Elisha Rex
E.C. Ambrose
DAW, Jul 7 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9780756409272
In fourteenth century England, Elisha Barber had
been a surgeon who cut hair and treated the wounds of the impoverished. However, the deaths of his brother and his
sibling’s family led to his pleading guilty to a charge of fratricide and
eventually to Brigit the herbalist. She
persuaded Elisha that he is an untrained magus who she began mentoring. He eventually killed King Hugh followed by
other royal intrigue involving King Alaric and defeating Morag. Abetted by
Alaric’s recently crowned brother King Thomas, Elisha fakes his death and flees
to the Isle of Wight where the watery circumference protects him from enemy
mages who want him dead. Only Mordecai
knows of his self-exile.
Lord Robert arrives and is shocked to find the
late martyred Elisha alive. He explains
to Elisha that King Thomas and Queen Rosalynn vanished. Knowing he must return to London to insure
the safe return of the good rulers, Elisha fears the necromantic cabal who want
to exploit his skills especially his link to Death. Nevertheless, what frightens him much more is
he barely defeated Morag; so believes in his heart he has no chance against
this evil’s Master and Chaos (and the French) who might reign supreme.
The third Dark Apostle medieval fantasy (see Elisha Magus and Elisha
Barber) is an electrifying tale in which the ethical hero prefers to remain in
hiding, but believes he must save the king and his country even at the cost of
his life. Once again E.C. Ambrose uses
fourteenth century England and the French-Papal alliance as a dark backdrop to
a taut captivating historical fantasy.
Harriet Klausner
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