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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
Guardian of the Freedom by Irene Radford



Daw, April 2005, 24.95, 544 pp.
ISBN 075640178X

Since the time of Merlin, the Pendragons have been charged with keeping Britain safe from her enemies. Drake Pendragon is the present head of the family and the society of magical practitioners; however King George III, unfamiliar with the British heritage, does not believe in the power of the Pendragon. Drake's sister Georgina, unwilling to stay a helpless female, runs away and hires herself as a mercenary to England's enemies.

Her brother suffers from ill health and relies on his distant cousin Dr. Millen Marlowe who has the ear of the king. Marlowe wants to bring his eldest who was killed in the colonies back to life but to do that he must enter the archives that are heavily guarded by wards. Another son Barclay, a soldier in King George's army in the New World, has summoned a magical entity to cause chaos; when the time is right, he will grab the power his father covets. Georgina fights for the rights of the people who choke under English rule while across the sea; her cousin Emily does her best to keep Marlowe and his minions in check. A magical battle looms and if the forces of good lose, England will dissolve into chaos.

Harriet Klausner


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - King Arthur
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - factions fight within govt for control
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10 %

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Earth setting: - 18th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript
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