A reluctant hero faces new threats to his kingdom in this fourth entry in David Drake's epic saga of magic and might. "World building, characterizations, and systems of magic . . . are all so well conceived that the saga continues to be Drake's most ambitious work to date." — Booklist For the first time in a thousand years, the Kingdom of the Isles has a government and a real ruler: Prince Garric of Haft. The enemies joining against him intend to destroy not only the kingdom but humankind as well. The rebels gathering in the West outnumber the royal army and the magic they wield can strike into the heart of the palace itself, but far greater dangers lie behind those. On the far fringes of the Isles, ancient powers ready themselves for a titanic struggle in which human beings are mere pawns—or fodder! Reptilian and insect monsters from out of the ages march on the kingdom, commanded by wizards no longer human or never human at all. If unchecked, their ravening slaughter will sweep over the Isles as destructively as a flood of lava. Garric, ripped from his time and body, must make new allies if he and his kingdom are to survive. Watching them all from the blackness of a tomb walled off in time and space, the Mistress waits . . . And her fangs drip poison! "The fourth volume of Drake's high-fantasy saga, Lord of the Isles . . .[is] a worthwhile continuation of what is emerging as the author's most important work." — Publishers Weekly