Another great and rousing adventure for Aiken. If her ability to craft a fully realised novel waned somewhat in her latter years, her capacity for invention and for voice and place and drama did not. A stew of creepy characters and plots surround the dying king, hidden away by Simon. Dido, returned from Nantucket, is rudely kidnapped and held captive by as despicable a trio of villains as has ever graced the pages of a children's novel: a werewolf, his revolting son and the Duchess of Burgundy. Flood waters rise and invading forces approach and mysterious letters are exchanged by pigeon and Simon befriends some sheep and Dido meets a Woodlouse. Too brief, perhaps, but easily loved. ( )

The eleventh title in Aiken's Wolves Chronicles, in which the reader witnesses the sequence of events that bring Simon to the throne of England. Chronologically it seems to be located shortly after the events in Is Underground, but before Cold Shoulder Road.

Britain stands balkanized, a long-running Aiken theme, and King Richard lies on his deathbed, secluded in a remote swamp, hiding from friends and enemies alike. As Simon sets out to find him, Dido is kidnapped by the evil werewolf Baron, Magnus Rudh. Both friends struggle to break free of the usual sinister plots, and find themselves in grave danger - whether from potential usurpers of the throne, or charming double-agents.

Although I enjoyed this second-to-last entry in the series (the final installment being the posthumously published The Witch of Clatteringshaws), and appreciated Aiken's odd-ball characters and unconventional plot-lines, I found myself feeling almost nostalgic for the earlier books. As another reviewer noted, this isn't The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. More to the point, it isn't Black Hearts in Battersea or Dido and Pa either. ( )