Smith of Wootton MajorComposed almost a decade after The Lord of the Rings, and when his lifelong occupation with the Silmarillion was winding down, Smith of Wootton Major was the product of ripened experience and reflection.

with Jack Fiskardo and his company of scouts

and there is always someone willing to make money from the fearful

Reinhart is a participant who nevertheless remains a spectator

all these issues impact on the life of a boy in a medieval manor and give the book its uniquely contemporary feel

Anna has little company besides the occasional sunburned tourist or unruly shrimper

heir elect

In the great pyramid at its heart

Waterloo is coming but before then Kydd must use all his legendary subterfuge and daring to save England from her peril

On the glacial rim of erupting volcano Eyjafjallajokull

There was a deadly calm in the valley that summer

it's now impossible to walk away

But by taking a bonded maid into the fold