{"product_id":"a-sundial-in-a-grave-1610-9780380820412","title":"A Sundial in a Grave: 1610","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"First-rate speculative fiction from a very talented writer and a fascinating evocation of a turbulent, deeply significant moment in European history. \" -- \u003cem\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA sweeping, picaresque historical novel about two dueling swordsmen and the plot to kill a king in Renaissance Europe, \u003cem\u003eA Sundial in a Grave\u003c\/em\u003e is \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eShakespeare in Love\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eThe Three Musketeers, \u003c\/em\u003ewith a distinct edge\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1610: Continental Europe is briefly at peace after years of war, but Henri IV of France is planning to invade the German principalities. In England, only 5 years earlier, conspirators nearly succeeded in blowing up King James I and his Parliament. The seeds of the English Civil War and the Thirty Years War are visibly being sown, and the possibility for both enlightenment and disaster abounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Valentin Rochefort, duellist, down-at-heels aristocrat and spy for the Duc de Sully, France's powerful finance minister, could care less. Until he is drawn into the glittering palaces, bawdy back streets and stunning theatrics of Renaissance France and Shakespearian London in a deadly plot to both kill King James I and to save him. Determined to save his liege Sully, Rochefort's journey will take him as far away as the distant Nippons, and as close as the truths of his own heart. This swordsman without a conscience is about to find himself caught between loyalty, love, and blackmail, between kings, queens, politicians and Rosicrucians--and the woman he has, unknowingly, crossed land and sea to meet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGentle, Mary:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eThe author of \u003cem\u003eA Secret History\u003c\/em\u003e, Mary Gentle has written eight books that have won critical acclaim from science fiction and fantasy authors and critics alike. She's completed two Master degrees and is an expert sword-fighter. Her home resides in England \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50410808344850,"sku":"9780380820412","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9ef19bf3-77cd-4392-9bc0-3c2680acbe05.jpg?v=1729308246","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-sundial-in-a-grave-1610-9780380820412","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}