The birth of Merlin. The betrayal of Britain. Two threads intertwine. The Swithen begins. Are you ready to embark on a reading journey unlike any other? The longest, most cohesive interpretation of real Arthurian legend—faithful to the Medieval sources of the years 1136 to 1485—begins here. The devil wants a man on earth to lure people into temptation. He chooses an innocent woman to bring his child into the world. That woman, Adhan, soon finds her life turned into a nightmare as a demon picks off her family one by one, drawing ever closer to her. Soon the demon’s work is done—in a time when an illegitimate child incurs the punishment of death—and she is desperate to save her own life while thwarting the devil’s plans for her child. But the demon who attacked her didn't count on her indomitable strength—or the unique gifts of her incredible son... a child that will become Merlin, the greatest wizard of all time. Elsewhere, evil mastermind Vortigern treacherously twists the natural succession to install himself as king, sending young heirs Pendragon and Uther (King Arthur’s future father) into hiding. When armies of Saxons arrive seeking to settle and slowly conquer Britain, Vortigern allows them in, even marrying the daughter of their leader. As the tyrant king kills this person and betrays that one, it becomes not a matter of when he will be overthrown, but which of his rapidly-multiplying enemies will do it. This new novel is a completely rewritten version of “Our Man on Earth,” the former Swithen Book One, and includes the Vortigern story for the first time while completely transforming the previous book’s contents, including changing Merlin’s mother’s name from Meylinde to Adhan, a name located in an obscure Arthurian source. Combining elements of horror, fantasy, action and unexpected humor, this novel contrasts an intimate tale of faith and mother-son tenderness with the violent story of a tyrant king running Britain asunder in his quest for power. It brings the world of Britain in the year 450, when magic was as real as the air we breathe, to life for the present day—and offers fresh insights into the characters and stories we thought we knew so well. Faithful to the Arthurian literature of the Medieval age, this is the starting point of an unprecedented 25-novel interpretation of the real legend of King Arthur (the first five available now). The Swithen retains the weirdness, mystery and entrancing beauty of the original Medieval tales while filling in the character development and connecting material they are missing. Join the saga as it begins and discover why this story has endured for a thousand years.