The Crystal Throne

About the Book

What happens when a gay man falls in love with the king of the fairies? This fairy is no diminutive creature, dancing on flower petals with gossamer wings. He is a full-fledged warrior skilled in sword play, standing six feet tall and looking more like Michealangelo’s statue of David come to life.

The story begins when Scott Quartermain discovers that someone has broken into his home. It hasn’t been ransacked, as by a burglar, but small things have been moved, furniture rearranged, as if whoever the intruder is, he is looking for something. Finding no sympathy from the police, Scott sets out to catch the intruder himself, and manages to do so. However, he is surprised to find the stranger in his home is a beautiful man with an incredibly winning personality. He tells Scott a tale of his origins in another world.

Raised by wood elves far from the Palace of Esbereth, Robin is destined to be the king of the faeries. On his way to the castle, he is tutored by a human who has been in his land a long time and was an advisor to his father. When the queen died in childbirth and the king disappeared fighting invaders to the north, Robin was sequestered in the great wood until he was old enough to assume command of his kingdom. Now he finds he is being taken back to the Palace in secret to challenge Bailor, the usurper of his throne.

When Robin is revealed to the high council as the rightful monarch, Bailor agrees to gladly step aside. However, he convinces the council that Robin must immediately marry in order to produce an heir and assure that such a time as they have just known, without a king, is never repeated. The hastily arranged marriage is with the usurper’s sister, an evil woman given over to every form of wanton lust. Robin attempts to refuse, having no desire at all for this woman, and is convinced to go through with the wedding only for the sake of his kingdom. However, during the ceremony an evil spell is cast by Bailor which sends Robin into exile in the land of the humans.

Not quite believing his story, but strangely attracted to the unusual man, Scott does not know what to do. Suddenly confronted with the reality of the unusual story, he honestly confesses his attraction to the exiled king. Robin surprises him by reciprocating those feelings, but says he must return to his own land and has been searching for a way back. That was what first drew him to Scott’s house. He sensed that there was a doorway nearby that would allow him to pass between the worlds.

In an effort to help his new love, Scott gets embroiled in a crime and chased by the police. In an explosive climax to his adventures in the human world, Robin finds the doorway to his own land. In the process of attempting to help him get away, Scott is also magically pulled into the faerie realm behind the would-be king.

Arriving in very different locations of Tuatha, the land of faerie, Scott and Robin must make their separate ways back to the palace and try to resolve the political strife that has befallen the kingdom. Robin must find a way to resume his throne and rid the land of the evil that has been brought to it by the usurper and his evil sister. Meanwhile Scott is attempting to find out what he can do to assist the new king. While Robin battles for his throne, Scott is transported to the demon world where he must attempt to rescue Robin’s cousin, trapped by the evil woman who is the real power behind the takeover of Tuatha.

Not only is the outcome of Robin’s kingdom in jeopardy, but his love for another man, and a human to boot, may well cause problems in this magical land.

About the Author

Coming from an Irish heritage, Bert McKenzie is no stranger to the faerie realm and the land of the unseen. He often heard tales about the little people, banshees and other spirit beings at his grandmother’s knee. Holding degrees in communications, psychology and metaphysics, McKenzie delved in varied fields and worked as a dancer, actor, writer, columnist for a local paper, and accountant. In addition to being a freelance writer, McKenzie also owns a small metaphysical/occult shop in the Midwest. His store often brings him in touch with the unseen, providing him lots of material for his writing. Working in both fiction and non-fiction, McKenzie’s first love is imaginative fantasy as seen in his Tuathan series of sword and sorcery romances.