The Devil's Diadem: Harper Voyager - Softcover

Sara Douglass

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062200097 ISBN 13: 9780062200099

Publisher: Harper Voyager, 2012

Synopsis

Maeb Langtofte is lucky to have a position in the household of the Earl of Pengraic--one of the most powerful men in England, whose holdings rival King Edmond's. She is lucky that his wife, Adelie, whom Maeb serves, is kind and pious (unlike the Earl, whom Maeb finds dark and secretive). But when word arrives that a plague is sweeping through Europe like a human wildfire, everyone in the Earl's household is put on edge. It is whispered that victims of this plague are spontaneously engulfed in flames--as if the flames of Hell had suddenly leapt up to claim them and the Devil himself is to blame.

As the disease spreads into England, so too does civil unrest. King Edmond calls his lords and their armies to return to London, and the Earl obeys, leaving Maeb and his family unprotected. It turns out that the Earl has been hiding more than state secrets, and that his family is at risk of losing not only their lives but also their souls. To her horror, Maeb will learn that the Devil himself may have arrived on her doorstep. And worse, what he demands may be running through her very veins.

About this title

Review:

‘Douglass excels in panoramic storytelling, combining faithful period detail with compelling characters’
LIBRARY JOURNAL on THE CRIPPLED ANGEL

‘This captivating historical fantasy ranks with the best′
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on THE NAMELESS DAY

′Addictively readable ... a very big, very entertaining book′
THE AGE on GOD′S CONCUBINE

′Excellent writing′
BOOKLIST on HADE′S DAUGHTER

′A rich and complex novel full of rich and complex characters′
SF CHRONICLE on GOD′S CONCUBINE

From the Back Cover:

Bestselling author Sara Douglass—acclaimed writer of the Axis and Wayfarer Redemption trilogies—invites you to visit a twelfth-century England very similar to our own—except this England is a country on the brink of demonic disaster and its only hope may lie with a young noblewoman

The Devil’s Diadem

Maeb Langtofte is lucky, she knows, to have gained a position in the household of the Earl of Pengraic—one of the most powerful men in England, a man whose holdings rival even King Edmond’s. She is lucky that his wife, Adelie, whom Maeb serves, is a kind, pious woman (in contrast to the Earl, whom Maeb finds dark and secretive). But when word arrives that a plague is sweeping through Europe like a human wildfire, everyone in the Earl’s household is put on edge. It is whispered that victims of this plague are spontaneously engulfed in flames—as if the flames of Hell had suddenly leapt up to claim them. It is also whispered that the Devil himself is to blame.

As the disease spreads into England, so too does civil unrest. King Edmond calls his lords and their armies to return to London, and the Earl obeys, leaving Maeb and his family to fend for themselves. But it turns out that the Earl has been hiding far more than simple state secrets, and that his family, left alone, is at risk of losing not only their lives but also their souls. To her horror, Maeb will learn that, indeed, the Devil himself may have arrived on her doorstep. And worse, what he demands may, in fact, be running through her very veins.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Voyager
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0062200097
• ISBN 13: 9780062200099
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 544