The Magic of Prophecy (1) (The Annals of Prophecy) - Tapa dura

The fantasy genre has undergone a change recently if you remember the macho, ultra-masculine novels of the seventies, eighties and nineties, the lead characters dashed through forests, hacking and slashing anyone with the greatest of ease. He is normally the sort of warrior who would fight first and ask questions later but also get through a great number of willing maidens for good measure. Tristan, the Magic of Prophecy’s hero is nothing like that and this is what makes the novel so readable. -- Sandra Scholes, The Fantasy Society

The kingdom of Caldor is at war. As its king tries to bring the light of Toric to the western kingdom of Grelchin, he is beset by problems at home. A plot is stirring against his reign, a killer known only as the Shadow stalks knights in his capital city, and an assassin from Grelchin nearly manages to take his life. Amidst this strife is a shining light, a knight called Tristan who leads his troops. However a strange and portentous moment sets the king against his knight and starts a chain of events that could lead to the downfall of the king, his kingdom and even the peace of the world itself.