Amity works as a servant to the Duke. Her duties include the standard serving wench fare -- preparing and serving meals, cleaning, mending. But her life has always been difficult, and she would gladly work hard to survive in this world. However, her life is made even more difficult by the constant sexual demands placed upon her and all the other wenches used by the Duke. If it were not for her undying spirituality, she would have taken her own life long ago.

Her life takes an unexpected turn when the young, incompetent Duke picks a fight with his far stronger neighbour and the King refuses to intervene.

Bradley has found his focus. His prose tackles tough moral subjects and many of them. Here, Bradley focuses beautifully on Amity and her life, allowing us to assimilate his messages in a subtle manner. I cared about Amity; hated the villains that abounded in this tale. And that is what is important to a true story teller. Even while I’ve never been in a position like Amity’s -- I could still relate to her and what she was feeling.

A word of caution. This story is not for everyone. There is a great deal of violence and angst -- it is not a particularly happy story. However, at least for me, Bradley pulled me into a different world and while I abhor some of the actions that took place there, it was with definite purpose that Bradley showed it to me.

Sit down. Take a deep breath. And fall into another world.
 

Rating: [10,10,10,10]