The Charnel Prince

The Briar King has woken and, with the aid of monsters formerly found only in folk-tales, is destroying the forest and the people living on its bounty. Aspar White, the king's forester, has been given the impossible task of killing the feared newcomer, but in the process he will discover that nothing about the Briar King is as straightforward as he had thought. Meanwhile Leoff, composer and self-professed coward, becomes embroiled in the horror of a town's destruction - which is part of an intrigue that leads him to the aid of Murielle, widowed Queen of Crotheny. As she fights to save her remaining family, Murielle despatches Neil, a trusted knight, to save her youngest daughter, in whose hands may rest the kingdom's future. But as prophecies, saviours and assassins close in, Murielle's plan may leave the girl - and the kingdom - as vulnerable as ever. Praise for "The Briar King": 'The best reinvention of the big fantasy series since George R. R. Martin.' - "Time Out"; 'The most exciting and brilliant opener to a series for a long, long while.' - Alien Online.