The Spiral Dance

Set in 16th-century England and Scotland during the last great rebellion against Tudor absolutism, this vivid and entrancing first novel is a fantasy deeply rooted in historic fact. Anne Percy, countess of Northumberland, and her husband, Tom, along with other noble families who practice the outlawed Old Faith--Catholicism--plan an uprising against Queen Elizabeth. Anne encounters a madwoman, claiming to be her alter ego, whose raving predictions include the failure of the revolt. After the rebel forces are defeated, Anne and Tom flee to Scotland where they are taken in and then betrayed by scheming Border lords. But Jock o' the Syde, an amiable-appearing werewolf earning his keep by herding sheep, rescues Anne and her maid after they are accused of witchcraft by Elizabeth's forces, tortured and condemned to death. The countess realizes she must fulfill the the rest of the madwoman's prophesy and travel to the Ends of the Earth to meet her fate, even if it means traversing Faerie, the land of magic. Weaving Celtic legend with the brutality and squalor of the 16th century, Garcia y Robertson skillfully persuades readers to suspend disbelief. (Oct.)