The Scar-Crow Men by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is the second novel featuring the daring escapades of Will Swyfte, England's greatest Spy of the Elizabethan Age. While the book can be read as a stand-alone, there is much to be gained from knowing what has gone before, as chronicled in The Sword of Albion. The year is 1593, plague is ravaging London, and no one feels safe, including Will Swyfte. When his friend, the playwright Christopher Marlowe, is killed in a pub brawl, Swyfte believes it is an assassination and vows to track down Kit's killer.

The Sword of Albion by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Will Swyfte is part Flashing Blade and part prototype James Bond, with a dash of Captain Jack Sparrow. Swyfte has more luck than a fistful of four leaf clovers, and accomplishes at least as many improbable escapes as Jack Bauer. All for Queen and country, overtly fighting the Spanish, and covertly locked into an endless battle with the supernatural forces of the true Enemy.

Destroyer of Worlds by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is the final book in a trilogy of trilogies from an author whose work has redefined the boundaries of dark fantasy. The colossal story has never been less than fascinating, and at times easily rivaled the most riveting, original work of the genre. As with the author's other books in the epic sequence, Destroyer of Worlds could be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone piece, but doing so would be to deprive oneself of subtlety, context, and a whole lot of excitement.

The Burning Man by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
When he's on form, there is no one writing today that can do urban gritty magic as well as Mark Chadbourn, and this book is very much on form, in terms of its action, exciting storytelling and sheer force. This is the penultimate book of a nine book series, and something one could describe as a lightning rod for the author's barbed dark fantasy. In addition to his favoured base of Celtic mythology, we also get samplings of Norse, Chinese and Egyptian deities, some portrayed in refreshingly different ways to the norm.

Jack of Ravens by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Jack 'Church' Churchill, hero of the Age of Misrule series, has been thrown back in time by the enemy of Existence, to Celtic Britain. He has a sword of the gods in his hand, but no knowledge of how he got there, and only sketchy memories of his past battles. The one thing that is crystal clear, is his enduring love for Ruth Gallagher, who is now 2,000 years into the future from where he stands. Abducted into the Far Lands, Church plans to wait out time there, until the age where Ruth can be found rolls around. Unfortunately for him, but happily for readers, Existence and its enemies have other plans.

The Hounds of Avalon by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
As the story begins, the anti-life known as the Void has begun to make its move, sending enormous numbers of Lament Brood rampaging across the British countryside. This new invasion is the last thing the remaining population needs, coming as it does in the aftermath of the Fall, as depicted in The Devil In Green and the plague which was the subject of The Queen of Sinister. This time the enemy is all but unstoppable.

The Age Of Misrule by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
British author Mark Chadbourn might be described as the anti-Tolkien. Not because he displays any special antipathy toward the great man, but rather due to the way his Age of Misrule trilogy grabs standard fantasy fodder by its danglers, and squeezes hard. This is not a story which involves noble elves doing good deeds, cute little blokes with furry feet, or scruffy sods claiming to be the returned king. The ingenious premise questions what might happen to our reality if the gods of Celtic mythology returned, slap bang into the middle of the modern world? Does it signal the end of the age of science? These questions dive head first off the standard fantasy diving board, into relatively uncharted territory, resulting in an edge of the seat, highly credible, page turner.

The Queen of Sinister by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
A mysterious plague is killing all that it infects. Caitlin Shepherd, a local GP, is doing what she can but knows it's not enough. The plague seems incurable and unstoppable. Then things get even worse. Caitlin's husband, Grant, and their young son, Liam, also become fatally infected, and a supernatural menace invades the town. The newcomers ride beasts like horses only larger, and are wreathed in a sickly purple mist, which causes despair in all who encounter it.

The Devil In Green by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Nathan Brazil
Existence needs a new batch of heroes, as humanity struggles to recover, cowed by the lack of technology and industry, plus the terrifying knowledge that we are no longer the highest life form. The British countryside has become a deadly place, inhabited by supernatural animals, and ancient creatures remembered in legend as faerie folk or demons. At Salisbury Cathedral, the remnants of the Christian church are making a new start, getting ready to spread the Word, and training an army of Knights Templar.

World's End by Mark Chadbourn
reviewed by Victoria Strauss
Jack Churchill is an archaeologist grieving over the suicide of his girlfriend. Ruth Gallagher is a lawyer whose practical nature and career success hide a host of inner uncertainties. They're brought together one night under a bridge in London by their mutual desire to help the victim of a mugging. Except that the attacker isn't a human criminal, but a demon. And so it starts...