I remember when the original Jurassic Park movie came out. I saw it in the middle of the day, but when my car turned and passed the first tall tree I came to, my stomach jumped as I expected to see a dinosaur. So with The Coming of the King, I read it in the middle of the afternoon and yet I could feel the darkness the characters were up against after I finished and closed the book.

It is 1745. The story begins with Martin who is son to the Thane of Milcastle. Martin is also one of the Watchers looking north out of England into Scotland for the return of the Bloodking: an evil being whose army consists of the undead and damned. But after over 100 years, they have become lax in their watch, and now the Bloodking is back to reclaim the throne of Britain.

Traveling from the north to warn the people of Milcastle is Duncan Campbell. Duncan's daughter, Mary, is with him. She is in a catatonic state, trying to fight off the bite of the Bloodking. Mary is soon sent south with another Watcher - Martin's best friend, Sean. They head toward Sheffield where there is a doctor who might be able to help the girl.

Needing to know how far south the evil has traveled, Martin and Duncan head back north to find out what they can.

The Coming of the King is a dark tale that kept me in a constant state of dread and fear that good would not prevail. But the author does not let me drop too far into despair as I watch Martin realize that all is not as it seems in his world. He is faced with the reality that there are other forces out there besides those of his God, and the fact that not all of those forces are evil.

What is most intriguing is how I was challenged to think that there are other versions of some of the biblical stories and legends we know that illustrate the original birth of the Bloodking's line.

Be aware that this is a horror story, and some of the descriptions of the fighting and the rituals can be a bit stomach turning. But these blend in well with the often-brutal times of the 18th century.

Reviewed By Kathy Martin
© March 2005