The Escape of Athelwan

'THE ESCAPE OF ATHELWAN'

The second book in the Charlie Braithwaite series finds our young English hero at home in his bedroom. It is a boring, wet afternoon, when suddenly his old friend the arch wizard Argetlám appears on his computer screen. At first delighted by the return of his friend, he soon discovers that the wizard has a job for him that is both extremely dangerous and possibly, crucially important to the freedom of everyone living in modern Britain if not the world.

Argetlám explains to Charlie that Athelwan, an evil sorcerer punished for his wicked ways by entombment in a cavern, centuries earlier, has escaped. Furthermore, he has materialised during the Battle of Britain, in 1940s England. The sorcerer has taken the job of headmaster of the local school and Argetlám is convinced that he is trying to help Britain’s sworn enemy, the evil Nazis. Should he succeed in his scheme, Britain may well lose the battle and therefore, her freedom. The consequences of this re-writing of history being that even people as young as Charlie could be seriously affected, perhaps not even born!

Our hero is therefore persuaded to travel back to September 1940, in the guise of a London evacuee. Once there, he is to enrol at Athelwan’s school (the sorcerer has taken the name Benson) in order to spy on him. This is another story about Charlie and the friends he made during the adventure – 'The Witches of Lewthan Mountain', as they spy on the forces of the Dark Side in an attempt to foil their evil ways. The question the reader must ask is – against all the powerful odds ranged against him, will, or even can, Charlie succeed? Further, if he cannot, what will that mean for the free world as we know it?