causes despair in all who encounter it.
The Devil In Green by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Existence needs a new batch of heroes, as humanity struggles to recover, cowed by the lack of technology and industry, plus the
terrifying knowledge that we are no longer the highest life form. The British countryside has become a deadly place, inhabited by
supernatural animals, and ancient creatures remembered in legend as faerie folk or demons. At Salisbury Cathedral, the remnants of
the Christian church are making a new start, getting ready to spread the Word, and training an army of Knights Templar.
World's End by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Jack Churchill is an archaeologist grieving over the
suicide of his girlfriend. Ruth Gallagher is a lawyer whose practical nature and career success
hide a host of inner uncertainties. They're brought together one
night under a bridge in London by their mutual desire to help the
victim of a mugging. Except that the attacker isn't a human criminal, but a demon. And so it starts...
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