Seven hundred years ago, a Black Widow witch saw ancient prophecy come to life in her web of dreams and visions.

Now the Dark Realm readies itself for the arrival of its Queen the Witch who will wield more power than the High Lord of Hell himself. But the Queen is still young, still open to influence - and corruption.

Whoever controls the Queen controls the Darkness. Three men - sworn enemies - know this. And they know that the power that hides behind the blue eyes of an innocent young girl. And so begins a ruthless game od politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, where the weapons are hate and love - and the prize could be terrible beyond imagining....

If you judge a book by its cover then this seems like a pretty dull find but Anne Bishop is an incredibly talented author. I think even the blurb doesn't do it justice but it must be impossible to portray how amazing this book is, it's that good. This is without a doubt the best book I have ever read. It should become compulsory reading.

OK hands up the author is a mate of mine, but if you can track this book down its well worth a read.

In the near future at the University of Wessex Sir John Westgate and Dr Katherine Beckford have created a a huge databank of over 200 characters from all times as an educational resource. People can log on and interact with people from different times, from Napoleonic soldiers and early 20th century streetwalkers to fire and brimstone puritans and comely serving wenches. But the AIs become self-aware and when the authorities try to shut them down they break out of the Museum of the Mind into the world wide web. Chaos and panic ensues.

Now it may sound like a well worn plot from Star Trek or any other Sci fi show, but Eugene's first novel is written from a very British perspective. The characters are all very well developed, even the artificial ones, the plot is very clever,and there is a great deal of humour and not a little social comment.