Chaos reigns in Marianstat as Duke Conrad of Regia, the king's uncle, plots to overthrow the new government of Westmark and bring an end to the reforms instituted by Mickle, now Queen Augusta, Theo, and their companions.

Chaos reigns in Marienstat as Duke Conrad of Regia, the king's uncle, plots to overthrow the new government of Westmark and bring an end to the reforms instituted by Mickle, now Queen Augusta, Theo, and their companions.

Falling in with a roguish doctor, his dwarf attendant, and an urchin girl, Theo embarks on an unforgettable adventure in the kingdom of Westmark.

In the second volume of the Westmark trilogy, Theo is about to be Prince of Westmark, a province marked by great poverty and corruption. But an assassin's pistol shot makes things even more dangerous for the new monarchy.

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE Born into the back streets of a small Canadian town, Rose battled incessantly with her practical and shrewd stepmother, Flo, who cowed her with tales of her own past and warnings of the dangerous world outside. But Rose was ambitious - she won a scholarship and left for Toronto where she married Patrick. She was his Beggar Maid, 'meek and voluptuous, with her shy white feet', and he was her knight, content to sit and adore her. Alice Munro's wonderful collection of stories reads like a novel, following Rose's life as she moves away from her impoverished roots and forges her own path in the world.

Flavia and her friends are on a quest for the Emperor Titus - to steal a valuable gemstone known as 'Nero's Eye'. The Delphic Oracle prophesied that whoever owns the gem will rule Rome - so Titus is determined to claim it for himself. Their travels take them across the Roman province of Mauretania, from Sabratha (in modern Libya) to Volubilis (Morocco). As they travel on a caravan across the desert they encounter slave-traders, pantomime actors and a wild animal stampede. The detectives must consider another quest: what has happened to Uncle Gaius? Meanwhile, Flavia faces some tough decisions about her future.

St. BRICE'S DAY, ENGLAND, ANNO 1002. AT THE ORDER OF KING AETHELRED, THOUSANDS OF DANES ARE MURDERED IN A FRENZY OF ETHNIC CLEANSING. OUTRAGED, THE DANISH KING, SWEYN FORKBEARD, SWEARS HE WILL TAKE AETHELRED'S HEAD, AND HIS CROWN. BUT SWEYN NEEDS ALLIES. CHIEF AMONGST HIS SUPPORTERS IS AELFGIFU, AN ENGLISH NOBLEWOMAN AND HEAD OF A ONCE GREAT FAMILY. SHE HAS HER OWN REASONS TO HATE AETHELRED AND AS A PAGAN, SHE IS SYMPATHETIC TO THE DANISH CAUSE. WHEN AELFGIFU MARRIES SWEYN'S SON, CANUTE, WAR IS INEVITABLE. BUT IF AETHELRED IS WEAK, EMMA, HIS NORMAN QUEEN IS NOT, AND SHE WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO DESTROY THE WOMAN AT THE HEART OF THE VIKING ARMY. LOVE, AMBITION AND REVENGE COMBINE IN AN EPIC STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE DURING THE MOST TURBULENT PERIOD IN ENGLAND'S HISTORY.