Midwinter Nightingale
King Richard, son of James III lies gravely ill and there are rumours that the king's enemy, the Duchess of Burgundy, is preparing an imminent invasion. The ancient crown of Alfred must be found so King Richard can pass it on to his successor. Is Simon, Duke of Battersea and friend of the king, next in line to the throne or will the evil werewolf Baron Magnus Rudh succeed in his plot to make his son, Lot, king?
To further complicate matters, Dido Twite, held prisoner by the Baron and the Duchess, does not know the whereabouts of either Simon or the dying king: can she escape in time to find and warn them of the treachery afoot?
About the Wolves Chronicles Series
Books in series order
- 1.The Wolves of Willoughby Chase(1962)
- 2.Black Hearts in Battersea(1964)
- 3.Nightbirds on Nantucket(1966)
- 4.The Stolen Lake(1981)
- 5.Limbo Lodge(1999)
- 6.The Cuckoo Tree(1971)
- 7.Dido and Pa(1986)
- 8.Is Underground(1992)
- 9.Cold Shoulder Road(1995)
- 10.Midwinter Nightingale(2003)
- 11.The Witch of Clatteringshaws(2005)
- +The Whispering Mountain(1968)
Reading age: 9+ years
Joan Aiken's remarkable series of alternate history novels are set at a time when ravening wolves have invaded England from the wilds of Europe through the newly opened Channel Tunnel linking Dover and Calais, and travellers ride in steam trains and hot air balloons over the snowy landscapes to evade wolves and other desperate enemies.
On the throne a dynasty of good Stuart kings are in constant danger from dastardly Hanoverian and Burgundian plotters threatening to blow the country to kingdom come...
From a Dickensian London the travels of Dido Twite, the spirited cocknney heroine of many of the books, whisk her all around the world on a series of adventures at sea and throughout fantastic foreign lands. Later novels introduce her sister IS and cousin Arun who join her and her friend Simon in their fight to save the kingdom.
Aiken's imagined world gave her the freedom to include whatever she wanted – tidal waves and volcanoes, flying monsters and man-eating birds, from Saxon battles and Arthurian legends to Indonesian magicians or silent religious sects...even Steam Punk was born with this series! Although there is a story connecting all the books, each one may be enjoyed separately. This is a world that, once entered, you will never forget.