Germany 1626: A War, a Witch, a Reckoning….
Richard Treadwell is a young man who dreams of glory and honour on the battlefield—and the plunder and riches that would follow. With the help of his father, he journeys to Hamburg to seek his fortune as a mercenary in the Danish army when it intervenes in the vast war that rages in northern Germany between the Catholic Hapsburg empire and the Protestant princes of the north.
But he brings with him an old secret—and the potential seed of his own destruction—as he descends into a horrific maelstrom of conflict and slaughter that quickly destroys his illusions of adventure, of right and wrong, and of good and evil.
When his fate is foreshadowed by a young gypsy woman, he discovers that he cannot outrun what he left behind in England and he soon finds himself thrown headlong into a series of bloody skirmishes alongside the Danes that strip him of conscience and harden his heart. The opposing armies close for a battle that will be the turning point in the struggle for the kingdom—and in the war for his soul. But even as Treadwell steels himself for the final contest against the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor, an unseen enemy stalks him within his own camp.
Fleeing the battlefield, his life takes an even darker turn when he stumbles upon a coven of peasant women dwelling deep in the forest of the Harz Mountains, women that have their own terrible secrets to protect—and a burning hatred to avenge.
The hero of Gideon’s Angel returns to tell how his journey into the supernatural began.
“They are attracted to you as salt attracts the beast in the field….”
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Praise for Gideon’s Angel:
“…the plot never stops thickening and the galloping pace keeps it from clotting… All this plus sound historical settings, terrific supernatural set pieces and walk-on parts for D’Artagnan and John Milton. What’s not to like?”– The Daily Mail
“Our exiled but secretly returned Cavalier hero faces the hard choice: Cromwell or the devil? Swashbuckling excitement in grimy 1653.” – The Daily Telegraph
“…I took a look—and was hooked. Check it out. Fast-paced fantasy/historical adventure.” –Michael Moorcock
“The sheer panache with which Clifford Beal brings together the past and the supernatural results in a headlong alt-history hybrid more potent than either aspect of the entire would be without the other”—Tor.com