

Tory’s adventures in time are fascinating and and the famous Welsh figures she encounters (Taliesin) bring the mythological history to life. What I Liked: Ancient Future: The Dark Ages is my favourite instalment of the trilogy. Maelgywn, jealous rages aside, is a delightfully enlightened hero for a fantasy novel set in the dark ages. Tory Alexander is an ass kicking (Australian!) heroine with awesome physical skills, wicked psychic skills (teleportation is the way of the future), and enviable people skills. While her style greatly appealed to my adolescent self it is her stories that keep me coming back to these old books. I’ve been reading Traci Harding since I was 13 years old – that’s 10 years. Yet again, Tory must draw on all of her courage, strength of character and resourcefulness.

In an epic climax, the Shining Ones and the Chosen, who are hiding within the circuits of times, gather to defeat the evil ones and bring about a new age of awareness to the world. Once there Tory has to find her own way home, and a cure for the High King’s sickness.


But dark forces are stirring…Tory seeks the advice of the triple Goddess, and the women of the Otherworld send Tory through time to Plato’s City of the Golden Gates – Atlantis. Twenty years later, Tory Alexander, from the 20th century, has ruled as Queen in 6th century Britain. They finally overcome their fears and soon the tales of her adventures, brave deeds and beauty spread across the land. There she meets Prince Maelgwn of Gwynedd and his band of warriors, who initially brand her as a witch and are frightened by her strange appearance. Late one evening, an accident near a ring of stones throws Tory Alexander across the vortex of time and space to the Dark Ages. Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel, Science Fiction, History, Adventure Publication Date: Omnibus 1st March 2014, originally 1996
