The Sword of Albion

Swords of Albion #1

by chadbourn-mark

1588: as the Spanish Armada prepares to sail, rumours abound of a doomsday device that, were it to fall into enemy hands, could destroy England and her bastard queen once and for all.Enter Will Swyfte. He is one of Walsingham's new breed of spy and his swashbuckling exploits have made him famous. However Swyfte's public image is a façade, created to give the people of England a hero in their hour of need - and to deflect attention from his real fighting a secret war against a foe infinitely more devilish than Spain...For millennia this unseen enemy has preyed upon humankind, treating honest folk as playthings to be hunted, taken and tormented. But now England is fighting back. Armed with little more than courage, their wits and an array of cunning gadgets created by sorcerer Dr Dee, Will and his colleagues must secure this mysterious device before it is too late. Theirs is a shadowy world of plot and counterplot, deception and betrayal, where no one - and nothing - is quite what they seem. At stake is the very survival of queen and country...

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Alternate History, British Literature

605 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2009

Reviews

[Megan Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the fault of the author, but my enjoyment of this book was marred by one thing - I kept wondering what it would have been like if written by another author.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this one! It was so dark and ominous and bloodthirsty and even though it was long and slower to read in parts overall I really enjoyed the story.

I rushed out to get the second book but then never ended up reading it? Kinda mad at myself for that. But hey, we all know what that means - this book will get a re-read at some stage!

Highly recommend for those who love their fantasy dark and gritty.

[Knigoqdec · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ъх, не мога...
Вече половин месец почти не попадам на интересна за мен книга... Ей това е хорър.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 3 out of 5]

Забравете всичко, което знаете за ХVІ век. Е, може би не чак всичко, но... поне половината. Кралица Елизабет все още властва над Англия, испанските армади порят моретата... Но заедно с тях наоколо вилнеят авантюристи, тайни агенти и вражески шпиони, а част от битките се решават с помощта на магия и ретрофутуристични оръжия. Алтернативна история и една доста по-различна трактовка на Студената война, с прилежащия чаровен а-ла „стиймпънк Джеймс Бонд” главен герой ви очакват в „Мечът на Албион” на Марк Чадборн (изд. „Студио Арт Лайн”). Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are times when you read a book that’s so amazing to you that you feel the author had you personally in mind when they wrote it, that’s exactly how I feel about Mark Chadbourn’s The Silver Skull. The Silver Skull is set in an alternate version of the Elizabethan England period. The story follows Will Swyfte the greatest spy England has ever known. He’s handsome, daring, smart and dangerous. He’s everything a great spy should be. With Spain on the brink of war with England and the Unseelie court pulling strings behind the curtains; Will has been tasked with saving the whole of England from certain doom. Sounds kind of silly does it not? The core of the story is indeed a spy/adventure story. On the surface the plot does feel a little like an Elizabethan James Bond novel, but in reality The Silver Skull is so much more than that.

First of all the book is actually quite scary. There is a scene where Will must infiltrate an enemy stronghold located in an abandoned house; you can literally feel the tension building the deeper he gets. The pursuit that takes place when he tries to escape had my hair standing on end. The story is very dark, foreboding and surprisingly violent. I’ve never had fairies scare the living crap out of me before. Nasty, brutal, super intelligent, the fairies Chadbourn creates are the ultimate super villain. James Bond never had to deal with these guys. I love how Chadbourn has taken so many staples of generic fantasy (Olde England, fairies, dashing heroes) and has twisted them into something brilliant.

The depth of characters and the plot leave room for a sequel with out leaving you hanging at the end. Chadbourn has recently signed a 6 book deal with Pyr. I can only hope a few of those are sequels to The Silver Skull (Swords of Albion). I admit I was caught by surprise at how much I liked this book. I knew by page 100 that I had something really special in my hands. I recommend this book to anyone who has a head. This is a must read, and is my favorite book so far this year.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!

Mark Chadbourn does a wonderful job of portraying England as it probably was. The dirty crime and grim filled streets, the bad guys lurking in corners of the "bad" areas.

There was a slight problem with the first 80 or so pages as it was a little hard to know who the enemy was and who The Enemy was. It wasn't fully explained and it almost made me feel as though there was a story I hadn't read. But it came full circle and those willing to understand that the explaination comes slowly will get a lot out of this.

Another slight problem was almost the same as above, the main character Swyft almost felt as though we should know him already but he does grow on you.

Over all an author who can write a historical fantasy with the facts and funness that Mark does is wonderful. Never once did I think I was reading history instead it was a fantasy with a few historical people.

A few moments of great action, a carriage ride that is so intense it makes you feel as though you are in the carriage and the fighting on the ships makes me want to see the Spanish armada in action.

Can't wait for more of this series!

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating fantasy take on Elizabethan England.

The story centres around Will Swyfte who is the most famous spy in all of England. Only the title is a facade. He never went on any of the quests the stories about him refer to. The truth is he is a spy who fights against unseen arcane forces that threaten England's existence with the aid of the Spanish. They creatures he fights are referred to as the Enemy, demons, the Unseelie Court or the faery and they have preyed on humanity for centuries. But now as they hunt for something taken from them they have unleashed a deadly weapon in the shape of a silver skull mask. A mask that causes its victims to suffer death by disease. In short however there are a ton of various plot twists, hidden agendas and motives and no one is fully trustworthy.

The 'hero' of the book is an enigmatic character full of darkness and various underlying currents. Far from being a typical hero he is a man of loose morals, who does what he does to protect England and to protect innocent people. In that regard he is a man of contradictions and a very realistic and gritty being. To add to that he is driven by his haunting past and what the Enemy did to him. Which all adds to the intrigue of the novel.

I will read the sequel just to find out what happens next and because it was a well constructed novel. Even if it did take a few liberties with history. But it was all worth it in the name of fantasy.

[Trayana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Запознайте се с Уил Суифт – най-великия шпионин на Англия по-времето на Елизабет I. Най-талантливия фехтовач, най-големия супергерой на нацията си, най-дървения философ. Шибан Джеймс-Бонд-уонаби. Персонажът, който завлича една средняшка книга в графата „най-кофти фентъзи на годината”.

Първият том от поредицата на Марк Чадбърн „Мечовете на Албион” бе включена в списъка на сп. Локус с нови и забележителни романи, а синопсиса ме очарова. Как да не зариби човек по книга, която трябва да бъде шпионско фентъзи с феи в елизабетинската епоха? Чадбърн е имал страхотната идея да напише фентъзи приключенски трилър, в който Англия воюва не само с Испания, но и феите. Още....

[Blodeuedd Finland]

Could not keep me interested

[Lel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was quite disjointed and jarring in places. I was just getting into the action in a scene and then abruptly chapters would finish and it would seem time had past before the next chapter began. After really loving a previous series by the author, this one was a let down for me.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. Elizabethan James Bond versus otherworldly foes in a Cold War that's gone hot.

[Lee Dunning · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of things about this book that appeal to me. I'm fond of historical fiction with a fantasy twist. I like English history. Secret societies, in this case a special spy ring for Queen Elizabeth, are great. Swashbuckling action - can't get enough.

And yet, it kinda fell flat for me, and the reason I fear resides in the main character Will. Will is they spy's spy. He has a public face which is intended to give the people of England a hero to pin their hopes on in face of the impending Spanish invasion. Of course, his true purpose is to thwart the plans of a much more sinister foe, one with powers beyond human ken.

Still sounds great, but Will is kinda blah. His speaking, which I believe is intended to sound witty and educated, comes across as something read from as script. Others around him manage to joke, or make sarcastic cuts without sounding so artificial. Like his friend and servant Nat. Nat is great, I enjoyed his escapades much more than Will's. Nat is in over his head, and is willing to say as much, but he still does the right thing. For me, that makes him all the more heroic.

Needed more Nat and less Will.

I had some issue with the 'Enemy' as well. One moment they seem all powerful, transfiguring humans into scarecrows, or whispering in their victim's ear and causing them to commit suicide. But then when they confront Will they resort to sword fighting or brawling, and of course losing. How convenient for Will, and how annoying for me the reader.

So, while it wasn't a terrible read, it just wasn't as spectacular as it could have been. Kinda bummed, as I could see this being a great series. As it is, I'll search elsewhere for a compelling, swashbuckling action series.

[MarsianMan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are things that go bump in the night. Things so horrible that most kill themselves after learning the truth. Someone must protect England from the horrible machinations of so sinister an Enemy; enter Will Swyfte, a spy extraordinaire and known to most of the English public.

I did like the book, but I found myself putting the book down if I read every word. Skimming the novel was far more effective in getting through the plot. The world was interesting. An Enemy so horrible that the knowledge / presence turns men to suicide or insanity. In some aspects, the Enemy is so powerful and mysterious that is hard to understand why they did not just destroy us from the beginning.

The writing style was good, but too slow. The story and characters were good. At first I thought this must be the middle of a series, but eventually the puzzling back story was fleshed out. I found the manner it was fleshed out (flashbacks placed at certain points) to be very well orchestrated.

I would rate this higher if I had not had to skim the book to get through it. It probably still deserves 3.5 stars though.

[Nathan Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't have a "date I finished this book" because I didn't finish it. I very rarely put down a book without finishing it, but I could not survive the first few chapters of this one. The story itself was interesting enough - I'm a big fan of Celtic mythology and I've loved a number of other books that have touched on Celtic folklore themes. Not this one.

The characters are just too wooden. My overall impression from the first few chapters is a literary finger puppet show where the puppeteers are not taking it seriously. All of the characters use essentially the same "voice," and none of them are particularly interesting. I did like the descriptive parts of the novel - the odd lights in the river at the beginning, the bear fight, the mirror conversations - but not enough to suffer through the rest.

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book. Definitely had a tendency toward repetition, plot-wise and phrase-wise. I lost track of the number of women who had "sexual magnetism." I was also disappointed early on to realize that the badguys are freaking fairies. How lame. Not even cool fairies. For some reason I seem to be on this kick of only being able to stomach books because I end up liking minor characters. That kick continues with this book. To get me to read any book, just tell me "Christopher Marlowe" and I'm in. I would almost give this book four stars, but I just did not like the Bond-ish moments that tended to crop up. That, and it gets minus points for annoying chick parts that slow everything down and bore the crap out of me.
Still, there were those good minor characters, so I'll probably be giving the next book in the series a shot.

[Mirjam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but it just failed to pull me in. It's not bad by any means, but I found the characters incredibly one-dimensional, and the writing of the female characters was a bit eyeroll-inducing. It's sort of like a James Bond movie? Mindless fun, but not very satisfying. To me, at least. I love the concept, though.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done Mr. Chadbourn. Look forward to read more books of the series.


One more review I have to write.....

[Gav]

Mark Chadbourn is back with a new publisher, new editor and a new storyline. After completing a trilogies of trilogies (The Age of Misrule, The Dark Ages, Kingdom of Spiders) which focus on the present at a moment when magic reappears in the land and a group of heroes called the ‘brothers and sisters of dragons’ are brought together to protect us from ancient and evil forces. The Swords of Albion shows us that even though the sequence is complete the battle never ends.

1588: The London of Elizabeth I is rocked by news of a daring raid on the Tower. The truth is known only to a select few: that, for twenty years, a legendary doomsday device, its power fabled for millennia, has been kept secret and, until now at least, safe in the Tower. But it has been stolen and Walsingham’s spies believe it has been taken by the ‘Enemy’.

And so it falls to Will Swyfte – swordsman, adventurer, scholar, rake, and the greatest of Walsingham’s new breed of spy – to follow a trail of murder and devilry that leads deep into the dark, venomous world of the Faerie. As Philip of Spain prepares a naval assault on England, Will is caught up in a race against time in pursuit of this fiendish device…
Will Swyfte made a brief appearance in Jack of Ravens but it might not be the same Will Swyfte. Chadbourn enjoys playing with time and with the very basis of humanity and our reactions and interactions with each other.

England’s greatest spy (who if he was alive now would doubtless have his own cartoon series, comic book, and clothing line!) doesn’t just fight the Spanish – even though they are a threat to Queen Elizabeth and England they do not represent the true enemy and this is where the thrust of Chadbourn’s trilogy of trilogies comes together in this new story. However, with so many layers of myth heaped upon the ‘brothers and sister of the dragons’ there is sometimes slow movement in terms of action in those books.

Not so with Swyfte’s tale. He is an all out Elizabethan action hero. No time for debating the wonder of the cosmos here. This is a man with a mission. He has to rescue what has been stolen and we breathlessly follow Will for most of this tale as he pursues the Enemy across England all the way to Spain and back again.

I guess the problem for me is that Chadbourn’s skill isn’t necessarily in action but rather in the moments of connection between characters. And those moments seem few and far between in the Swords of Albion. Our action-hero protagonist always has to be doing something. We follow him as he runs across rooftops, hides amongst shadows and impersonates people on sailing ships.

But for all those action sequences, and there are lots to choose from, they feel slightly too pared down, like there isn’t enough space to follow who is stabbing who or what is being set fire to by whom.The other problem is that there isn’t much time for Chadbourn’s characters to grow. We find out more about them and their motivations and some of these are quite shocking, but the characters almost all come away as similar, albeit more familiar, as when we first met them.

And for a writer that has for so long been a champion of consequences, it feels odd not to have more cause and effect on an individual level, though it is certainly present on a grander scale. The door is left wide open for the next in the sequence.

As a long term readers of Chadbourn’s work, there is a huge shift needed as Swyfte is very different from Chadbourn’s other heroes. He is darker and goes above and beyond the level where the ‘dragons’ would have stopped.

So we have a new Chadbourn, new-ish characters, and a new way of storytelling. New readers have nothing to fear here. This a perfect jumping on point. The nature of the Enemy is revealed in enough detail, although old readers will have a greater understanding of the Enemy’s nature and role.

They will be seeing a different side to Chadbourn than has previously been on display. I’m hoping that the next book will add more depth to the detail, so it doesn’t feel as if all the action is whizzing past in a blur.

Chadbourn deftly mixes period feel and modern day, with Swifte gaining a touch of James Bond and Dee getting a touch of Q. He gets the tone and balance just right. I can’t think of any real moments where I was drawn out of the story to question a detail or the tone or feel of the period. It felt convincing that these events could be happening in this way to these characters.

For a change of style Chadbourn has managed to break away from his earlier work, infusing it with some fresh air. Unfortunately , as I mentioned earlier, it feels that he’s taken the work slightly too far into ‘action’ away from his strengths at delving deeper and peeling away what is seen from what is not.

At this point I’m undecided. I’m hoping that Chadbourn can find a rhythm in the next book, a balance between the depth he’s gone into previously while not speeding along so fast that moments are lost.

He redeems himself in the end, pulling off a moment of brilliance in the revelation of a secret that puts a completely different spin on events. And thus he has left me wanting more.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was terrible, but it was also a lot of fun.

It's a popcorn action flick in book form. It's a constant series of sword fights and chase scenes and narrow escapes. The characters speak in cliche movie dialogue and "witty repartee."

The main problem is that Chadbourn isn't clear on what kind of a book he's writing. More precicely, his characters are confused about what kind of a book they're in. The protagonist, Will Swyfte, is an over-the-top action hero who leaps from rooftops, wrestles bears, has threesomes with gorgeous whores, fights henchmen on the tops of speeding carriages, and does it all with a wink to the audience. He is the sort of spy who never once engages in anything resembling real-life intelligence work. He's a Renaissance James Bond.

However, this is not what Will seems to think. Will believes that he is a grounded anti-hero living in a gritty, realistic world of moral ambiguity, who merely pretends to be a rakish action hero as his public persona. He constantly laments the double life he's forced to lead and the choices he's forced to make, but none of it rings true because he happens to be exactly the character he "pretends" to be.

To try to convince the readers that this is a work of "gritty realism" with "moral ambiguity," Chadbourn throws in a torture scene every few chapters. However, due to his PG-rated approach to violence, this doesn't work. Thus, when Chadbourn really needs the audience to know he's serious, he deploys his secret weapon: The character of Launceston.

Launceston is part of Will's elite spy team. He's a sociopathic nobleman whose personality can be summed up as "serial killer." When the team is planning their next operation, you can bet that Launceston's contribution to the discussion will be something like, "Let's kill their puppies, slit their throats, and bathe in their blood." Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

I love Launceston. His was my favorite character by far, laugh-out-loud funny, and should've been the protagonist. He takes this book from 2 stars to 3 stars.

While I'm highly critical of practically every aspect of this book (except Launceston), I didn't hate it. It was a fun, goofy romp and I'll definitely read the sequels. But don't go into it expecting anything more than what it is.

[Ruslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не разбирам критиките на някои към книгата - тя има всичко, което е нужно за този жанр и ще допадне на всеки, който харесва истории за войни, шпиони, Елизабетинска Англия, сблъсъци с магически и тъмни същества. Има много препратки към историята.

Главният герой понякога е арогантен, но това е търсен ефект от Чадборн и след известно дразнение, свиквате с Уил Суифт - той си е там и предпочитате да е насреща.

Книгата е добро начало на трилогията, но може да се чете дори отделно, тъй като краят предполага една завършена история :) Но, честно казано, едва ли ще останете само с първия том.

[marcin · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was pretty cool. The writing uses apt vocabulary for its time period, and the story is interesting enough to warrant a read of the second book.

It may not exactly deliver on hooking the reader to the book as some parts of the book are feeling rather underwhelming or the general description of many scenes leaves you expecting a bit more. But it's not bad.

[Ariënne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mix between James Bond, Indiana Jones and Assassin's Creed. Literally, because you can pinpoint several scenes 'inspired' (aka blatantly stolen) by scenes from these francises. I didn't feel any originality within this book. Still two stars, because the only redeeming quality for me was the relationship between Will and Nathaniel, which was believable and well described.

[R.J Britten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a very gripping and interesting start. Sadly for me I found as the book wound on, it lost the edge. By chapter 50, I'd become disinterested. The ending for me was mediocre at best, having not stuck in my mind as anything substantial. I won't be finishing the series.

[Rudi Opperman · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Bond in a fantasy/historical setting. Fast paced.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim

A decent tail but a bit too constantly close to the bone. It wouldn’t hurt to step out of the gloom and doom, if only occasionally.

[Liz C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

A decent read. Enjoyable fantasy set in the real Elizabethan world. Fast paced, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this sort of thing.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. An interesting take on Queen Elizabeth and her use of Walsingham and John Dee in an alternate England where the Fae battle with and brutalize the humans for dominance in the country.

I found this an engrossing read. The characters are strongly written as actual multi-faceted people, with many shades of grey and no neat and tidy heroes. Everyone ends up with blood on their hands at some point, no matter how honourable their intentions, or how ultimately good their souls. This book's plot is a battle royale and it leaves nobody untouched by the intensity of the fight. I like stories where things aren't wrapped up with a bow, because most of us face similar challenges so it's interesting to read about characters who must make hard choices where there isn't a perfect solution and see how they handle that. It makes for a more engaging, relatable character.

Will in particular really drew me in to this story! I liked him so much, and even when he was forced to make untenable choices, even when I didn't agree with the choices he made, I felt connected to him and I rooted for him. He is flawed and damaged, but he fights on, implacably, but with enough humanity to maintain his soul. He could easily become one of my favourite characters ever.

The story is gritty, and there is much violence, some of it disturbing, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually as well. There are battle scenes, and hand-to-hand combat, as well as magical assaults and good people being destroyed by the Fae [Warning: the Fae in this book are not the happy, pixie-dust sprinkling fairies you may have come across in other paranormal books! These Fae are merciless, and see themselves as vastly superior to humans, whom they view as barely more than animals to be culled and used as the Unseelie choose]. But as is always my yardstick, none of the violence here felt excessive or gratuitous, because it made sense in the context of the story the author was telling. These things WOULD have happened if these events were real, and you can't really tell this story without including the scenes that show how, and why the battles are necessary. They also help to crystalize who is who and what side they are fighting for in the reader's mind

The supporting characters are also a great component of the book. Walsingham particularly, but also many of Will's spy team - many of whom turn out to be closer to anti-heroes than heroes. Even the ones I didn't particularly like made an impression on me, and added to the flavours of the story. The characters all added something that only they could bring, and when you put it all together it meshes well as a tapestry of a story with all the right elements and drama.

This is a series, so threads are left unbound for future books, however the author did provide a proper ending for this installment's main story and that always gets points from me. I hate being left hanging off the edge of a cliff with no resolution after committing myself to finishing an author's book, and this did not do that.

My only quibble - and it's a minor one - and the reason this didn't get the fifth star, is the readability was a bit of a challenge for me. I can't even quite put my finger on WHY, but I found the story challenging to read. It wasn't a fast, flowing read, and I found I had to go at it in briefer increments, because I had to read much more slowly than I usually do and this took me longer than normal to finish for a novel. To be fair, that may be more an issue of mine than of the book, but this is my review, so I'm going to mention it. There's a tremendous amount of detail in this. Most of it eventually proves to be valuable and plot-related, but this read took some work for me. I enjoyed and was entertained by it - absolutely no question. But it took just a bit more focus and concentration than I am accustomed to in a novel, even a historical fiction book. So just something to consider and factor in as to WHEN you may want to read this book. If you are looking for light and easy reading, this isn't the book. However, it is undeniably a great, exciting clever story, peopled with wonderful interesting characters. Just be aware you'll need to concentrate and pay attention to get the full benefit of the story.

Highly recommended to those who enjoy "alternate England" settings, battles, Elizabethan political intrigues, and magical involvement in history.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a special kind of book these days for a jaded reviewer like myself to make specific time for – ignore the family, go to bed early, that sort of thing.

And having read a few of these with a similar theme over the last couple of years – Marie Brennan’s Midnight Never Come, Dan Abnett’s Triumff, for example – you might expect this one as a result to move down the ‘to be read’ pile a fair way.

However, this is perhaps the best of those books mentioned and a great read that I read much faster than I thought I would.

It is, in essence, a romp, a fast-paced Elizabethan tale of the antics of one Will Swyfte, a whirling dervish of a James-Bondian type hero, whose job (after drinking and entertaining women) is to defend the mighty realm of Elizabethan England in 1588 against the might of an unseen enemy, the Fae. The theft of a man wearing a silver mask from the Tower of London has implications for Will. For this is no simple mask, it is a relic from which the Seelie (Unseen) world hopes to bring down the Elizabethan Empire. Will is further sent to discover two more items of value which would work with the mask: a shield, hidden in Edinburgh and a sword.

Much of the book is spent acquiring those objects, entering lost chambers and uncovering secrets , all the time competing against the Fae.

What with that and shielding England from the impending threat of the Spanish, Will is a busy man.

Where this one scores is that the tale is told with enough pace not to get bogged down with political and historical detail, nor too humorous to disengage readers from the gravitas of the plot. There is a real sense of menace and evil here, which Mark uses with full relish. Parts of it are most unpleasant. Will is also a character with a bit of depth and not always as clear cut as the reader would perhaps expect him to be.

As well as Will, there are a great number of background characters which fill out the picture, all of which show other aspects of themselves and Will. Nat is Will’s mentee; initially unknowing of the supernatural dangers they fight but loyal throughout, regardless. Grace is his loyal girl friend, bonded not only by her love of Will but also through the disappearance years ago of Will’s first love and Grace’s sister.

There are also a sprinking of real characters in all of this: from Elizabeth I’s spymaster Lord Walsingham to alchemist Doctor John Dee, from King Philip II of Spain to friend Christopher Marlowe, these together with their fictional counterparts make an enthralling tale. Think Elizabeth with added fantasy horror. As with his previous novels, Mark manages to convincingly mix traditional English folklore with a series of fast-paced set-pieces that keep those pages turning.

There are issues – I’m not sure that a man so famous could work effectively as a spy, as Will does, for example (though this is something Mark himself addresses in the book), and I did laugh at the concept of Will as an Elizabethan celebrity. I also had a wry smile at the improbability of characters being named Will and Grace. Nonetheless, the book moves at such a pace that such minor distraction is not always noticed.

This is one of the best historical magick books I have read for a long time. Not as bogged down with detail as some, nor as frivolous as others, it nonetheless a speedy jaunt through a time of English history that is as entertaining as you might expect. Recommended.

[Anne Lyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sword of Albion is the tale of Will Swyfte: swordsman, adventurer, rake, and England’s greatest spy. He is famed throughout the kingdom, thanks to ballads and pamphlets – so how can he work in secret when everyone knows who he is? The truth is that his real work is against an Enemy who have long known his identity, and his fight against them requires more than stealth and a ready rapier.

The story ranges from London to Edinburgh and down into the Iberian Peninsula, culminating in the attempted invasion of England by the Spanish – the famous armada of 1588. The action moves relentlessly from set-piece to set-piece, dragging the reader along in Swyfte’s wake as he is repeatedly captured and makes another dramatic escape. Think James Bond meets Pirates of the Caribbean; not only would this make a great movie, but since Chadbourn is a scriptwriter as well, it reads like a great movie.

Will Swyfte is not an arrogant mysogynist like Bond, however. OK, so he indulges in wine and women (sometimes to excess) to blot out the memories of the terrible things he has to do for Queen and country, but at heart he is a romantic, haunted by the memory of his lost love. His companions, though getting much less of the limelight, are also complex, well-drawn characters with believable motivations, though some are decidedly less sympathetic than Will.

The historical setting is well-drawn, with enough detail to satisfy the Elizabethan buffs amongst us without slowing down the action. The filthiness and smelliness of London is sometimes laid on a little heavily, but it does provide a contrast with the elegant, blossom-fragrant citadels of Spain.

I have only a few small quibbles, mostly the nitpicking of a fellow writer that will probably go unnoticed by other readers. There are a few places where information is repeated, or spelt out in narrative immediately after it has been explained in dialogue. And in one scene, Will somehow manages to hold a rapier to a bad guy’s throat and simultaneously whisper in his ear – pretty impressive with a blade that was normally around 36-40 inches! (I assume he is using the tip, since rapiers were not terribly sharp near the hilt). My attention did start to drift a little during the sea-battle, but that sort of thing is always hard to do in a novel. It wasn’t badly written – quite the contrary – but every time the action shifted away from Will towards ships in combat, I just wanted to skip ahead to the next bit of derring-do :)

I was also a little disappointed that the Enemy resorted to mundane physical torture, when they are so good at the psychological kind, but I guess it had to be clear that they were capable of inflicting horrible torments on those Will cares about. On the other hand, kudos to Chadbourn for writing torture scenes that didn’t give me nightmares. He sensibly focuses on the interrogation that is the point of the scene, rather than gratuitous descriptions of the torture itself. Books being so much more intimate a medium than film, it takes very little to make a strong impact on the engaged reader.

In summary, this is an entertaining page-turner with strong, sympathetic characters and a fascinating, terrifying setting – what more could one want from a fantasy novel? I for one am eagerly looking forward to reading more of Will’s adventures…

[Nathan Trachta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy, this one was a little bit of a tough read. I went into this one looking for so much and didn’t get what I was quit looking for. Mr. Chadbourn has a great premise here, England at war with the Spanish and the Unsidhe, but the development just wasn’t there. First, the story opened rather slowly and without strong development. Before feeling compelled, I had to complete almost 100 pages. A major driver was there were continual interruptions in the storyline. Many times Mr. Chadbourn’s chapters were on the rather short side. While that might not be totally bad, the problem was that either the perception changed or the tempo changed. These changes became distracting after awhile and took away from the plot. What also failed to sell me fully was the Unsidhe; at no point did the Unsidhe have a true fairie feel, instead they felt like cold emotionless humans rather than something old from the Celts.

My next problem became the characters; Will Swyfte is an Elizabethan James Bond, known by all but still an effective agent. Really I didn’t have too many problems with Will, he’s likeable and very much the secret agent people can get behind. My biggest problem with Will was that he failed to take care of his man Nathanial and prepare him for the Enemy. This weakness was further accented when you learn how Will is more than willing to sacrifice men to achieve the mission. Having said this, the real weakness in the characters wasn’t Will, but rather the other agents. None have Will’s drive or spark and all are rather two dimensional, not really fitting for Elizabethan England (sorry, visions or William Shakespeare and his plays dance in my head).

Rating wise this one was tough. Initially I was going toward two stars because the plot just failed to capture me in the beginning. However once it go going things improved and stared pushing toward four stars. Instead, it settled as a weak 3.5 star book. The deciding factor was Mr. Chadbourn played a little too much of making history into fiction and not enough with the fae. Factors driving this are my historical fiction appetite has tasted Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe’s Rifles series (a truly great work of historical fiction) and my faerie appetite had read Faerie Tale. Because Mr. Cornwell and Mr. Feist shaped my views, I’ll have to round this one to 3 stars .