CHANGELING II by Steve Feasey

Synopsis

Lucien Charron still lies in the coma that he has been in for the five months since he was injured as a result of rescuing his daughter from his evil brother, Caliban.

Trey, Alexa and Tom resolve to locate Alexa’s mother, Caliban’s sorceress,

Gwendolin and steal Mynor’s Globe – the one thing that is capable of restoring Lucien back to health. They locate the portal-estate of Leroth in Iceland, but just as they are drawing up plans to leave, they are informed that the globe’s use has escalated to hitherto unknown heights. It transpires that Gwendolin and Caliban intend to use it in conjunction with another lost artifact to raise the legendary Draugr from their burial mounds and wreak havoc on the country. As a consequence Trey and Co’s mission becomes that much more arduous.

In addition, a back-story exploring the identity of the ‘mole’ inside of Lucien’s organization reveals that it is in fact a demon that is capable of possessing humans and controlling their actions. This part of the story is told through the eyes of the demon, and this character will carry on through into book three of the Changeling series, where it will be discovered and killed.

The conclusion of the book centres around the battle that the three main characters have in defeating the revenant, zombie Draugr, and the subsequent theft and use of Mynor’s Globe to restore Lucien to health.

New major characters in Changeling II: 2

Charles Henstall – young, brilliant mage in Lucien’s employ that Alexa decides to take along to Iceland to assist in countering Gwendolin’s magic. He has a soft-spot for

Alexa and this causes immediate friction between him and Trey.

Gwendolin – Alexa’s mother. Believed by her daughter to have been dead, we discover that in siding with Caliban against her former lover, Lucien, she has become utterly corrupt. She is Caliban’s evil right-hand-woman.

Shape-shifting demon – early in the book we discover that it is inhabiting the body of Ruth Glenister, a senior member of Lucien’s London team (she appeared briefly a couple of times in book 1). The demon shifts to other bodies (killing its host each time) during the book in order to ascertain information for Caliban.

Draugr – Based upon Icelandic folklore. They are undead creatures that inhabit burial mounds, waiting to reek revenge on the living for what they believe are their untimely deaths. Huge, blue-black creatures with superhuman strength.