At the start of Lee's accessible, well-plotted historical fantasy, the fourth in the series (after 2003's Sword of King James
), dying Dylan Matheson, the laird of Ciorram, ambiguously advises his son, "Mind the Sidhe
" (the wee folk with whom Dylan had such an affinity). Sinann, the faerie who whisked Dylan from the modern world to 18th-century Scotland in the series opener, Son of the Sword
(2001), now struggles to counsel Ciaran, Dylan's son, who's torn between his new leadership responsibilities and his desire to join the band of Highlanders against the ruling British power on the killing fields of Culloden. Despite an overly convenient ending, fans should enjoy the author's deft weaving of myth and history, fantasy and fable. Agent, Russell Galen. (July 6)
