The Language of Stones - Softcover

Carter, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007348460 ISBN 13: 9780007348466

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

Tolkien and TH White parallels abound in this huge slice of mythic fiction set in 15th century England. England is about to enter an era of unimaginable divison and destruction: the Wars of the Roses. The wizard Gwydion and his young apprentice Willand must undertake a great quest to save the land from devastation by terrible warfare between rival factions for the crown. On the one side is Duke Richard of Ebor and his sons and allies; on the other the sickly King Hal and devilish wife Queen Mag and her sorcerer Maskull, Gwydion's evil counterpart. England is a still-magical land, crisscrossed by lines of power which run from one great sarsen stone to another. The lines must be paired (male and female, peaceable and warlike) to maintain the Balance - of Nature, of magic, and the equanimity of man - and so protect the land. But the purity of the lines' magic has been subverted over millennia: first by the Slavers who came and laid their own grids of stone roads, tearing up the stones from their rightful places to build their cities and temples; and now by the sinister Sightless Ones, whose joyless, ritual-bound religion has displaced the ways of the true folk of the land.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Carter was born exactly five hundred years after the first battle of the Wars of the Roses. He was brought up in the Midlands and later on the shores of the Irish Sea where his forebears hail from. He was variously educated in Britain, Australia and the United States, then worked for some years in the Middle East and remote parts of Africa. He travelled widely in the East, before joining the BBC in London in 1982. His interests have included astronomy, pole-arm fighting, canals, collecting armour, steam engines, composing music and enjoying the English countryside, and he has always maintained a keen interest in history. Today he lives in a 'village' that only sounds rural -- Shepherd's Bush.

Review

`Full of charm and the magic of landscape ... an enjoyable read' Amazon'A compelling tale that fully utilizes its beautifully crafted characters' Dreamwatch`Carter's prose is smooth, and he has a real feel for the countryside. His plot keeps the pages turning' Starburst`Just the right mix of magic, mystery and mud ... Images of terrifying supernatural forces are carefully wrought as Carter weaves his spell' Lads Mag

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0007348460
• ISBN 13: 9780007348466
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 592