Guardian of the Freedom: (Merlin's Descendants #5) - Hardcover

Radford, Irene

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 075640178X ISBN 13: 9780756401788

Publisher: DAW Hardcover, 2005

Synopsis

Merlin's Descendants, Irene Radford's historical fantasy series, has taken us from the legendary time of Merlin and King Arthur forward through Great Britain's history. Now, with Guardian of the Freedom, we reach a very divisive age for both the British Empire and the Kirkwood family, the descendants of Merlin and Arthur in the Pendragon line. King George III has recently taken the throne, and, unlike some of his royal predecessors, he seems only too willing to cut himself off from the counsel and magical protection of the current Pendragon, Drake Kirkwood, the Earl of Kirkenwood.
Drake, suffering from ill health which is not entirely natural, has slowly allowed others in the Pendragon Society - the secret circle of magic practitioners dedicated to the protection and preservation of Great Britain - to play a greater role in government than they should. His rebellious sister Georgina has long been absent from England, off fighting in foreign wars in a disguise that allows her entree to places and events no woman would normally see. With Georgina away, Drake has come to depend, perhaps far too much, on a distant cousin, Dr. Milton Marlowe, a prominent member of the Pendragon Society.
But suddenly situations both at home and abroad have begun to escalate to crisis proportions. Georgina, badly injured in the war, returns home at last. When she finds, to her horror, that Drake seems to be on the brink of death, she knows she can no longer shirk her responsibilities nor deny her magical heritage.
Yet circumstances may well prevent Georgie from being there when Drake and the family need her most. Sent to the American colonies on a secret mission, Georgie soon finds herself entangled with some of the key leaders of what will become the American Revolution. Torn by conflicting loyalties, and faced with an enemy who has once again opened a way for the Demon of Chaos to wreak havoc in both the Old World and the New, she will be hard put to help Drake and the family in their hour of dire peril.

About this title

About the Author

Irene Radford, author of the Dragon Nimbus (The Glass Dragon, The Perfect Princess, The Loneliest Magician, The Wizard's Treasure) and the Dragon Nimbus History (The Dragon's Touchstone, The Last Battlemage, The Renegade Dragon) series, often appears at conventions in the Oregon-California area. She is the author of the Stargods and Merlin's Descendants series as well, and is also one of the founder of the Book View Cafe. She can be contacted via her website, www.ireneradford.com.

Reviews

Set in the decades leading up to the Revolutionary War, Radford's swashbuckling fifth book in her Merlin's Descendants series (after 2003's Guardian of the Promise) focuses on Georgina "Georgie" Kirkwood, newly appointed Knight of the Inner Circle of the Pendragon Society. Georgie serves as a counselor to her brother, Drake, who's the Pendragon (master magician) of England. Being a rebellious and free-spirited woman, Georgie chafes at the restrictions placed on females, so she disguises herself as a misbegotten, mercenary son of an earl and runs off to the Austro-Hungarian border, where she joins the battle against the invading Turks and is sorely wounded. Seven years later, she returns home to find her family being harried by some mysterious person who's trying to take over the society and kill Drake. Finally, blackmailed and forced to leave England, Georgie becomes a spy against the rebellious colonists in America. The smooth blend of historical fantasy, magic and audacious swordsmanship makes for an absorbing and fun read. (Apr. 5)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radford's Merlin's Descendants saga, of which this is the fifth volume, is an impressive example of the new subgenre in which the Matter of Britain is projected forward in time. This volume, set early in the reign of George III, finds him not taking the advice of the current Pendragon, Drake Kirkwood. Kirkwood has the excuse of ill health for not being more forcible, but the situation allows for the increasing influence of Dr. Milton Marlowe, a member of the Pendragon Society with fewer than the requisite scruples. Drake is also handicapped by his sister Georgina's soldiering abroad, coming home to recover from wounds, and then being sent on a secret mission to the restive American colonies. There the deadly question is squarely thrown up to her: Is the Americans' quest for freedom likely to destroy the Pendragon line and unleash chaos on the world? Or does it represent the next stage in the cause for which Merlin's descendants have fought for centuries? Saga stalwarts will keep reading until they find out. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: DAW Hardcover
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 075640178X
• ISBN 13: 9780756401788
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 512