Author of Aging for Beginners & Ageing Well
The Changeling Warriors Series
The Changeling Warrors
Peter, a thirteen-year-old loner, is forced by his mother in England to spend two weeks of holiday with his recently widowed aunt on the Irish island of Inishbofin, or the Island of the White Cow. On the ferry across, he meets Siobhan. She’s a year older. The island is suddenly struck by two tragedies, as two islanders have gone missing. On a walk, Peter meets two small men, who turn out to be the Irish fairy leprechauns. They inform Peter and Siobhan that they too are changelings, having been substituted at birth for normal babies. It is a time of great evil, and the Miasma of Evil is moving on to God-fearing citizens.
The Miasma has recruited the terrifying Irish fairy horses, or Dullaghans, with their headless black riders. Peter and Siobhan become leaders in the fight, together with historic characters, including the sixteenth-century female pirate Grace O’Malley. They are transported by a Time Rail, which places them in the sixteenth century, where Peter has to rescue himself from Grace’s pirates.
The battle against the dreaded Miasma is getting close. Siobhan is found to be the incarnation of one of the Irish fairy’s greatest warriors from the past. In a frightening climb on a storm-ravaged rock in the ocean, Peter has to rescue a magic harp to help defeat the evil invaders. Merriline, the great wizard, is seeking books of necromancy and their spells to defeat the Miasma. Siobhan has to fight the Miasma chief.
The Time Road
Peter and Siobhan are reunited, as their growing skills can benefit serious crises of the past. For this they are wanted at Lindisfarne when the Vikings attack in AD 796. The Time Road takes them back from today, with a pause to improve their fighting skills with William Sargent, the greatest knight of all, and their bowman ship with an aging Robin Hood. By the time they reach Lindisfarne, the Vikings have killed many of the monks and stolen treasures. The two young warriors travel by Grace O’Malley’s galleon to Viking land. There they have to fight their way through to a prison where Merriline has been captured. The battles are terrifying, but with their skill to become invisible and their enhanced fighting talents, Peter and Siobhan eventually rescue the great, but not necessarily grateful, wizard. Meantime, the battle between good and evil is heightening up. The next target is the late fourth-century England, where Saxons continue to invade and kill.
The Young King
Peter and Siobhan are transported by the sea division of the Time Road back to England, where the Romans had just departed and the Saxons are in control. That was where Merilyn has been scoping a local town, which is heavily controlled by the evil Saxons. He still has to find the book of necromancy, which has the final spells needed to defeat the Miasma. In an astonishing turnaround, the hilt of a large sword appears mysteriously and is fixed in the wall of a small chapel. The wizard announces that great power will come to anyone who can remove the sword. The chief of the Saxons failed miserably, but Peter easily removes the sword, which turns out to be his own, from the time he fought the Vikings.
The Saxons had built a great army at their castle, and representatives of the evil Miasma were helping. Siobhan meets an attractive French knight, who has agreed to help their battle. Peter falls for a striking young witch, and her family also agree to join the battle. A Roman legion is resurrected, and the battle commences, with magic and fear abounding. The Saxons are defeated. But the Dark Lord, the true head of the evil Miasma, is determined to destroy Peter, who is now recognized as the rightful king of England and the inheritor of the crown of Arthur. This battle is far more dangerous than the one for Saxon castle. Toward the end of the book, the necromancy appears, so Merlyn can bring his full powers to bear on the final onslaught. But there is a terrible price to pay. Even Merilyn does not want to go there. But there’s no choice.