Recipient of the
Colorado Independent Publishers Association
Book Award for Fiction 2002
It
is said that long before the Dark Age king of the Britons called Arthur was ever
heard of, his golden reign was prophesied, and after decades of invasion and
civil violence had wracked post-Roman Britain, his presaged leadership offered a
rare promise of future peace. Events leading to that time — some of them full
of hope, more often full of sacrifice — inevitably began to fall into place…
When
the mysterious druid Myrddin Emrys — known in legend as Merlin the Enchanter
— is certain the high king is in imminent danger of yet another assassination attempt, he summons iron-willed spy and master of disguise Marcus
ap Iorwerth to unearth the conspirators and destroy their plots. Marcus
reluctantly agrees to help after his wife Claerwen, driven by her otherworldly
gift of visions, insists that she must accompany him on the quest.
It is
soon discovered that Pascentius, the youngest son of an earlier and well-hated
king, is allied with dreaded Saxon mercenaries and readily poised to reclaim his
father’s throne. But before Marcus and Claerwen can spoil his plans, a second
conspiracy of personal revenge closes in on them. Falsely declared fugitives by
the very ones they had sought to help, they become trapped in a labyrinthine
intrigue between their accusers and the traitors. In a desperate race against
time, they must endure hardship and profound personal loss, while pushing
Britain towards freedom, peace and the future called Arthur.
In
the Shadow of Dragons
continues the spectacular four-part
Macsen’s
Treasure series, blending Dark Age Celtic history, Arthurian legend and
extraordinary original characters into an unstoppable, heart-thumping adventure.
Acclaim for In the Shadow of Dragons:
From
Library Journal:
"...a
richly detailed Arthurian adventure..."
"Kathleen
Guler continues her superb blend of Dark Age
Celtic myth and Arthurian legend . . .
From Midwest Book Review:
. . .compelling, entrancing and highly recommended
--
the kind of book so easy to pick up and so hard to put down!"
From The Write Lifestyle: "This is a superb novel! Guler excels at portraying the virtues and
vices of protagonists and antagonists. Rather than discovering a hero and
heroine who are pristinely perfect, the reader is captivated by the gifts and
weaknesses that propel these bold characters and block those who live from their
dark side . . . Wonderful, simply wonderful . . ."
From Geoffrey Ashe,
author of the acclaimed The Discovery of King Arthur: "This is a very original story, carefully researched and skillfully
written."
From Annette Gisby, author
of Silent Screams: " . . . a tapestry of words that enchant even as you read. The
characters come alive,
dancing off the page and into life. Highly
recommended."
From The Best Reviews.com: " . . . fast-paced and filled with non-stop action . . ."
From Waycross Journal-Herald: " . . . a rich vein of literary gold . . .
Guler offers complex portraits of her characters, skillfully blending light and
dark textures to their personalities. She infuses both protagonists and villains
with very real, human motivations, often conflicting, yet ultimately leading
each person to take their side . . .
This is adult adventure in the best sense."
From A Romance Review: " This is a cracklingly good story that has been extraordinarily well
researched. Ms. Guler
possesses the gift of using words as a paintbrush — her
settings come alive . . . "
From BookReview.com: "Kathleen Cunningham Guler is quite a bard with
a refreshing look at
the Arthurian legend."
From Love Romances: " . . . very well written and highly detailed . . . heroic and
realistic."
From Steamboat Magazine: " . . . compelling drama . . ."
Several
ways below to purchase:
ISBN
096603712X ~ Hardcover ~ 384 pages ~ $25.00
Through PayPal (no shipping charges):
From Amazon.com:
ISBN 0966037128 ~ Softcover ~ 384 Pages ~ $17.95
Through PayPal (no shipping charges):
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please click here
Learn more about
Arthurian Britain!
Award-winning author Kathleen
Cunningham Guler has developed an online course about early Arthurian
Britain at Suite University. The class is free
and once downloaded may be taken at the student's
own pace. Click on the button to learn more:
