Leopard in Exile

I have had a softcover copy of A LEOPARD IN EXILE for three or four years at least, and I can burst my fellow reviewer's balloon by saying definitively that there are no footnotes in this book, at least in the edition in my possession. I have read this copy of the book many a time and could find no footnotes, so I must assume he is lying. It is a very well-written and thoroughly researched sequel to the original novel, THE SHADOW OF ALBION, which admittedly is much better and which I prefer. I am now waiting eagerly for the third book in the CAROLUS MAGNUS Trilogy which, now that Ms. Norton has died - God rest her sould - will have to be completed by Ms. Edghill alone.

This sequel to The Shadow of Albion (Carolus Rex, Book 1), as I had hoped it would, begins to somewhat flesh out the world where the Stuarts kept the British throne. We learn (to my surprise) that the Tudors (from whom the Stuarts descend) used "dark forces" to sweep the Plantagenets aside, that the French are prone to enslaving and exploiting the native peoples (in our reality, as any historian knows, they had excellent relations with most of the tribes, and it was the Spanish who were heavily into enslavement and tyranny), and that magic seems to be the prerogative of the nobility. We find out how a Canadian tribe (the Cree) happened to have a presence in the wilderness outside Baltimore, and meet the Mandan, who even in our own Universe were something of an enigma (here they speak a debased Latin, practise a blurred copy of the High Mass, and guard a treasure that includes the Holy Grail). Contemporary Americans like Jefferson, Burr, and Andrew Jackson are briefly introduced, and Charles Corday--"Gambit," the French agent who attempted an assassination at a Mooncoign masquerade party in the first book--is reintroduced and becomes a full-blown and pivotal character. Jean Lafitte, the gentleman pirate-slaver of the Louisiana coast, is here too, along with all the major characters from "Albion": Rupert, Earl of Wessex, and his lady, the former Sarah Cunningham, who was plucked magically from our Universe to take the place of her counterpart, the Marchioness of Roxbury; Louis, the Lost Dauphin, and his bride Meriel; Illya Kosciusko, Wessex's charming Polish partner-in-espionage. And the source of Sarah's dreams of "the Beast" is revealed as we learn the true depths of depravity to which the Marquis deSade is willing to sink. Much of the story occurs in New Albion (the 13 Colonies of our world) and Nouvelle-Orleans (our New Orleans), to which first Sarah (frantically summoned by Meriel after Louis goes missing) and then Rupert travel. The storyline owes something to "The Last of the Mohicans," with characters at cross-purposes, captures and escapes, and the looming threat of torture and sacrifice. True, some of deSade's scenes are not for the tender of stomach, but then anyone who's heard of him knows not to expect a "nice man." Also true, the authors seem a bit confused about their characters' ages: in "Albion" it was established, or at least strongly suggested, that Rupert and Sarah were 32 and 23; now, two years later, it's suggested that *Rupert* is 23! (Proofreader asleep at the switch?) But there's more magic here than in the first book, suggesting that they intend to amplify still further on that aspect of their world when (as I presume they plan to do) they set their noble pair against the "atheist" Napoleon, who is now deprived of his most puissant sorcerer-supporter. The question that arises next is, Have they done enough to keep their world from turning into a copy of ours? And can they, and the Grand Alliance (now including

This sequel to "The Shadow of Albion," as I had hoped it would, begins to somewhat flesh out the world where the Stuarts kept the British throne. We learn (to my surprise) that the Tudors (from whom the Stuarts descend) used "dark foreces" to sweep the Plantagenets aside, that the French are prone to enslaving and exploiting the native peoples (in our reality, as any historian knows, they had excellent relations with most of the tribes, and it was the Spanish who were heavily into enslavement and tyranny), and that magic seems to be the prerogative of the nobility. We find out how a Canadian tribe (the Cree) happened to have a presence in the wilderness outside Baltimore, and meet the Mandan, who even in our own Universe were something of an enigma (here they speak a debased Latin, practise a blurred copy of the High Mass, and guard a treasure that includes the Holy Grail). Contemporary Americans like Jefferson, Burr, and Andrew Jackson are briefly introduced, and Charles Corday--"Gambit," the French agent who attempted an assassination at a Mooncoign masquerade party in the first book--is reintroduced and becomes a full-blown and pivotal character. Jean Lafitte, the gentleman pirate-slaver of the Louisiana coast, is here too, along with all the major characters from "Albion": Rupert, Earl of Wessex, and his lady, the former Sarah Cunningham, who was plucked magically from our Universe to take the place of her counterpart, the Marchioness of Roxbury; Louis, the Lost Dauphin, and his bride Meriel; Illya Kosciusko, Wessex's charming Polish partner-in-espionage. And the source of Sarah's dreams of "the Beast" is revealed as we learn the true depths of depravity to which the Marquis deSade is willing to sink.Much of the story occurs in New Albion (the 13 Colonies of our world) and Nouvelle-Orleans (our New Orleans), to which first Sarah (frantically summoned by Meriel after Louis goes missing) and then Rupert travel. The storyline owes something to "The Last of the Mohicans," with characters at cross-purposes, captures and escapes, and the looming threat of torture and sacrifice. True, some of deSade's scenes are not for the tender of stomach, but then anyone who's heard of him knows not to expect a "nice man." Also true, the authors seem a bit confused about their characters' ages: in "Albion" it was established, or at least strongly suggested, that Rupert and Sarah were 32 and 23; now, two years later, it's suggested that *Rupert* is 23! (Proofreader asleep at the switch?) But there's more magic here than in the first book, suggesting that they intend to amplify still further on that aspect of their world when (as I presume they plan to do) they set their noble pair against the "atheist" Napoleon, who is now deprived of his most puissant sorcerer-supporter. The question that arises next is, Have they done enough to keep their world from turning into a copy of ours? And can they, and the Grand Alliance (now including Denmark, since Engla

While you need not read the first in this trilogy (?) to understand Lepoard in Exile you cannot get the delight of having found a fun trilogy that turns spectacular without reading The Shadow of Albion first. Contrary to many a trilogy before it, this second book not only lives up to but surpasses its predecessor. Suspend your disbelief and enter into an alternative universe where the Revolutionary War never happened and the Marguess de Sade becomes governor of what would have been the Louisianna purchase but remains in the control of France and Napoleon. Follow the adventures of spunky women and determined men as they criss cross North America not only searching for one another but a secure peace for Albion and England as well. And the footnotes are hilarious!

Duchess Sarah crossed the dimensional barrier from our world (nineteenth century England) to another realm. Though similarities abound such as Napoleon wanting to rule the globe, major differences exist as the Stuarts still rule and magic is an acceptable force. While Britain honors the Ancient Ones and tries to keep the war on the mundane plane, the megalomaniac French emperor employs the Marquis de Sade to use his arcane talents to insure his success. De Sade journeys to Nouvelle Orleans to ostensibly serve as the French governor of the territory. However, he actually seeks the Holy Grail to insure Napoleon cannot lose on the battlefield regardless of the odds and for diabolical reasons of his own. Counterforces try to prevent this travesty of the ancient relic from being misused. The Dauphin is missing and an angel visits his wife Meriel to say he is fine and she must obtain the Holy Grail before de Sade finds and gives it to his master Satan. Sarah travels to aid her friend Meriel. Sarah's husband, an aristocratic spymaster, follows her with his plan to assassinate de Sade and begin a revolt in Nouvelle Orleans. The action and adventure has just begun. Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill have cleverly created a series that cleverly combines intrigue, adventure, magic, and political machinations into a fabulous epic fantasy. The key to this alternate history novel is that the New World seems real even with the influx of paranormal events. The romance between Sarah and her Duke helps the audience understand the characters as both have hardships to overcome in their relationship. LEOPARD IN EXILE is storytelling at its best.Harriet Klausner