The Reluctant King

ISBN: 147520583X

Author: McCabe, Mr Dermot

Condition: New

Product Description Cesare Greyfell, a brilliant student in Anselem Monastery reluctantly accedes to the Dredgemarsh throne of his father, King Philip. He has promised his dying father that he will be guided by Chancellor Demetrius Tancredi until he reaches his twenty first birthday. However, instead of ruling with the guidance of Tancredi, he is neglectful of his duties and distracted by his desire for the beautiful Lucretia Beaufort, allowing Tancredi to take over the administration of Dredgemarsh. By so doing, he puts his own life in jeopardy, loses his kingdom and the one person he loves, Lucretia. Sick and severely wounded, he finds refuge back in the monastery of Anselem where he realises that it was his own indifference and neglect of his sacred duties that caused his downfall and the loss of Dredgemarsh. He is deeply ashamed. He is also tormented by revelations that Lucretia Beaufort may have been implicated in his downfall. Tancredi, one time chancellor to Cesare, is now the brutal dictator who rules Dredgemarsh with the assistance of an occupying army from Brooderelund, a neighbouring country. The captain of the Brooderlund army, the ruthless Albrect Pentojan, has been promised Lucretia's hand in marriage. He also has plans for Dredgemarsh that do not include Tancredi. With help from the most unlikely quarter, Cook Meister Clutchbolt and his kitchen menials, Cesare sets out with a small band of Anselem knights to reclaim his kingdom and punish those who have betrayed him. The odds are stacked against him in this strange and sometimes bawdy tale of Dredgemarsh. About the Author Dermot McCabe was born in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. It is a seaside town of approximately 30,000. He was educated by the Christian Brothers in St. Brendan's Secondary School, received a BA in English, Philosophy and Archaeology from University College Dublin and a Masters in Applied Electronics from Trinity College Dublin. He spent the bulk of his working life in RTE, the National Broadcaster of Ireland, in Electronic Design and Project Management. He pioneered the use of computer technology in Broadcasting, receiving an Award at NAB (National Association of Broadcaster) in Las Vegas "For innovation in broadcast news automation technology." Throughout his career in Broadcasting, which he enjoyed immensely, he also wrote, poetry, essays, short fiction and commenced Dredgemarsh, an historical fiction. In 2002 he took early retirement from from his position as Head of Broadcast Engineering to concentrate on writing. He has now completed three books in the Dredgemarsh Series. The Reluctant King is the first which will be followed in the near future by The Lost Prince and finally Firedrake. Dermot is fascinated by the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods of history. His Blog is www.dermotmccabe.com.