The Prince of Lies
Elizabethan spy Mal Catlyn has everything he ever wanted – his twin brother Sandy restored to health, his family estate reclaimed and a son to inherit it – but his work is far from over. The renegade skraylings, the guisers, are still plotting – their leader, Jathekkil, has reincarnated as the young Prince Henry Tudor. But while he is still young, Mal has a slim chance of eliminating his enemies whilst they are at their weakest.
With Sandy’s help, Mal learns to harness his own magic in the fight against the guisers, but it may be too late to save England. Schemes set in motion decades ago are at last coming to fruition, and the barrier between the dreamlands and the waking world is wearing thin...
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Anne Lyle
Anne Lyle was born in what is popularly known as “Robin Hood Country”, and grew up fascinated by English history, folklore, and swashbuckling heroes. Unfortunately there was little demand in 1970s Nottinghamshire for diminutive swordswomen, so she studied sensible subjects like science and languages instead.
It appears, however, that although you can take the girl out of Sherwood Forest, you can’t take Sherwood Forest out of the girl. She now spends practically every spare hour writing – or at least planning – fantasy fiction about dashing swordsmen and scheming spies, set in imaginary pasts or parallel worlds.
Night's Masque
Night's Masque consists of three books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Reviews and Comments
The Prince of Lies is darker than it's two predecessors and that is not a bad thing. A bad, or more likely sad thing is all those loose ends Lyle leaves hanging in the air after final page. Sure, the main problem of skrayling guiser as usurping the throne is dealt with along with the split spirit of Erishen, but that's about as good as it get's. Lyle's not promising to get back to Night's Masque (just vague "maybe someday"), which is a shame since it seems that Mal, Coby & partners still would have many stories untold at their future. Never the less, the story that was actually told here was as interesting as the last two books, even with the craving for more it left behind...