The Sword of Albion — Mark Chadbourn

Supernatural action and brilliantly researched historical fiction combined in the first novel of the mould-breaking Swords of Albion trilogy.

1588: The London of Elizabeth I is rocked by news of a daring raid on the Tower. The truth is known only to a select few: that, for twenty years, a legendary doomsday device, its power fabled for millennia, has been kept secret and, until now, safe in the Tower. But it has been stolen and Walsingham's spies believe it has been taken by the Enemy. This Enemy is not who we usually think of as our traditional opponet. No, this Enemy has waged a brutal war against mankind since time began, and with such a weapon they might take terrible toll upon England's green and pleasant land.

And so it falls to Will Swyfte -- swordsman, adventurer, scholar, rake, and the greatest of Walsingham's new breed of spy -- to follow a trail of murder and devilry that leads deep into the dark, venomous world of the Faerie. As Philip of Spain prepares a naval assault on England, Will is caught up in a race against time in pursuit of this fiendish device.