Picking up where The Baker's Boy left off, the betrothment party from the Four Kingdoms is well on the road to meet Kylock's bride-to-be, Catherine, daughter of the Duke of Bren. This is purely a political move meant to solidify The Four Kingdoms' power in the Known Lands.

Meanwhile, Jack and Melli, long since escaped from the Four Kingdoms, are separated. Jack falls into the company of a smuggler and black marketeer while Melli is now the pride of a slave trader on his way to Bren. Nabber has followed Tawl westward to Bren only to find Tawl fighting for his living as a pit fighter. Kylock resumes hostilities with the Halcus in what grows to be a full-scale war. As the wedding comes closer to reality, loyalties change hands, marriages are announced, Kylock asserts his Machiavellian power... and Jack comes closer to understanding his powers and his origins.

"The first volume in what promises to be a long and successful fantasy series."
    CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER

"Jones stamps it all with a distinctive touch.... There's so much going on that the action barely starts in this novel, and an ominous prophecy promises much more to come."
    LOCUS

"We have a major new writer here, and I expect that we'll see a lot more of her splendid stories in the future. Bravo! An intriguing tale well told."
    DENNIS MCKIERNAN, AUTHOR OF VOYAGE OF THE FOX RIDER

"J. V. Jones and The Baker's Boy are quite a find. A deliciously intricate tale."
    KATHERINE KURTZ, AUTHOR OF THE DERYNI SERIES