![]() ![]() ![]() The premise of the book is that the magicians want to return the ancient Egyptian gods to the world to do so, they need to restore Egypt as an independent power, and so come up with various plots – summoning Anubis, creating a Byron double that will murder King George … the obvious, really. A long and glorious account of his escape and hapless journey through the streets and slums of 19th century London follows (I always adore fantasy storylines where horror after horror and ordeal after ordeal are piled onto the hero, who holds up regardless). Why? Well, it turns out the millionaire, J Cochran Darrow, has discovered how to time travel, and is planning a lucrative trip back to the beginning of the 19th century and a certain pub where Coleridge gave a lecture, for which literature enthusiasts are shelling out top dollar.ĭoyle agrees to go, but after hearing Coleridge – "a pudgy old fellow with long gray hair" – speak, is kidnapped by a gang of evil itinerants/magicians/followers of the ancient Egyptian gods. Brendan Doyle, a somewhat wimpy American academic who's researching the scantily documented life of the mysterious 19th-century poet William Ashbless, is called to England at the whim of a millionaire who needs a Coleridge expert (Doyle had previously published a poorly reviewed biography of the Romantic poet). ![]()
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