The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History (Fantasy Masterworks S.) - Softcover

Ford, John M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0575073780 ISBN 13: 9780575073784

Publisher: Gollancz, 2008

Synopsis

The Wars of the Roses have put Edward IV on the throne of England, Lorenzo de' Medici's court shines brilliantly, and Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza plots in Milan. But this is a changed world, and medieval Europe is dominated by the threat from the Byzantine Empire. Sforza, the Vampire Duke, marshals his forces for his long-planned attack on Florence, and Byzantium is on the march. A mercenary, the exiled heir to the Byzantine throne, a young woman physician forced to flee Florence, and a Welsh wizard, the nephew of Owain Gly Dwr, seem to have no common goals but together they wage an intrigue-filled campaign against the might of Byzantium, striving to secure the English throne for Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and make him Richard III.

About this title

Review:

The Dragon Waiting, like many of the best fantasies, is about something more than the magic, sudden perils and daring adventures that dominate its plot. It is about more than the fortunes of the group of variously flawed and charming individuals who come together in its central enterprise. John M Ford is discussing with us the historical process and the ethical considerations involved in taking a hand in it.

He has created a Late Middle Ages subtly different from the ones we know--the failure of Christianity to become more than an outlaw faith has as its consequence a far more powerful rump of the Roman Empire in Byzantium. The politics of England and Italy are much as we know them--but the wars of the condottieres and the Roses have become part of a Byzantine master-plan of universal control and empire. An exiled prince, a one-eyed magician, a vampire artillery expert and a woman doctor with a side-line in assassination all come together to prevent this.

Ford does battle scenes, the smell of markets and the terror midnight rituals so well that at times it is hard to remember that this is not at all how things were. This is a book which, even though it was written as recently as 1983, deserves the title of Fantasy Masterwork. --Roz Kaveney

Book Description:

'A novel with something for just about everyone - panoramic history, vivid characters, and sweeping adventure' Joan D. Vinge

About this edition

• Publisher: Gollancz
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0575073780
• ISBN 13: 9780575073784
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384