The Crystal
Throne
Welcome to a world of magic, a realm where anything
is possible, a kingdom ruled by a fairy prince.
The Crystal Throne is a magical love story, the story of the forbidden love
of a human male for the ruler of a world that only occurs in fairy tales.
Sword and sorcery meet gay romance in magic and mayhem.
Available in hard cover or trade paperback . To order your copy, contact
the Enchanted Willow Alchemy Shoppe, order directly
from the publisher,
Xlibris,
or contact your local bookstore and request a copy now! Also available through
Barnes
& Noble and
Amazon.com.
ISBN: 1-4010-1027-X (Trade Paperback)($19.95)
ISBN: 1-4010-1026-1 (Hardback)($28.95)
Pages: 224
Subject: FICTION / Fantasy / General
Description
What happens when a gay man falls in love with the king of the fairies? This
fairy is no diminutive creature, dancing on flower petals with gossamer wings.
He is a full-fledged warrior skilled in sword play, standing six feet tall
and looking more like Michealangelo’s statue of David come to life.
The story begins when Scott Quartermain discovers that someone has broken
into his home. It hasn’t been ransacked, as by a burglar, but small
things have been moved, furniture rearranged, as if whoever the intruder
is, he is looking for something. Finding no sympathy from the police, Scott
sets out to catch the intruder himself, and manages to do so. However, he
is surprised to find the stranger in his home is a beautiful man with an
incredibly winning personality. He tells Scott a tale of his origins in another
world.
Raised by wood elves far from the Palace of Esbereth, Robin is destined to
be the king of the faeries. On his way to the castle, he is tutored by a
human who has been in his land a long time and was an advisor to his father.
When the queen died in childbirth and the king disappeared fighting invaders
to the north, Robin was sequestered in the great wood until he was old enough
to assume command of his kingdom. Now he finds he is being taken back to
the Palace in secret to challenge Bailor, the usurper of his throne.
When Robin is revealed to the high council as the rightful monarch, Bailor
agrees to gladly step aside. However, he convinces the council that Robin
must immediately marry in order to produce an heir and assure that such a
time as they have just known, without a king, is never repeated. The hastily
arranged marriage is with the usurper’s sister, an evil woman given
over to every form of wanton lust. Robin attempts to refuse, having no desire
at all for this woman, and is convinced to go through with the wedding only
for the sake of his kingdom. However, during the ceremony an evil spell is
cast by Bailor which sends Robin into exile in the land of the humans.
Not quite believing his story, but strangely attracted to the unusual man,
Scott does not know what to do. Suddenly confronted with the reality of the
unusual story, he honestly confesses his attraction to the exiled king. Robin
surprises him by reciprocating those feelings, but says he must return to
his own land and has been searching for a way back. That was what first drew
him to Scott’s house. He sensed that there was a doorway nearby that
would allow him to pass between the worlds.
In an effort to help his new love, Scott gets embroiled in a crime and chased
by the police. In an explosive climax to his adventures in the human world,
Robin finds the doorway to his own land. In the process of attempting to
help him get away, Scott is also magically pulled into the faerie realm behind
the would-be king.
Arriving in very different locations of Tuatha, the land of faerie, Scott
and Robin must make their separate ways back to the palace and try to resolve
the political strife that has befallen the kingdom. Robin must find a way
to resume his throne and rid the land of the evil that has been brought to
it by the usurper and his evil sister. Meanwhile Scott is attempting to find
out what he can do to assist the new king. While Robin battles for his throne,
Scott is transported to the demon world where he must attempt to rescue
Robin’s cousin, trapped by the evil woman who is the real power behind
the takeover of Tuatha.
Not only is the outcome of Robin’s kingdom in jeopardy, but his love
for another man, and a human to boot, may well cause problems in this magical
land.
Author Biography
At an early age, Bert McKenzie learned about the unseen, magical world that
surrounds us. His Irish grandmother often told him stories of elves and
leprechauns, banshees and evil spirits. He grew up with a wealth of odd customs
and knowledge that people in our work-a-day world find curious. But it was
these superstitions and stories that lead McKenzie to a world of magic both
in real life and in literature.
In college Bert McKenzie studied a varied discipline and eventually received
degrees in Theatre/Communications, Psychology and Metaphysics. He went on
to teach high school and direct and choreograph productions in academic,
community and professional theatre, working as an actor, dancer, writer,
and box office manager.
Currently McKenzie works as a professional writer for a government office,
drafting reports and letters. He also owns and manages a small metaphysical/
occult store where he often comes in contact with the world of magic. Having
practiced Wicca for a number of years, he is familiar with both ceremonial
and folk magic and has a strong connection to fairies as well as dragons.
His fantasy novels, although works of imaginative fiction, strike a sympathetic
chord to his beliefs. How do we know that it can’t happen when there
is magic all around us?
The Crystal Throne was written over a four month period while Bert McKenzie
was employed as a secretary and had to only answer the phone a few times
during the day. Rather than sit and stare at the walls, he applied himself
to crafting a land inhabited by strange people and magical creatures. He
then asked what would happen if an inhabitant of that magical land would
come into contact with our modern society.
Having completed The Crystal Throne, McKenzie suffered a writer’s form
of post partum depression. He had so enjoyed the land and characters he created
that he was soon embarking on a sequel. Having written a number of sword
and sorcery books, he then tried his hand at a more mainstream novel dealing
with the topic of homophobia in the entertainment industry.
McKenzie continued to write his fiction while employed as the drama critic
for a major Midwestern newspaper. It was during this time that he discovered
Wicca as a new religious discipline and way of life. Answering many of his
questions about the universe and man’s place in it, as well as addressing
much of the Irish heritage upon which he was raised, this non-traditional
pathway soon became an accepted way of life for McKenzie. He and his partner
later opened a small store to supply the pagan community in the Midwest with
their needs.
He feels that his pagan beliefs have now brought him full circle, returning
to the magical lands that he heard so much about from his grandmother.
Celebrating the seasons and the universe, McKenzie now devotes his time to
teaching and studying as well as sharing his interests through his writing
both in non-fiction articles and fantasy novels and stories.
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