Author:Mark Chadbourn
1588: as the Spanish Armada prepares to sail, rumours abound of a doomsday device that, were it to fall into enemy hands, could destroy England and her bastard queen once and for all.
Enter Will Swyfte. He is one of Walsingham's new breed of spy and his swashbuckling exploits have made him famous. However Swyfte's public image is a façade, created to give the people of England a hero in their hour of need - and to deflect attention from his real role: fighting a secret war against a foe infinitely more devilish than Spain...
For millennia this unseen enemy has preyed upon humankind, treating honest folk as playthings to be hunted, taken and tormented. But now England is fighting back. Armed with little more than courage, their wits and an array of cunning gadgets created by sorcerer Dr Dee, Will and his colleagues must secure this mysterious device before it is too late. Theirs is a shadowy world of plot and counterplot, deception and betrayal, where no one - and nothing - is quite what they seem. At stake is the very survival of queen and country...
Smart, fun, at times surprisingly moving, and occasionally downright shocking...impossible to put down.
—— Realms of Fantasy magazineCombining the best elements of a spy thriller, heroic fantasy and Elizabethan mystery, Chadbourn deftly mixes gruesome brutality, a shadowy world of plots and counter-plots and a vivid cast of characters...creates an alternate reality as tangible and authentic as the history we think we know...In a year of outstanding fantasies, The Sword of Albion may just be one of the best so far.
—— Monsters and CriticsGets off to a smashing start. The historical detail sets a believable backdrop, and the main character, a spy, could pass for a fantastical James Bond. Chadbourn sets a fast pace, pitting his characters against supernatural threats with a bit of horror thrown in.
—— RT Book ReviewsWhile comparisons with Irvine Welsh are perhaps inevitable, Russ Litten has raised the bar in the genre of writing about ordinary people with extraordinary lives...January is never a good time to talk about favourite books of the year but it's hard to think Russ Litten's invigorating debut will be beaten.
—— Allison Cogan , Hull Daily MailA gem. Terse, truthful, and teeming with good old Yorkshire lyricism - Russ Litten effortlessly spins together the disparate lives of his characters, like the sharpest, bittersweet candy floss.'
—— Richard Milward, author of Apples and Ten Storey Love SongA novel which offers a real slice of contemporary UK life. Litten might just be this city's Roddy Doyle... upplies both laughs and touching moments in equal measure
—— Nick Quantrill , Hull Daily Mail
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