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A King's Watch Story #9
Table Talk: A Symposium of Morals and Magick
What does it mean to be a good person?
Sophie Guest is puzzled. One day she was an apprentice stable hand, the next day she was thrust into a world of magick and given the reins of a Unicorn. When she discovers that the Fae are real and that some people have the gods on speed dial, she has a very urgent question:
What does it mean to be good?
Luckily, help is at hand.
Stewart McBride wasn't born to magick either - he married into it. As an Oxford University philosopher, he is the perfect man to help Sophie explore morals in the world of magick. Being an Oxford don, he has his own question: do the Fae really have no concept of goodness?
So the tea table is set, and Sophie brings along Rachael Clarke and Saerdam Alice of the Fae for an in-depth dissection of Plato's dialogue Euthyphro.
The action takes place during one afternoon, and the whole symposium is presented as a radio play - just dialogue and discussion. There are no spoilers for the main King's Watch series, and this book aims to let the underlying philosophical questions have some airtime of their own.
As well as philosophy, there is plenty of banter and we see each of the characters responding differently to the challenges of being good in the world of magick.
Sophie Guest is puzzled. One day she was an apprentice stable hand, the next day she was thrust into a world of magick and given the reins of a Unicorn. When she discovers that the Fae are real and that some people have the gods on speed dial, she has a very urgent question:
What does it mean to be good?
Luckily, help is at hand.
Stewart McBride wasn't born to magick either - he married into it. As an Oxford University philosopher, he is the perfect man to help Sophie explore morals in the world of magick. Being an Oxford don, he has his own question: do the Fae really have no concept of goodness?
So the tea table is set, and Sophie brings along Rachael Clarke and Saerdam Alice of the Fae for an in-depth dissection of Plato's dialogue Euthyphro.
The action takes place during one afternoon, and the whole symposium is presented as a radio play - just dialogue and discussion. There are no spoilers for the main King's Watch series, and this book aims to let the underlying philosophical questions have some airtime of their own.
As well as philosophy, there is plenty of banter and we see each of the characters responding differently to the challenges of being good in the world of magick.
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 21, 2026
About the author
Mark Hayden
31 books293 followersAuthor also writes under Ruth Ward
Mark Hayden is the nom de guerre of Adrian Attwood. He lives in Westmorland with his wife, Anne.
Adrian has had a varied career working for a brewery, teaching English and being the Town Clerk in Carnforth. He is now a part-time writer and part-time assistant in Anne's craft projects.
He is also proud to be the Mad Unky to his Great Nieces & Great Nephew.
His current writing project is the King’s Watch series of urban fantasy novels, from 13th Witch all the way down to Zero Hour. If he can keep it up.
Mark Hayden is the nom de guerre of Adrian Attwood. He lives in Westmorland with his wife, Anne.
Adrian has had a varied career working for a brewery, teaching English and being the Town Clerk in Carnforth. He is now a part-time writer and part-time assistant in Anne's craft projects.
He is also proud to be the Mad Unky to his Great Nieces & Great Nephew.
His current writing project is the King’s Watch series of urban fantasy novels, from 13th Witch all the way down to Zero Hour. If he can keep it up.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 24, 2026
A highly entertaining philosophical tea party
Plato, Youthy and Freddie the philosophical swamp dweller. Need I say more? It's a riot and you may even want to actually read Plato when you finish
Plato, Youthy and Freddie the philosophical swamp dweller. Need I say more? It's a riot and you may even want to actually read Plato when you finish
Displaying 1 of 1 review