Thomas Boniface is the Captain of the Queen's Guard and has for years found himself in a very precarious position. Not only was he at one time the queen's lover, but her son, the heir apparent, does not like him, the heir's confidante wants him dead, and many others would just like him away from the queen's ear.

His constant juggling act to maintain order and keep himself alive is suddenly made much more difficult when a rogue wizard enters the scene and the bastard daughter of the old king shows up as well. And with the sudden uprising of the Fae to deal with, too, Thomas has more than his hands full.

Martha Wells has figured out how to bring back this out-of-print book so that readers can enjoy it again. I couldn't be happier, since I encountered her writing for the first time only recently and have avidly devoured all I could get my hands on. This particular book is set in her world of Il-Rien, based similarly in the time of the Musketeers. With political intrigue, murder and Fae running amok, it is a total treat.

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