Rhymer

Blurb

Thomas the Rhymer, immortal, shape-changing foe of the diabolical Elf Queen and her merciless Yvag knights, continues his one-man war into the reign of England’s “Faerie Queen”—Elizabeth I. When he learns of an assassination plot against Elizabeth, the Rhymer intervenes, only to find himself the object of the special attention of the Queen’s spymaster, Francis Walsingham. Walsingham blackmails the Rhymer into joining his intelligence network. Allied with Walsingham’s minions and a mysterious shape-changing stage actress, Thomas finds he must deal with Mary, Queen of Scots, scheming Jesuits, and Italian bankers as well as further Yvag attempts against Elizabeth. He moves in the circles of William Shakespeare, John Dee, Giordano Bruno, and Christopher Marlowe, desperately defeating one conspiracy after another in defense of the throne, leading him to an inevitable final confrontation with the Elf Queen, in which to survive he must destroy the source of her power . . . and to do that, he must enter the mouth of Hel itself. After all the sacrifice, will the Rhymer find peace? And, perhaps, even love? At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise for  Rhymer: “Gregory Frost brings real magic to  Rhymer!  The novel is a mystical blend of ancient folklore, new ideas, dynamic action, and real surprises. Very highly recommended!” —Jonathan Maberry,  NY Times  best-selling author of  Kagan the Damned “I love this book!  Rhymer  is flawless. The plot is compelling, the action is riveting and the prose is perfect. True Tom is a hero for the ages--and one you can believe in. Gregory Frost has taken Celtic fantasy and made it new. No, better than new. He has made it exciting again. You will not encounter a finer fantasy novel this year.” —Jonathan Maberry,  New York Time  best-selling author of  Kagan the Damned “Ring bells and throw confetti from the rooftops! Gregory Frost’s  Rhymer  is a wonder and a delight and easily the best thing I’ve read in years. I recommend it to literally everyone in the world. It’s just that good.” —Michael Swanwick, Hugo Award-winning author of  Chasing the Phoenix Praise for  Rhymer: Hoode: “Intricately plotted and peopled with fantastic characters both real and imagined, Gregory Frost’s Rhymer: Hoode occupies a fresh space in the legend of Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest. Book Two of the Rhymer Trilogy, Hoode takes aim at blending real history with science fiction, and hits the bullseye . . . Very highly recommended.” —Rick Wilber, author of  Alien Morning  and  Alien Day Praise for Gregory Frost: “[A] sparkling gem of mythic invention and wonder.” — Publishers Weekly  on  Shadowbridge “[A] rather stunning new fantasy novel. . . . . Frost could be on his way toward a masterpiece.” —Locus on  Shadowbridge “Beautifully written and realized.” —Jeffrey Ford on  Shadowbridge “A ripping good read.” — Booklist  on  Fitcher's Brides “A good, big, satisfying book.  Lyrec  holds enough good things to keep even the most jaded reader engrossed.” —John Morressy Gregory Frost  is an American author of science fiction and fantasy, including the Shadowbridge series,  Fitcher’s Brides,  the Philip K. Dick-ian science fiction novel  The Pure Cold Light,  as well as two novels derived from the Celtic epic the  táin bó cuailnge.  His short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and magazines and includes a Best Novelette winner of  Asimov’s Science Fiction’s  Readers’ Award, “Lock Up Your Chickens and Daughters, H’ard and Andy Are Come to Town,” collaboratively written with Michael Swanwick. He taught the fiction writing workshop at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, for eighteen years.