Dragt, Tonke

Letter for the King

Published in Dragt’s native dutch wa-ay back in 1962, The Letter for the King was finally translated to English in 2014, quite why it took them so long I’m unsure, several sources indicate that it has sold over a million copies worldwide. A young Squire named Tiuri is interrupted from an all-night vigil, the final test before his investiture as a full knight, and presented with a stark choice. Behave as a truly honourable knight and answer an old man’s call for help, or complete his vigil and become a knight. In choosing the former he sets out on an adventure to deliver, er, the letter for the king, a simple enough task, were it not for the band of enemy knights intent on preventing the delivery. Tiuri’s quest takes him through forests, over mountains, along rivers, into captivity. He meets new friends, learns new skills and deals with lots of unfamiliar situations and obstacles in his attempts to achieve the ultimate goal of delivering the letter.

Secrets of the Wild Wood is a sequel set shortly after the conclusion of the first book and follows on in a very similar vein and quality.

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