The Traitor's Heir: Every man has a destiny. His is to betray.

by Anna Thayer

Overview

Young Eamon Goodhand has completed his training to join the Gauntlet, the army of the Master of the land. The Master maintains tight control of his domain by virtue of the Gauntlet, his commanders the Hands, and his ruthless second in command, the Right Hand. Eamon swears to serve the Master in opposing the villainous Wayfarers, whose depredations threaten the land. His gifts, particularly his potent insight, are valuable to his superiors. However, the Master's bloody rule, and an encounter with another who claims to be king, throw into doubt Eamon's assumptions about what might be true, and worthy of service. But he has already made his vows...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782640752
Publisher:	SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge)
Publication date:	05/15/2014
Series:	The Knight of Eldaran , #1
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Anna Thayer graduated from Cambridge with first class honours in 2005 before teaching in Sicily. She writes and lectures internationally on the works of Tolkien and Lewis. She teaches English at an independent school in southern England.

Editorial Reviews

04/28/2014
In Thayer’s debut novel, soldier Eamon Goodman is entangled in a power struggle between the Serpent King of the wayfarers and the Master of the River Realm. Sworn to loyalty to the Master through the Gauntlet, his armed forces, Eamon is presented with an alternative history of his master’s political ascent that forces him to reconsider his fealty when he is captured by the enemy. When he is sent back to Dunthruik, the Master’s city, he returns as a traitorous informant for the Serpent King, rising quickly through the ranks of the Gauntlet. Thayer paints Eamon as a psychologically complex character who doubts the validity of the oaths that he has sworn. Eamon finds comfort in the gratification and immediate glory for his deeds in the Gauntlet. This deeply conflicts with his moral desire to contain the violence inflicted on wayfarers and the faith needed to believe in a King whom he never sees or hears from. The first book in this trilogy offers a thrilling story fraught with uncertainty and betrayal, asking readers to consider the nature of loyalty and to reflect on the difference between thought and action. (June)

Publishers Weekly

First part of the trilogy The Knight of Eldaran. Eamon has sworn to serve his master, Eldered. But is Eldered the true ruler?

For over five hundred years the River Realm has lain in the charge of the Master, and the Master's glory has kept the land strong against its enemies. As Cadet Eamon Goodman swears to serve the Master - his highest ambition - a dark voice penetrates his mind, and offers him unsettling power. Then Eamon meets the true King. Despite having made a binding oath to the Master, his heart longs to be a King's man. Whom will Eamon betray? The Traitor's Heir is the first volume in the epic fantasy trilogy, The Knight of Eldaran. Anna Thayer masterfully weaves a world of intrigue, passion and divided loyalties, which will grip the reader from the first page to the last.

From the Publisher