Mark Chadbourn 
Silver Skull 

Meet Will Swyfteadventurer, swordsman, rake, swashbuckler, wit, scholar and the greatest of Walsinghams new band of spies. His exploits against the forces of Philip of Spain have made him a national hero, lauded from Carlisle to Kent. Yet his associates can barely disguise their incredulitywhat is the point of a spy whose face and name is known across Europe? But Swyftes public image is a carefully-crafted faade to give the people of England something to believe in, and to allow them to sleep peacefully at night. It deflects attention from his real workand the true reason why Walsinghams spy network was established. A Cold War seethes, and England remains under a state of threat. The forces of Faerie have preyed on humanity for millennia. Responsible for our myths and legends, of gods and fairies, dragons, griffins, devils, imps and every other supernatural menace that has haunted our dreams, this power in the darkness has seen humans as playthings to be tormented, hunted or eradicated. But now England is fighting back! Magical defences have been put in place by the Queens sorcerer Dr. John Dee, who is also a senior member of Walsinghams secret service and provides many of the bizarre gadgets utilised by the spies. Finally there is a balance of power. But the Cold War is threatening to turn hot at any moment… Will now plays a constant game of deceit and death, holding back the Enemys repeated incursions, dealing in a shadowy world of plots and counter-plots, deceptions, secrets, murder, where no one… and no thing… is quite what it seems.