Angry Robot Books recently ran a competition that asked fans to re-create their favourite book covers. The winner was this Etch-A-Sketch rendition of Anne Lyle‘s THE PRINCE OF LIES cover, by Carol Riggs…

That’s incredible.

In case you didn’t know (for shame!), THE PRINCE OF LIES is the final book in Anne’s Night’s Masque trilogy – THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS and THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS, all published by Angry Robot Books. Here’s the synopsis for the third book…

Elizabethan spy Mal Catlyn has everything he ever wanted – his twin brother Sandy restored to health, his family estate reclaimed and a son to inherit it – but his work is far from over. The renegade skraylings, the guisers, are still plotting – their leader, Jathekkil, has reincarnated as the young Prince Henry Tudor. But while he is still young, Mal has a slim chance of eliminating his enemies whilst they are at their weakest.

With Sandy’s help, Mal learns to harness his own magic in the fight against the guisers, but it may be too late to save England. Schemes set in motion decades ago are at last coming to fruition, and the barrier between the dreamlands and the waking world is wearing thin…

And also, some of the praise Anne’s series has received…

‘A lively cast of actors and their down-at-the-heel associates contrasts neatly with mysterious powers and goals of the inhuman skraylings as a theatrical competition in the ambassador’s honor offers opportunities for both actors and assassins. With an effective mix of espionage, backstage drama, and mystery, Lyle provides compelling drama in an intriguing setting.’  —  Publishers Weekly on THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS

‘Anne Lyle’s THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS… gives Shakespeare’s London an alternate-history twist. The Americas are home to non-human “skraylings”; some have settled here; our hard-up swordsman hero must bodyguard these aliens’ first official ambassador. Intrigue, playhouse mayhem and revelations of strange skrayling powers follow. A lively, readable debut.’  —  Telegraph.co.uk

‘Full of vitality and some spectacular sequences, THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS is simply fantastic… A more fully realised world, richer secondary characters, an excellent main cast, and a very moving and emotional story… certainly a stronger novel than its predecessor.’  —  The Founding Fields

‘There really is a lot to love in this novel. Lyle gives us a story that has suspense, intrigue, and action. Set in an alternate reality that feels totally real. The characters feel alive, and are very interesting companions on the journey the story takes the reader.’  —  Weirdmage on THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS

‘… as exciting and action-packed as the previous two volumes, and it picks up all the loose threads that were left hanging at the end of THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS… I highly recommend this book, but don’t start here. Start with THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS and read them in order or you’ll be floundering. For those that have followed the series so far, this is a tight conclusion…’  —  Fantasy Faction on THE PRINCE OF LIES

‘The ending to the Alchemist of Souls trilogy decisively builds on the foundation of its predecessors… A good ending to what will hopefully be the first of many trilogies from the author… The relationship building and character growth throughout the novel was enjoyable… The politics of the succession and the future of the English throne feel nicely medieval, reminiscent of the tumult over the succession to Edward VI in its complexity, factional politics and uncertain future for the country. The politics of the future of the crown in medieval times, were always tense, and the author captures that opportunism and danger well in this novel… The action sequences, though, are the best thing in the series, and PRINCE OF LIES continues that tradition. A country house under siege, chases, escapes, pulse-pounding action on the streets of London, and much more awaits the reader. The swordplay and action sequences, while pulse-pounding, are solidly built on real swordplay and gunplay. It never devolves into unrealistic encounters, and the costs and dangers of sword and gun are never soft-pedaled. In particular, the explosive denouement of the novel is a skilled set piece of character beats, well described action, and exciting confrontations in an excellent location for action shenanigans. Its quite probably the best sequence in the entire trilogy.’  —  SF Signal