E-book goes live on Amazon 1st January 2024; Paperback available from 3rd January
Trouble Lies In The Hatching Of Deceitful Plans
Bregan knows her destiny is to be more than the King’s Wife, chief brewster of the Alsaldic Lands. But even that prestige position could be lost if the truth of her illegitimate birth were known. A cuckoo-child, she believes herself the daughter of a woodland daen. Yet her father is more formidable than that. He is an Immortal, an Asar.
With this third book of The Alsaldic Lands Trilogy comes a sense of completion. Not only does the trilogy draw to a close, but also the Spinner’s Series, begun in 2020 with The Spinner’s Child.
Before the Third Book
The books of the trilogy are linked through their culture, that of the granaries where beer and bread are prepared for the feasts. In the earlier books, those granaries are also the focus of trade. Hegrea begins these Alsaldic granaries in Hare and Adder as a sweetened form of the intrusive system of trading granaries the Immortal Kerrid, first met in The Spinner’s Child, has established on nearby Lienershi.
In Alsalda Bear, those same Alsaldic granaries face potential collapse in the face of horsemen arriving overseas from Dal Uest. Yet with some clever manoeuvring, ably abetted by the rebellious granary-worker Detah, Horsemaster Commander Krisnavn incorporates the Lienershi-held granaries and thus their lands to form what then becomes the Alsaldic Lands.
The King’s Wife
A few hundred years on and while it is thought the Alsaldic King rules these united lands through his network of lesser kings and governors, in truth the king is a puppet. The true power in the land belongs to an Immortal known only as the Uissid. But now, with the appearance of a mysterious black cloud, that is to change.
We follow the resultant widespread chaos and destruction through the lives of several characters, though primarily Bregan.
Bregan knows her destiny is to be more than the King’s Wife, chief brewster of the Alsaldic Lands. But even that prestige position could be lost if the truth of her illegitimate birth were known. A cuckoo-child, she believes herself the daughter of a woodland daen.
Yet her father is more formidable than that. He too is an Immortal. When he stamps his foot on the happenings, it’s time to ask if Bregan’s destiny is truly hers. Or is it all part of her father’s malevolent plan?
Note on Settings and Cultures
While inspired by my obsession with the archaeology of Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe, the setting for this trilogy should not be taken as historically accurate. To do so would freak out the academics! This is mythic fantasy – emphasis on fantasy.
On The Writing
Although The King’s Wife is the shortest of my books, it was the most difficult to write. To tell the story successfully, I needed more viewpoint characters than I am used to juggling.
Then one of my beta readers remarked on the number of deceits and counter deceits. Is anyone telling the truth? It took some complex spinning and intricate weaving, which I hope I’ve handled seamlessly.
Future Plans
And now you ask of future plans? With the Spinner’s Cycle complete I admit for a while I felt bereft. Then three ideas collided. Inspiration! But the particulars of that I’ll keep to myself for now. I know the telling of this story is going to test me.
Crispina Kemp
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About the Author
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